In the middle of our walk down the quaint streets of Ravenna (mid east coast of Italy) we came upon this lovely mosaic bench. If you click on the picture, you will see that the bench is entirely covered in little pieces of tile, giving a surreal imagery of a simple coat and book carelessly laid upon a bench. This town is known for its fabulous collection of perserved mosaics , which unfortunately we didn't get to see as our contorted schedule got us there after closing time.
There was so much stone art in Italy which I wanted to haul home with me.
15 comments:
That is absolutely incredible. I wish I had the patience to make something so beautiful!
Holy cow! So that sweater and book aren't there at all?
Not only would you have a bummed ankle you probably would have pulled your arms out of their sockets carrying all of that tile. I love that picture. Like you said the simple coat on the bench and the book really add to it. Great picture...
;o)
Seeing these pictures makes me think you can actually feel it's great history in the air.
Very very cool pic.
tc
I can see the tiling on the coat, but not the book. Is this a statue? The coat and book must be sticking out. It's very nice.
I like mosaic too. The coat is amazing.
You'd really have sore wings after carrying all that!
This is a stunning piece...the Italians are masters of the mosaic.
Odly enough I am working on a mosaic piece right now...using sea glass.
P.S. for a minute there I thought I saw a Gypsy Moth on the screen...is that a Monarch...what fun!!!
wow such incredible detailed work,
just existing there, all humble-like.
very cool.
Beautiful photo. The mosaic work is so clever and beautiful but I love the effect of the dry flowers near it. Speaks of romance.
ya i dig those dried flowers too...
speaks volumes, dont it?
have a great time in Portland today!
xoxo
Angela - Patience I've got... it's the talent I lack LOL!
Okay smart aleck... YES Dawg, the whole thing is there, bench, coat and book, surrealISTIC as they may all seem.
Jillie - LOL! Yes, I would have had a wee bit of trouble trying to stuff it into my backpack. The thing inspires me to want to begin another project with mosaic... I love it so much. I love how people can create such beauty with their minds, and then make it tangible with their hands.
TC - The feel of walking among ancient peoples was incredible... with the evidence of their existence everywhere I looked. I love that man has the irrepressible urge to create; how fortunate for generations to come that those artists worked in a stone medium, which lasts so long.
Jeanne - The entire work was of stone and mosaic, including the coat and the book. This work wasn't so ancient - having been done in the past century, unlike the ruins which rose up nearby. It looked like someone had just gotten up for a moment, and left their coat and book carelessly draped on the bench. Like a still-life - undramatic but remarkable all at once.
SOe - We spent a long time examining it... it was a great point of interest.
Icy - I did carry it home - in my minds eye. Spared the wings this time ;-)
Mo'a - Ooohh can't wait to see a pic of your latest effort. Mosaic? Is there any medium you don't do? I truly love mosaic - always have. I've made some attempts at garden stonework mosaics... such as stepping stones, etc. but I became so discouraged with the results that I stopped. When I see things like the bench, or some of the fantastic works with small pieces of glass or fired tiles which were so incredible, I just lose all motivation. You know, like a kindergardner who comes home and presents her mother with some funky flower she made out of cardboard with a round piece of glass in the middle...Mom wears it proudly, but secretly the child (me) knows it is crude.
BTW - this blog has butterflies in it's tummy
Lisa - You've hit on the beauty of that moment... the simple part of that art just existing there all by its lonesome; no fanfare, just expression.
Lone Grey Squirrel - so nice to see you again. I couldnt' figure out the significance of the flowers... whether it was in honor or remembrance of someone, or of as you said, romance. It is left to our imaginations to put the pieces together.
Thanks JJ - getting wound up for a weekend of staying up all night gabbing... 3 Sisters (out of a possible 5) together constitutes a Sister's Outing; no sleep until I return home very late Sunday evening. Bleah - they don't make weekends long enough I think.
WOW. lovelovelove that bench! i figured the coat and book were mosaics, too, but i had no idea how beautiful they were until i clicked on the picture in order to see them up close. thank you for sharing this picture, Terry!!
and HAVE FUN with your sisties! i'm SOOOOOOO jealous. both my sisters are in California, and, as with you and yours, there's very little sleep to be had when we all get together. sounds like you'll have a great time! xox
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