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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Big Cities - Bologna

One thing that was hard to miss was all the sculpture about, much of it water-themed (mermaids, Neptune, hippocampus, octopuses, etc...) - which was interesting given this is an inland city. Can anyone tell me why?

This particular sculpture was one of half a dozen surrounding a fountain - and all depicting fairly violent scenes - lions killing giant serpents or cattle or this one of one mermaid grasping another one by the hair, preparing to bonk her on the head with a conch shell..... (again -huh?)

The detail on them was astonishingly gritty and meticulous.


Another water-based sculpture - this one has been slightly 'censored' - a visiting illustrator taped his business cards to her and then had his picture taken next to her and them...


This Neptune fountain (the top of which you can see here) is in the main piazza. Lots of figures scattered from top to bottom. My publishers had seen it the night before and were commenting on how the women on the bottom made them feel kind of uncomfortable... I wasn't sure what they meant. Until we saw it in person...



There was a nice foursome on the corners of the fountain base, all in this same 'pose'...

Your response may vary. :-)

8 comments:

Merisi said...

Well, un unguarded moment. :-)
Maybe Europeans are more used to see all kinds of nudity, even on the beaches. Who turns a head?

Gretel said...

Ah, the Italians, gotta love them! It is a very - erm - interesting - pose...

Tom Kidd said...

Beautiful pictures. It's as though I sent my own emissary there to take pictures for me.

Merisi, in our own nation's capital there is full frontal male and female nudity in some fountains and it has been there for over a hundred years. We're not the prudes we think we are.

I've seen this leaky lady somewhere before. Most of all I like her hat.

Tom Kidd said...

PS: What does the close-up of the claws belong to?

Merisi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Merisi said...

@ tom kidd:
I had to check which capital you were talking about! *grin*
Well, looks like it's the one town that has been home to me for half my life, and I don't remember any outdoors nudity! Is there something wrong with me? All that comes to mind are presidents and heroes on horsebacks and carrions and so on (with a little Einstein thrown in). I do remember, though, very well the taxpayer's money dear John Ashcroft spent to cover up this barebreasted statue with that famous blue curtain. *chuckle* Is it still up (could serve well for somebody else to hide behind *g*).

cindy said...

beautiful sculptures...i especially like the head-bonking mermaids!

Tom Kidd said...

Merisi, sometimes my memory fails me, well, quite often, but when you combine anything visual with anything nude it works much better. Yes, I did see what I thought I saw. It took me two minutes to find a link dedicated to Washington, DC nude sculptures. Paste this into your browser:
http://www.nakedwashington.com/.
You only need the opening page to see what I mean. I think that this has only sculpture, not actual naked people, but I didn't go beyond the first page to see the sculptures I remembered from my visit there. Now to see if I can find my own photos of DC.