New Process Finds Masterworks in Florence Chapel

This article was first published by Technorati on 9 March 2010.

Exactly when the Renaissance started is still an open debate. But when it comes to the art of painting, most agree Giotto di Bondone started it around 1300 BCE.

Some of Giotto's work in its original form was lost to humanity until a restoration project underway inside Florence's Santa Croce Basilica made a startling discovery.

Using ultraviolet light, a team of researchers from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (literally "Factory of Hard Stones"), a renowned Florentine art restoration firm, saw details of Giotto paintings in the Peruzzi Chapel, which had been severely damaged by whitewashing centuries ago.

Porto Capuana in Naples, Italy

Wedged into the Naples metropolis just off Piazza Garibaldi is Porto Capuana, a gate in the wall built by Ferdinand I of Argon in 1484.
Originally, it was a gate in the city walls, which were subsequently removed, leaving behind the gate which stands today as an informal triumphal arch, homage to bygone days when Naples was the second largest city in Europe, behind Paris, and the continent's intellectual capital.
The gray cupola behind the gate is Santa Caterina a Formiello.The two towers of the gate are Honor and Virtue.

See Van Gogh's Latest Painting

A version of this article was published by Technorati on 24 February 2010.

A small museum in a small town in The Netherlands 70 miles east of Amsterdam is home to Vincent Van Gogh's latest creation--officially recognized as such, that is.

Museum de Fundatie in the town of Zwolle began showing "Le Blute-Fin Mill" today (pictured).

The painting and its former owner will remain forever linked by a checkered past.

"Le Blute-Fin Mill" was previously owned by an art collector and curator named Dirk Hannema, who bought it in 1975 from an unsuspecting Paris art dealer for the equivalent of $2,700. Hannema later insured the painting for around $43,000.

Upon his death in 1984, the entirety of Hannema's collection became the nucleus for the Museum de Fundatie.

Hennema's claim of Van Gogh authorship went unsubstantiated for so long because of his poor reputation in the art world. His career showed great promise early on. At the age of 26, he was director of Rotterdam's famed Boijmans Museum.

In 1937, however, his reputation suffered decline when he purchased a Vermeer that was later confirmed to be a forgery.

During World War II, the Nazis saw fit to put Hennema in charge of all the museums in Holland. After the war, he was arrested as a collaborator and stood trial, but was not convicted.

Hennema was known as one who was always trying to hit a home run, always looking for that undetected gem from one of the great masters.

Some 26 years after his death, experts have finally confirmed, he connected on one ball that actually cleared the fence.

Not only is the painting original, but according to Louis van Tilborgh, curator of research at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, "Le Blute-Fin Mill" is an unusual addition to the artist's opus due to the comparatively large size of the human figures in the scene.

It will remain on display through July 4th.

The Greek Ruins at Paestum, Italy

The Greek ruins at Paestum, south of Naples, think they're still alive, and their spirit comes alive in these photos. I shot picture after picture hoping to capture just the right pose from this 2,700-year-old Italian super-model. She didn't disappoint.

The pictures of the ruins are a study in light. It's almost difficult to see that the same structures are depicted in the first as in the last, their colors are so diverse as the clouds of the day pass over head and the sun goes down. I know there are a lot of pictures, but the light in the last few is really the best.

The first few are from the museum there. It's well worth a visit, but see the ruins first because they close much earlier.

The train stops right outside the gates. Due to the connections, it's probably an overnight trip from Naples, and a day trip from Sorrento or elsewhere on the Amalfi Coast. You can also drive it rather uneventfully in about an hour and a half.

For more information on Paestum, check out Wikipedia.

See also this educational series about Paestum.