Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University
I continue the stay-at-home travel Art + Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture. Roman Architecture. Introduction The urban Grid and Public Architecture.1-2
Pantheon is one of the greatest masterpieces of Roman Architecture with a very innovative structure. The building represents the power and glory of Rome itself and the Roman Architecture for the world. This is the greatest building ever conceived by man, a genius of the human mind and ability.
My painting for this session is about the Pantheon, with its extraordinary interior space that is shaped by light. Apparently it was the revolutionary transformation of the use of Roman cement and stone. The Pantheon is representative of Rome as a whole in its grandeur, scale and elegance, would you agree?
The eye of the Pantheon through the centuries has become a model for many buildings. Ancient architects were pouring the roman cement into a wooden model. Essentially they broke the inflexibility of belief from the Greek and Etruscan architects that any architectural buildings should be only straightforward and rectilinear, including roofs
All roads lead to Rome- Alain de Lille
Bon voyage! Until the next travel:) Stay healthy.
All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.
You can visit my personal website pages here and find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings; purchase canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.
My favorite art store in Toronto is Deserres at Spadina Ave.
Painting –Rome, Pantheon, Roman Architecture. Year of construction-126 AD. Address:Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Tools used for my painting Watercolour PWC jaune paint+ (combination PWC indigo paint +Van Gogh ultramarine paint), Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello watercolour album. Fabriano grana grossa rouch Watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)
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Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University
Let’s start my stay-in-home travel Art + Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture. Roman Architecture. Introduction. Roman Urbanism.1-1
The Servian Walls is ancient Roman defensive barrier built around the famous Seven Hills of the republican city after the Sack of Rome in 4century B.C. In the early period of Roman architecture, the stone blocks were just piled one on top of the other for the wall. We can still see the very wide section of the Servian Walls near Rome’s train station Stazione Termini station. The city grew over time and in the late third century AD (under the emperor Aurelian), the impressive and famous set of the Aurelian Walls was built. A new technology is concrete revolutionized Roman architecture and concrete faced with brick. We can still see some parts of the two ancient walls in Rome.
My first painting is about the Servian Wall, the first ancient Roman wall, recognizing this major monument of the ancient Roman architecture.
I must admit that several times I passed a part of the fortress wall near the station in Rome and the Esquiline Gate of the Servian Wall, and I did not recognize this significant part of Roman architecture in history and just admired the architectural monuments. On my next trip I will definitely return to the remains of the fortress wall and the gates of the Eternal City. “All roads lead to Rome” Alain de Lille
All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.
You can visit my personal website pages here and find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings; purchase canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.
My favorite art store in Toronto is Deserres at Spadina Ave
Painting –Rome, Servian Walls, Roman Architecture. Year of construction- 3 century B.C. Address: Piazzale dei Cinquecento, Rome
Tools used for my painting Watercolour Winsor Newton Gamboge paint, Alison, indigo brands, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Fluid 100, cold press Watercolour albums, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)
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In my new journey watercolor stay-in-home travel with a new course Roman Architecture at online Open Yale course. There so many interesting facts I am learning from the Professor of History of Art and Classics Diana E.E. Kleiner Dunham. https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture
Painting journey of my 3 passions – Roman Architecture and Art with references and learning from Yale University Roman Architecture, Professor Kleiner about art, architecture
The course Roman Architecture is my favourite one because I love to travel and would like to discover the power of architecture to shape culture and society with my additional research from the lectures. The nine- week course explores the great cities and their buildings, engineering marvels of Rome and its empire in their ancient and contemporary contexts. Rome, cities of Pompeii, Sicily, France, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Croatia and the rest of Roman Empire. Experience the full brush of Rome’s beginning as an Iron Age village and how it became a world-class city and a gigantic empire surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
The Romans had a vast impact on architecture worldwide. The Roman Architecture course will help me to design my own Roman City Art Project. I am going to learn some architecture skills and enhance my life.
Every temple has its story and legend, I love all lectures with interesting facts of the professor Diana E.E. Kleiner. One of the good things about learning is the professor’s enthusiasm and her own photos. In addition, I will use my husband’s photos and my own sketches from our vacation in Italy.
The course starts from 8 B.C. architecture and moves from one revolutionary experiment to the next one; and my paintings will follow the consecutive process of the development of Roman architecture that was born out of ancient Greek and Etruscan styles I hope that soon I will travel to Rome with all my new knowledge from the Roman Architecture course 🙂
I will pick a photo reference from a lecture for each painting. I am going to share my quick comparison for four picks of art watercolor albums and paints.
Acquarello watercolour album. Fabriano cold pressed
Acquarello watercolour album. Fabriano, grana grossa rouch
Fluid 100, cold press
Van Gogh, National gallery
Watercolour paints:
Van Gogh travel box
Van Gogh tubes
PWC
Cotman
Winsor Newton
Charvin
Box Munovo
Gelly roll Sakura white pen
Watercolour pencils Albert Durer
Watercolour pencils Faber Castell Durer
Watercolour pencils Derwent
my next post about Yale’s Roman Architecture course
All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.
You can visit my personal website pages here and find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings; purchase canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.
My favourite art store in Toronto Deserres, Spadina Ave
Tools used for my painting Watercolour used Charvin and Van Gogh brands, Pastel GrayPas Expressionist, Derwent watercolour pencils and Faber Castell artist pens. Paper Strathmore Watercolour and Mixed Media albums, 15×20 cm (6×8 in.)
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Minsk is my motherland city and this is why it was a very special project. There were two challenges for this project. One was a typical traveler’s one. “Be a tourist in your own city”, very popular nowadays. The second part of the challenge is an artistic one; the size of my mini album is about 9×13 cm (4×5 inches), which got filled just within 7 days and 25 pages with sketches of my favorite places, districts and aspects of Minsk
A luminous horse with a carriage of Cinderella is on Freedom Square in Minsk
A little bit of history. The Belarusian capital turned 950 years old. It is customary to begin the history of the city from its first mention in a written source. Such is the “Tale of Bygone Years.” Minsk is mentioned there in connection with the battle on the Nemiga River, which occurred on March 3, 1067. For my project I decided to paint my favorite city’s statues. I would divide all the city sculptures into two main types: from the Soviet past (most often they are monumental and serious), and the decorative type (my favorite: light, and elegant and sometimes designed with humors, which do not protrude from the interior of the district, but become part of the green city).
Statue of the dancing ballerinas near the Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Minsk Two tired ballerinas sat down to rest on a bench at the service entrance of the theater. They float on stage with ease, and it seems easy. But this is hard work.
Ballerina got tired, but after the performance you can relax, throw off pointe shoes and stretch your legs, looks so real!
Park and elegant statue of Lady of the Opera House
All my paintings are made from my favorite city places; we walked with my dad and daughter around squares, so that they are present as characters, passerby and members of my family at the same time.
Park Opera House in Minsk, golden autumn
The Playing Children sculpture is near city library near Bogdanovicha street and Very Horuzhei, greenery district. The breath of new life within sculpture on the city streets appeared quite recently, about 30 years ago. Primary pedestals were replaced by genre sculptures.
Statue of a Stork, this bird is a symbol of Belarus. People’s Friendship Park
In the Belarusian folk tradition, a stork is a sacred bird, a connecting link between heaven and earth, the steward and custodian of crops, heavenly fire and other celestial elements. He protects from lightning and fire, but if offended, can harm a person, burn the house or throw a snake into the well. Therefore, killing a stork or ruining its nest is considered a bad omen. This bird occupies an important place in the rites and signs associated with the agricultural cycle.
Sculpture Lady with a Dog, near central Minsk’s Market Komarovka. It is believed that this Chekhov-inspired composition also fulfills wishes.
There are several sculptures in the open-air market: “Lady with a Dog”, “Photographer”, “Horse and Sparrow” and the famous “Merchant of seeds.” These sculptures aren’t spared: as a tradition, all those taking photos need to rub the muzzle of a dog for good luck. The photographer rubbed his left boot, hat and camera.
Chekhov’s lady poses against the backdrop of Komarovka, and the photographer gives her another bow: “Give me a smile, Madame! Say ‘cheese’!”
Minsk’s market Komarovka, one of the most beloved sculptures by local people and tourists, polished to a bronze shine. Grandmothers with seeds are the ideal embodiment and the engine of trade. This sculpture is the Komarovka’s “Baba Raya”, or “Trading in seeds.” The local merchants came up with an omen: if you sit next to the sculpture until sunrise, then luck in trading awaits you the whole day (presumably, specifically when it comes to selling local produce: one of the smallest forms of entrepreneurship in Slavic countries). According to the old-timer merchants of Komarovka, there is no particular legend about “Baba”, but many people come to “pray” to her, especially when the business is not going well.
Trinity suburb, a sculpture called “Belarusians abroad”
It is dedicated to the Belarusians, who are away from their homeland but their soul remains with their homeland. A bronze structure is made in the form of a wheel – the oldest Slavic symbol that personifies the sun, the earthly circle of life, eternity.
Troickoe predmest’e. Monument to Jazep Drozdovich, local historian,archaeologist and ethnographer, astronomer and artist
A man with an easel confidently walks on the Belarusian land. In the crown of a tree behind him, pointed spires of towers, domes of temples soar up, a proud horseman rushes off somewhere on a fast horse. The “Eternal Wanderer”, as his contemporaries called him, he painted his dreams about Moon, Mars and Saturn in order to understand and depict the inner cosmos.
The artist is depicted as a wanderer, because during all of his life he never owned a house of his own. Yazep spent his whole life traveling, during which he made sketches of Belarusian towns and cities. In addition, Drozdovich was the first artist to paint on the topic of space. In terms of his contribution to the development of space subjects, he is placed on a par with Gagarin and Tsiolkovsky. It is for this reason that two shooting stars are depicted on the monument, and, as you know, whoever sees the shooting star can make a wish.
“Remember, I’m calmed up with taboos, Zorka Venus has come.” The lines written by one of the best romantics poet Maxim Bogdanovich, who was born here in the Trinity suburb. Maybe that’s why the Trinity Suburb has such a distinctly romantic atmosphere.
The Trinity suburb, although it is now the very heart of the city, it still has historical name ‘suburb’). It has plenty of cafes with local food that our ancestors used to have on their dinner table. Home-made Soup and bliny’s. Cafe “Old City”, address Bogdanovicha 19
Famous Krambabulja with pork, an old Belarusian alcoholic beverage: tincture with honey, spices and herbs. Its history dates back to the 16th century, during the Time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For centuries, this festive drink with a profound taste has been an indispensable attribute for home dining and lavish feasts of wealthy nobility and noble tycoons. The high price of spices made Krambabulja a festive drink, a drink of nobility. And the nutritious properties of its composition (including herbs and spices) made it not only a favorite for its taste and aroma, but also irreplaceable when attempting to eliminate the consequences of the abundant feast, something much valued by our ancestors. Have yummy pork rolls and machanka, a legend of the Belarusian cuisine, with your Krambabulja.
Tea time, in a little cafe Union Coffee near the circus, address Janki Kupaly, 17
This statue is a Dancer on a horse near Circus. Minsk is one of the few cities that has a permanent building for its circus, the favorite place in my childhood.
Near Circus, Cloun statue
Sculpture Boy and Goose, Aleksandrovskiy Square, address Engelsa, 7
It is a part of famous sculptures’ serial. The sculpture was made in the 19th century. An interesting fact is this sculpture has more than 200 hundred copies in the world.
Fragment of sculpture Boy with a swan. A water supply system with clean artesian water was launched in Minsk in the 19th century. In memory of this event, the first fountain in the city was installed in Alexandrovsky Square. City rumor attributes the authorship of the romantic sculpture “The Boy Playing with a Swan” to the Italian sculptor Lorenzo Bernini. Of course, it is not true…
There is another old part of city called Upper City (Verhnij gorog) , Nemiga river
Upper City. Statue Voight
Opposite the town hall of Vojt (the head of the magistrate) with the key to the city and the royal letter, and at his feet there is a map of old Minsk of the 16th century. The local legend states that Voight’s key brings good luck. Although tourists often ask him not for luck, but for keys to a new condo, the myth says that if you hold on to this key, sooner or later you will receive the treasured key for your new home.
Sculpture Crew, Upper City
Near the town hall on Freedom Square there is a bronze “Crew” harnessed by a pair of horses, which in its size and appearance corresponds to the phaetons of the 19th century. It was in this place 200 years ago that the Minsk mayor could ride. The city’s legend is if you sit in it – you will find happiness in a full bowl.
They say that sometimes, when people take pictures in this carriage, there are people from other eras appearing in the background of the photo. There is even a legend: if the newlyweds ride in this carriage, then the happiness and longevity of their family life is guaranteed for many years. Well, it’s also useful for travelers to sit in the carriage before a long trip – this will bring good luck on the trip and a lot of positive emotions. And if you need even more luck, reach for the ears of horses that are pulled into a bronze stroller, and you can make a wish and it will come true.
Sculpture City scales, Upper City, Freedom Square the monument is dedicated to obtaining the Magdeburg Law of the city in Minsk in the 15th century. On one side of the pedestal is the seal of the Minsk City Hall with the coat of arms of the city. It has a “magic” bag of money. Those who believe in the urban legend that “rub the bag and get rich right away” have rubbed it to the “golden” radiance. (The reason for obtaining the Magdeburg Law was that, in the event of a war, the citizens would defend not only the state, but also their “city independence”, their freedom.)
Sculpture Architect, address Nezavisimosti, 11
The sculpture is a figure of an architect in a toga with a roll of drawings under his left hand: the most famous architect of Minsk of all time, who invested his soul and talent in creating the architectural appearance of the city. He stands above the city and with his hand is above city buildings. The sculpture embodies the architectural development of Minsk: from wooden structures to monumental buildings. This sculpture was made for the 940th anniversary of Minsk.
Minsk map, 1797 year and picture of the beautiful and kindest young lady. A little secret, its a combination of old map and the drawing of my mama from our family album. On this photo mama was young girl 18 years old, a representative of Minsk’s youth after WWII.
Well, the goals are completed. Thank you to my Van Gogh’s watercolor painting travel box and the best quality travel mini album I bought in Rome last Christmas, 25 pages of which are showing Minsk’s modern, coloured and light sculptures, local friendly people and national food, different parts of Belarusian capital in Upper City (Verhnij Gorod), Opera House, local market Komarovka, Circus, Trinity suburb (Troickoe Predmest’e), city library and People’s Friendship Park.
Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)
All images belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.
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