watercolour

2-1. Art and Travel. – Rome, Palatine Hill, Romulus Founds Rome.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the art series with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture. Rome, Palatine Hill, Romulus Founds Rome, Roman Architecture. 2-1.

Romulus founded the city of Rome and on Palatine Hill and archaeologists still find the remains of that village and houses from which the Roman Empire began to expand. It is difficult to imagine that on this huge passage there was once a small village, which was dug into a wonderful city, my beloved Rome. According to the legend, Romulus founded the City of Rome, on the 21st of April in 753 BC. Romulus village had huts made of wood that had thatched roofs. There are similar huts in a small village in the Maya Riviera near Cancun. Anyone who will visit this place might imagine that they are in a future city of Rome of the 8 century BC.

Rome, Palatine Hill, Romulus Founds Rome, Roman Architecture

The Palatine Hill is the oldest inhabited one in Rome. Actually, the name of the hill comes from the name of the goddess Pales – the patroness of cattle. The hill has long been a place for grazing pets and worshiping this goddess. The first permanent settlements appeared here in about 1000 BC, judging by the archaeological artefacts that appeared on the Palatine. There is the Palatine Hill’s archaeological museum with the Romulus House with the model of huts in the village of the Iron Age.

Several years ago I was in the Capitoline Museums in Rome, near the reproduced images of the Romulus village at the Palatine and Capitoline Hills; I stared in these pictures with fascination to find more information. Who would have known that in a few years I will learn about the Roman architecture and I will have the opportunity to understand why I was so delighted?

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Rome, Palatine Hill, Romulus Founds Rome, Roman Architecture

Year of construction- 753 BC

Address: Rome, Palatine Hill, Piazza S. Maria Nova, 53V

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Charvin Ruby red and Emerald, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello Fabriano cold pressed watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

You are welcome to visit my personal website pages. There, you can find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings. You can buy canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

The Art of Pompeii: Depicting Daily Life Through Bakeries. Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

An Artist's Perspective on Roman Architecture, Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Art and Travel.  Pompeii, bakeries and millstones. Introduction. Bathing, Entertainment, and Housing in the Roman City. 1-4.

The Daily Grind

After my Roman architecture course, I turn to my artwork. This session’s lecture explored the concept of “Bread and Circuses,” an allegorical phrase originating with the Roman poet Juvenal. To understand this principle, we studied Pompeii. It is an Italian city frozen in time by the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. Pompeii offers a vivid window into daily life nearly two millennia ago. Through this study, I envisioned the bustling routines of ancient Romans.

The Inspiration – Juvenal

The millstones have square sockets in which wooden beams would have been placed. It features an arched brick oven with a view of the millstones in Pompeii. I chose to the painting for this session about the ancient bakery. In fact, all modern ovens still keep the design of those ancient ovens that became a prototype!

How about you, do you like to paint about food?

The Sensory Experience

After a fascinating dive into Roman architecture and the insightful “Bread and Circuses” lecture (thanks, Juvenal!), I’m channeling my inner baker in this new piece, an ancient bakery. To see the process in a Pompeian Bakery, we would find a mill, a large stone wheel, and many ovens. A bakery with ovens filled with warm bread reminds us of the daily life of ancient Pompeii. The smells of baking grain also evoke this historical scene.

Painting – Pompeii Via Provinciale Ripuaria, 53, 80045 Pompei NA, Italy.Roman Architecture. Year of construction-79 BC.

Can you smell the fresh bread?:)

A watercolor depiction of a Pompeii bakery featuring an arched brick oven and millstones, showcasing ancient Roman daily life.

In Pompeii, bakeries played a crucial role in providing bread for the city’s inhabitants. Bakeries typically consisted of a mill for grinding the grains. They also had an oven for baking the bread. Additionally, there was a shop where bread was sold. Bakeries give us an incredible glimpse into what life was like in Roman Pompeii.

The Scene Setter. Itinerary to Pompeii

When I was in Pompeii, I imagined myself as an inhabitant of Pompeii. How about your experience?

After the lecture Professor of History of Art and Classics Diana E.E. Kleiner Dunham, I have the next artistic (with many sketches) and travel itinerary.

So, my suggestion during your next trip to Pompeii visit a bakery nearby, where you buy bread… Then go to fast-food Thermopolis, an old-aged “McDonalds”. Next, visit a public fountain to take some water. In antique life, kitchens, baths and running water were not available in the houses. Thus, everything was public, including the bath complex. There were also public stores and bakeries with lovely paintings on the walls.

Well, I still prefer modern comfort. But, seeing the beautiful design of public fountains and bakeries is really great. It’s a wonderful way to plunge into the past, at least for a short while.

The echoes of ancient Rome resonate through time, whispering tales of a civilization that shaped the course of Western history. From grand architectural marvels to intricate social structures, the Romans left an indelible mark on the world.

A peaceful scene depicting a resting cat atop stone millstones, reminiscent of ancient Pompeii.

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

Hope you enjoy this little slice of history as much as I enjoyed bringing it to life on paper! 

What do you think of my artwork? Let me know in the comments.

Links:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Tools used for my painting Watercolor Cotman sap green and mauve + Van Gogh siena paint, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello watercolor Fabriano grana grossa rouch album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

4-6.Art and Travel. Daily Life and the Eruption of Vesuvius

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the paintings after the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

C. 4-6

This part of Roman Architecture‘s course was about Pompeii’s daily life in general, with many photo references. Pompeii’s streets look very modern with lots of bakeries, wine shops in the residential part of the city. For example, scientists discovered more than 30 bakeries. Few people in ancient Rome could afford to bake bread at home, so most bought it in the bakeries. Millstones for bake and for bay and ovens, that are part of bakeries look exactly as today’s bakeries in Italy. There were many fountains everywhere, for example a famous fountain with representations of the goddess Ceres.

I chose to paint the residential area with BIG pedestrian polygonal blocks of stones. It is a crossing part of the street. They are “talking” to us, telling their ancient stories about Pompeii’s daily life.  If there was torrential rain, and the water piled up, people needed to cross the street without stepping in the water, but how? Romans were ingenious and concerned about their roads and pedestrians.

The stepping stones were placed in the streets so that people could cross the roads during and after the rain. Ancient people could easily walk around and were not afraid to wet their shoes and long dresses. As they continued gathering with friends and families, walking to the city’s centre or theatre, enjoying their daily life.

https://pixels.com/featured/stones-on-the-streets-of-pompeii-daily-life-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

At the same time, these stepping stones were spaced apart far enough so that carts could still pass through the streets easily. The visible ruts that came from the horses and carts, between the stepping stones, show that they had to coordinate the wheels of the cart in such a way that they would span the stepping stones. Ancient Pompeii citizens could easily make their way across that stream by utilizing these stepping stones, “pondera”.

This was a genius architecture feat with responsible thinking thought about pedestrians. And even when my family walked in the city-museum of Pompeii with its astonishing view and a background of 2 majestic mountains- Vesuvius and Montezuma, we still found ourselves completely astounded by the stepping stones!

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel :)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – stones on the Streets of Pompeii -Daily Life, Roman Architecture

Year of construction- 79AD

Address: Pompeii

Tools used for my painting Watercolour raw sienna, permanent rose, Charvin vert imperial, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Van Gogh National gallery watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

3-1.Art and Travel.   Roman concrete and the revolution in Roman Architecture. Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

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 concrete and the revolution in Roman Architecture. 3-1

There is a wonderful place near Rome, UNESCO city of Palestrina. The Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia at Palestrina (ancient Praeneste) in Italy was built in the 2nd century BCE in honour of the Goddess Isis, the goddess of femininity and motherhood and Fortuna, the ancient Roman goddess of luck. It was built on a natural hill on cement.


My painting is about the interior space of the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia. It was a Sanctuary with built-in shops and a detached theatre in the Middle Ages. For my painting I added subtle bluish and greenish hues, because, of course, the stones fell off and the cement had been exposed over the millennia. Luckily for us, the Temple with its delicate arches has survived until now, and modern architects and archaeologists continue to explore and discover the secrets of ancient Roman architects even after millennia.

https://pixels.com/featured/palestrina-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html


The genius Roman architects noticed that the volcanic dust, which is found in the sea in Italy, turns into pumice when in multitude. They realized that it can be used to strengthen any building. This revolutionary discovery created the Roman cement from ash, lime, sand, pebbles of a certain size and volcanic ash and sea water. Added either be large stone blocks or it could be small pieces of stone presses into the concrete when concrete was still wet. When dried, these stones made the building look more attractive and protected the building from moisture.


Like modern constructors, the Romans erected wooden frames for the walls and ceilings and poured the concrete into them. Romans solved two problems this way, protected cement from moisture and hid the non-attractive part of cement at the same time. I would add that they were saving money for the construction and gaining valuable experience. Using the new revolutionary technology, they started to build not only Temples and villas for the rich, they started to develop and build more, and thanks to this experience and development, today we can still admire the architectural monuments of the past.

Another one-day trip from Rome is on my way in Italy:)

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – Palestrina, Roman Architecture

Year of construction 2nd century BC

Address: Via Colle Pastino 20, 00036, Palestrina Italy

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Cotman terra de siena and viridian Corman, Charvin bleu royal, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Van Gogh, National gallery   watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

3-4.Art and Travel. Innovations in Concrete at Rome: The Tabularium and the Theatre of Marcellus. Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

I continue the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

Innovations in Concrete at Rome: The Tabularium and the Theatre of Marcellus. 3-4

Ancient Rome offered its citizens a number of stunning venues where they could be entertained, wined and dined. The Theatre of Marcellus was one of the most impressive theatre, located in the center of Rome. Apparently Seven famous hills was not enough for Roman architects and if they wanted to build a theatre on a flat terrain, they cemented an artificial hill and built a tribune in the very center of the city where people could sit. For this monument Romans used many architectural innovations, especially their pedestal and yes, the theatre was the precedent for the Colosseum. Theatre of Marcellus was reused as a fortress in middle ages, main prototype for Roman theatres and nowadays it is an expensive condominium. The Romans took what the Greek architects did, and then they took from the Etruscan architectural achievements. They combined the best of both brilliant civilizations of architectural discoveries, then added something of their own, developed further, without fear of experimenting.

For my watercolor reference’s painting of the Theatre of Marcello with a nearby column of the Temple of Apollo , I used the Google Earth app to view the building from a bird’s eye view. Julius Caesar planned the open-air theatre but died before it was completed. Then Emperor Augustus took up the reins and dedicated the theatre to memory of his nephew and son in law Marcellus in 17 BC, when the theatre was used for dramas and arena fights. 

https://pixels.com/featured/rome-theatre-of-marcellus-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

Teatro Marcello was decorated with marble statues and large bronze vases, placed around the perimeter to enhance the sound, masks of the heroes of comedies and tragedies. The inner part consisted of three tiers of marble steps, divided into sectors for noble townspeople, places for women, a separate area for common people and slaves. And the box of the emperor was separated from the other seats. Augustus ordered that the interior design of the theatre surpass in its splendor all previous buildings.

I like how Vitruvius, the Roman genius-engineer, artist, architect and writer who wrote 10 books about architecture, described the Greek columns.  Theatre of Marcellus’s Doric columns are attached to the 1st level as a “male” column: simple, courageous, no curls or ornaments. Ionic columns are on the second floor, they are the “feminine” type of column with elements of a lady’s hairstyle. Corinthian columns probably decorated the third floor, although nothing survives of the top level, this is only an assumption of scientists since this level has not been preserved.

It was also the preliminary design for the Colosseum and they are so similar… When our family first passed by the Theatre of Marcellus we thought it is the Colosseum, from a view from another side of the street… Theatre of Marcellus was built only a couple of centuries earlier than the Colosseum. I would like to buy tickets for the Roman music concerts here. Every summer there is a series of classical concerts that take place here called “Notti Romane al Teatro di Marcello” and I would imagine the ancient open-air theatre where people used to come and listen to great music or performance in 17 BC.

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

Painting – Rome, Theatre of Marcellus, Roman Architecture

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Year of construction – 17 BC

Address: Via del Teatro di Marcello, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Cotman terra de siena and viridian Corman, Charvin bleu royal, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Van Gogh, National gallery   watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_4" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

4-5. Art and Travel. Bath Complexes at Pompeii.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by Yale University.

I continue the painting with my course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

C. 4-5

The Bathing culture was a very important aspect of Roman society. Social relations were also developed in those baths with many activities –sport, massage rooms and libraries, but sometimes the Bath complex also had direct access to … taverns:) In ancient Pompeii there were five large thermal baths and each bath could house about 1000 guests at the same time. The thermal baths were not only used to rest the body but the mind as well.

For my watercolor painting I chose one of the best preserved Bath with beautiful and ostentatious decoration, the Stabian thermal bath, painted red, blue and white colors. It was completed in the 4BC with a room that had the “eye” to the sky. It was one of the predecessors to the Pantheon’s roof.  Streams of water fell in the pool directly from the niche in the upper part of the wall. The thermal baths were to help ancient people see and appreciate art! There were beautiful decorations, statues of Giants holding spa wall – everything for the people to enjoy seeing the amazing frescoes on the walls and decorate ceiling.  It’s like “Louvre” of saunas..

https://pixels.com/featured/pompeii-amphitheater-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

The Stabian Bath was one of several thermal bath complexes in Pompeii, and part of the Roman Architecture development of the early bathing culture. I imagine myself in the beautiful relaxing rooms: In the Frigidarium room, the cold one with dozens of painted Atlantis figures supporting the walls, the Caldarium-hot room, the Tepidarium which was the lukewarm room and the apodyterium which served as the change room. The walls were stuccoed over, with flowering acanthus plants and creatures and animals, humans, Goddesses and Gods flying above:)

It was a wonderful place where people would enjoy their time in the company of friends and family.

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Bath Complexes at Pompeii 

Painting – Bath Complexes at Pompeii, Roman Architecture

Year of construction 4BC

Address: Stabian thermal bath, Pompeii

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Van Gogh madler red and Charvin Bleu de France, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello Fabriano cold pressed watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

You are welcome to visit my personal website pages. There, you can find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings. You can buy canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_5" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

4-2.Art and Travel. The Early Settlement and the Forum at Pompeii .

Artist, Roman Architecture

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue my series of art with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

C. 4-2

One of the main pieces of Ancient Roman public architecture in Pompeii was the Forum on the main square. Here citizens gathered to run business, gossips, and it was the urban centre of life.

On my painting is the main part of the financial district, the antique downtown of a well-preserved ancient city… The view of the colonnade with Doric columns built around the Forum with bases that supported statues. The Forum was uncovered and opened to the sky. The columns made out of limestone are similar to the Roman’s Theatre of Marcellus with the Greek orders, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.

https://pixels.com/featured/forum-at-pompeii-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

The Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva was the central temple in Pompeii, sometimes called the Temple of the Capitoline Triad with spaces for statues of the Capitoline Triad – Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The whole temple was surrounded by a colonnade with Ionic columns; this left the strongest impression on me during my travels to Italy.

Why are parts of the columns cut off? After the earthquake of 63BC and the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 BC while the ash and lava covered the Forum, columns and buildings came down and the materials washed away or were taken away – now it is an unknown mystery. Who knows the actual reasons? ;)

It is here that you can feel the atmosphere of those years and understand that life is eternal…

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – Forum at Pompeii, Roman Architecture

Year of construction 2 century BC

Address: Forum, Pompeii

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Alizarium and raw siena Cotman, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper watercolour Acquarello watercolour album. Fabriano, grana grossa rouch album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_6" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

You are welcome to visit my personal website pages. There, you can find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings. You can buy canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

5-1.Art and Travel. Introduction and the Ideal Domus Italica.

Roman Architecture, Uncategorized

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the painting series with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

C. 5-1

The next lecture was about residential architecture in Rome and the Roman world. It tells us about domestic architecture in between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD. There is no place where the houses are better preserved than at Pompeii, the great live reference for architects and archaeologists.

The watercolour painting is about a two-story house in Pompeii located on via dell’Abandanza, the so-called street of abundance. The house had open panoramic windows. The ancient architect designed the second floor in such a way that you could enjoy a nice view through the columns of the street and watch people outside while sitting in your dining room. I added a gentle glow of dawn on the horizon to imagine what a spring morning in that house would feel like.  

https://pixels.com/featured/domus-italica-residential-house-in-pompeii-tamara-vitsenkova.html

There is a difference between our current understanding of how we use our homes and the ancient concept of home space. Although we enjoy having friends, family visits in our places, still, the house is our place to get away from work, transportation and schools,  escaping outside life –  as opposed to ancient Romans. For them, home was a place not just to live with their families, but also to do business in the house’s atrium.

This house is an example of the early domestic buildings, the part of Roman architecture. It had Domus Italica, an ideal Roman house plan according to the books of Vitruvius, the ancient architecture theoretician. The owners, family, friends and business partners could all benefit from being here. Joie de vivre in French or dolce vita in Italian:)

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – Residential two storied house via dell’Abandanza, Roman Architecture

Year of construction 62 AD-79 AD

Address: via dell’Abandanza, Pompeii

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Van Gogh cadmium orange and permanent rose, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello Fabriano, grana grossa rough watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

Open Italian anatomy book beside red flowers, paint palette, brushes, and cappuccino

Magic and beauty, red peonies, cappuccino and Leonardo’s Notebook. Part 3.

ArtTravel

Still life and urban sketching. Because apparently, I can’t sit still OR leave my house without a sketchpad.

So Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook told me something rather inconvenient: artists need to constantly find new things to paint or draw. (Thanks a lot, Leonardo—no pressure!) Thus began my endless quest to think outside the box that I’m apparently always painting inside. This summer, I had a minor epiphany: watercolor graphic technique is NOT just fancy coloring books. Shocking, I know. It was a small discovery that spiraled into full-blown artistic obsession, and now here we are.

My still life muse? Bright reddish peonies, obviously. I arranged them artfully on my treasured Leonardo da Vinci book, added my glasses (for the intellectual look), threw in a cup of cappuccino (for the vibes), and created what I can only describe as a masterpiece of self-indulgence. Voilà! Another watercolor and ink painting in my beloved impressionist style was born.

Watercolor fantasy. Cappuccino and red peonies and a book

Just imagine it: a warm Mediterranean evening, you’re wandering charming cobblestone streets, and voila—red and pink peonies spill from a straw basket on some picturesque wood door or window. That’s watercolor and ink, my friend. That’s impressionism at its finest. That’s also my elaborate fantasy about our future travels to southern France, Italy, or possibly Greece (I’m not picky when it comes to vacation dreams). Who knows where wanderlust will take us? :)

Summer flower fantasy.

Shout-out to my daughter for the phenomenal gift: Leonardo’s Notebook. This book is basically the gift that keeps on giving—centuries-old wisdom from a guy who was basically good at everything. It’s like having a Renaissance master constantly looking over your shoulder with 500-year-old advice. Terrifying and inspiring in equal measure.

Bon voyage! Until the next adventure awaits! Stay healthy and hydrated (your skin will thank you when you’re sketching in the Mediterranean sun).

All paintings belong to the author. Seriously, don’t copy them. I mean it. My lawyer says I have to say that. Just go make your own masterpiece!

Tools used for my painting: Watercolors by Charvin and Van Gogh (because apparently only the best will do for this artist’s delusions). Pastels by GrayPas Expressionist (the feisty cousin of regular pastels). Derwent watercolor pencils and Faber Castell artist pens (because one type of pen is never enough). Paper: Strathmore Watercolor and Mixed Media albums in that perfect 15×20 cm (6×8 inch) size—not too big, not too small, just right for my control-freak tendencies.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Wildflowers. Yellow Thistle and Paris. Part 3

Artist, ArtTravel, Uncategorized, Urban sketching

Still life and urban sketching — or as I like to call it, “procrastinating at tourist attractions with a sketchpad.”

Paris. The city of love, croissants, and inexplicably rude pigeons. Here’s the thing about Paris that nobody tells you: you don’t actually need to leave your hotel room to find beauty and inspiration. Just open the window and look around — you’ll find architecture that makes your apartment back home look like a cardboard box, monuments that have been standing longer than your entire family lineage, street names that sound like songs, memorial plaques commemorating people who actually did important things (unlike me, who’s mainly known for eating an entire wheel of Camembert while crying about climate change), restaurant signs in fonts that would make a graphic designer weep with envy, and murals that prove even walls have more artistic talent than most of us. Seriously, there’s something uniquely extraordinary to discover at every street corner. Paris doesn’t just hand you beauty — it ambushes you with it when you’re least expecting it, usually right after you’ve accidentally stepped in a puddle.

Paris: where even the streets are judging your outfit.

Do you ever think about cities as flowers? Or as colors? No? Just me? Cool, cool.

Thistle. A delightfully thorny wildflower featuring a magnificent display of eggplant and gold petals — nature’s way of saying, “I’m fancy and dangerous.” If the Luxembourg Gardens had a personality, this would be it. I’m convinced these flowers applied to art school and were accepted on their first try.

Thistle #1 — eggplant and gold. Fancy enough for the Luxembourg Gardens, too spiky for a hug.

Thistle, take two. This particular specimen features sunny petals in the colors of pumpkin, orange, and beetroot — basically, if fall and autumn had a very colorful, very spiky baby. Yummy, right? (I mean, I wouldn’t recommend eating it. Paris is basically the thistle of cities — beautiful, elegant, and ready to stab you if you’re not paying attention (both literally, with its spiky architecture, and figuratively, with its devastating charm).

Thistle #2 — pumpkin and beetroot. Autumn had a baby and it’s delicious (don’t eat it).

Thistle, round three (I promise this is getting somewhere). This wildflower rocks petals in canary yellow, spicy red, and burgundy — a color palette so sophisticated it makes the Pantone Institute nervous. It immediately evokes the Opera Garnier, one of the most aggressively elegant buildings in all of Paris.

Thistle #3 — canary yellow and burgundy. Opera Garnier called, it wants its colour palette back.

Thistle, the extended remix. This version features petals of amber and purple — a combination that somehow looks like what I imagine royalty smells like. And the flower buds? They range from massive to microscopic, rather like the museums scattered throughout Paris’s city center: Musée d’Orsay (the cool one everyone’s heard of), the Louvre (the one that gives you existential dread just trying to find the bathroom), Musée de l’Orangerie (deceptively small but absolutely packed with Monet’s fever dreams), Musée Marmottan Monet (for when you want MORE Monet, because apparently one museum wasn’t enough), Musée Jacquemart-André (where rich people kept their rich person collections), and Musée de Cluny (medieval vibes and the Unicorn Tapestries, which I definitely didn’t spend three hours staring at while taking blurry photos on my phone).

Thistle #4 — amber and purple. Smells like royalty, stings like a parking ticket.

Thistle number five: The Grand Finale. This specimen features a mustard-violet flower with thorns the color of, well, apple skin. Stylish as Parisian sweeping and majestic boulevards — which is to say, it looks like it went to finishing school in Switzerland and then casually conquered Europe while sipping espresso. The vibe is undeniably “I woke up like this but also spent four hours getting ready.”

Thistle #6 — apple thorns included. Looks elegant, will absolutely draw blood.

Thistle, the encore performance. Featuring peach-colored petals against a copper and amber background — basically what the Eiffel Tower looks like in the morning when you’ve woken up early because you couldn’t sleep (jet lag is romantic, apparently). This color combination is so warm and glowy that it makes you believe in magic, or at least in the possibility that Paris might actually be worth all the hype.

Thistle #7 — peach and copper. The Eiffel Tower at 6am. Romantic and deeply unreasonable.

Bon voyage! Until the next travel adventure :) Stay healthy, stay curious, and remember: life is too short to not travel, not sketch random flowers, and not pretend you understand French when someone speaks to you at a café (just nod and smile — it works 60% of the time, every time).

Bon voyage! Don’t forget your sketchpad. Or your beret. Actually, just the sketchpad.
Thistle #5 — mustard and violet. The boulevard of wildflowers.

All paintings belong to the author and are protected by the ancient artist code: look but don’t touch, admire but don’t copy, and definitely don’t use without permission or face the wrath of someone who takes their wildflowers very seriously.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Wildflowers. Thistle in sepia and the city of Rome. Part 5.

Artist, ArtTravel, Uncategorized, Urban sketching

Still life and urban sketching—because thistles are basically nature’s way of saying ‘don’t get too close.’

Rome is basically an open-air museum that refuses to close. Ever. The streets are littered with buildings from every architectural era imaginable, as if someone dumped 2,000 years of interior design catalogs all in one place. It’s chaos. Beautiful, Instagram-worthy chaos.

Rome: where every corner looks like a movie set. No filter needed.

Thistle in watercolor with ink—featuring a delightful palette of pumpkin, turmeric, pineapple, and brick-colored stems because apparently I was hungry while painting. It supposedly represents Rome’s Pantheon: monumental, elegant, and totally not something you’d want to hug. The whole thing is basically an antique temple dedicated to gods who would probably be confused by modern WiFi.

Thistle #1: Painted while hungry. Named after an ancient temple. Sounds about right.

Here’s the truth about Rome: it doesn’t need color. Seriously. Just slap some sepia on it and a few ‘tender shades,’ and suddenly marble fountains and statues become artistically moody. It’s like Rome hired the world’s best Instagram filter and never turned it off.

Emperor Augustus once said: ‘I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.’ Translation: ‘I showed up and flexed so hard that everything got an upgrade.’

Thistle number two: wildflower with avocado and cherry-colored petals because apparently I was on a mood board binge. The chaotic petals remind me of the Roman Forum’s ancient ruins—you know, ruins that used to be someone’s important government building but now just vibes there mysteriously. Every time you visit, you find something new. Mostly it’s tourists like you, but sometimes it’s actually history!

Thistle #2: Avocado meets cherry. The Roman Forum approves from its mysteriously crumbled remains.

Thistle number three, now in violaceous hues (fancy word alert!). It reminds me of Borromini’s architecture in Rome—all concave curves and convex swagger with sharp angles that would make a modern architect weep. Remember Gaudí’s Barcelona houses? Same energy. But here’s the thing: Borromini’s stuff is actually calm and airy despite looking like it wants to fight you. It’s strong, persistent, and stubborn—just like a thistle that refuses to die in a sidewalk crack. Basically, I’m convinced all great architects were just looking at plants and going ‘yeah, I’ll do that but in marble.’

Thistle #3: Violaceous vibes only. Borromini would definitely swipe right.

Thistle number four: cappuccino and watermelon colored petals (yes, that color combo is as weird as it sounds). Apparently it’s channeling Trevi Fountain vibes—you know, Rome’s most famous ‘throw money in the water and make wishes’ destination. It’s made from natural materials and definitely old, which means it’s had about 500 years to collect loose change and tourist dreams. Stand too close and you feel like you’re floating. Which is either the fountain’s magic or the overwhelming crowd of selfie sticks.

Thistle #4: Cappuccino + watermelon = chaos. Throw a coin in it anyway.

Thistle number five: fiery red, chocolate, and dark grapes (the color palette of a moody wine bar). It’s giving off major Castel Sant’Angelo energy—you know, that ancient Roman pedestrian bridge covered in Bernini’s Baroque sculptures. It’s stunning, it’s old, and like every tourist photo location in Rome, it’s probably swarming with people trying to get the perfect angle.

Thistle #5: Wine bar color palette. Bernini would’ve painted it too, but he was busy.

This is my final thistle post—the grand finale of my flower personality study. Here’s what I’ve learned: thistles are basically flowers with attitude problems. They represent strength, inflexibility, firmness, and they survive literally anywhere because they refuse to quit. Kind of like tourists in Rome during July. So I painted a whole series of these impossible little rebels to celebrate their survival skills and, oh yeah, they totally remind me of beautiful European architecture. Nature’s architecture is just better, fight me.

Rome: still standing after 2,000 years. Unlike my feet after day one.

All paintings belong to the author and are definitely not meant to be copied, traced, or vaguely ‘inspired by’—because yes, we’re watching you.

Bon voyage! Until the next travel adventure (and probably the next thistle obsession)! 🌍

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

4-3.Art and Travel. The Capitolium and Basilica of Pompeii.

An Artist's Perspective on Roman Architecture, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized

Watercolor journey in the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the painting in the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

C. 4-3

The financial public building had a very important part in the public life of ancient Romans. The ancient building has been stuccoed with white marble under Samonite’s rule and then the city became a part of the Romans colony. The Basilica was used as a site for court hearings, as well as to gather large groups to discuss some business and legal subjects and to hold public meetings. This was the place of Tribunals where the judge would reveal the law cases.

In my painting is the oldest public building in Pompeii – the Basilica. The Basilica was roofed in antiquity, but the roof has not been preserved until our days. It had Ionic capitals on the first floor and Corinthian capitals on the second floor.  It consisted of two meter high podiums on top of which were six Corinthian columns. The tribunal is, amazingly, well preserved…

Imagine that you are walking inside the Basilica, enjoying the richly decorated walls with stucco like large blocks of marble, statues as you respectfully approaching the Judge who is waiting for another law-court …

https://pixels.com/featured/1-the-capitolium-and-basilica-of-pompeii–roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

All roads lead to Rome- Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – Basilica of Pompeii, Roman Architecture

Year of construction- 120 BC

Address: Basilica, Pompeii

Tools used for my painting Watercolour PWC shell, Charvin revin red and sap green, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello Fabriano, grana grossa rouch watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_11" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

The visionary path to paintings. Creative Ways to Describe Artwork Colors

Art workshops

For my artist colleagues and students. Workshops. Innovative approach to describe artwork. Trademark:)

How do you describe and prepare paints for your artworks? For example if you need a bright or light yellow color, a brand, a particular paint? I usually do test paints from my selected colors before painting . All artists would agree that watercolors from different brands with the same names for paints give us various color’s views. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish and choose a paint even with the same name

For example, brand PWC watercolor yellow ochre and Windsor yellow ochre paints look differently. You would describe paint of yellow ochre as something between yellow and brown, opaque. Raw sienna is mostly yellowish-brown and transparent.

At the same time, using yellow ochre or raw sienna, they look very alike to a viewer. The viewer does not care about the name of the paint or the brand. They need emotion.

Swatches of yellow ochre watercolor paints from PWC and Windsor, showcasing their different appearances on watercolor paper.
Comparison of PWC and Winsor yellow ochre watercolor paints, showcasing their distinct shades.

Describing a bright yellow color in your artwork as a juicy banana is effective. It gives a clue and brings a memory about a ripe fruit. This description brings you to summer, and you feel energized. So I created my own cool way to describe colors with names from nature and food, berries, veggies and fruits colors TM :)

I pick paint from my Watercolour collection of paints. I choose the name of one of my favorite berries or fruit. This depends on the season and time of year. Some examples of artworks from my recent series of Iris flowers.

… juicy plum, blueberry and peach colors, long stems of mustard colors with background of corn and turmeric colors, little red ladybugs with dripping raindrops are on leaves of color of green apples …

… of juicy banana, strawberry and blueberry, long stems of colors of cappuccino and kiwi with vanilla background  of ripe corn, little red ladybug with dripping raindrops are on milky leaves

A vibrant watercolor painting featuring a bouquet of colorful flowers in shades of pink, yellow, blue, and orange on the left. On the right, a palette showing descriptions of colors with playful names inspired by fruits, including 'juicy strawberry', 'ripe corn', and 'vanilla background'.
Colorful watercolor artwork featuring flowers, inspired by nature and food descriptions.

Are you feeling the taste and smell of juicy bananas?:)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

You are welcome to visit my personal website pages. There, you can find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings. You can buy canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Exploring Intuitive Art: Fox and Roosters. The magic of imagination. Watercolor Clausura technique.

Art workshops, Artist, ArtTravel, Uncategorized

For my artist colleagues. Workshops. Holidays spirit for creative community. Intuitive art, and timeless tale.

I am sharing my artistic journey, highlighting the process and inspirations. The creative process is spontaneous, intuitive and enjoyment! My next funny artwork has the connection between art and literature.

A watercolor painting transformation showcasing the evolution from abstract colors to a detailed fox illustration, with 'Before' and 'After' labels.
Before and after: a watercolor transformation showcasing the artistic journey from abstract to the detailed fox artwork.

Painting with eyes closed, using two brushes, led to a surprising “Fox & Roosters” artwork. In my earlier posts, I described the unique process of watercolor clausura. It involves painting intuitively with eyes closed, using two hands and two brushes. A suggestion for any artist, just step outside a comfort zone – you might discover hidden ideas!:)

Abstract watercolor painting featuring shades of green and blue with fluid shapes and brushstrokes, showcasing an intuitive art style.
What is it? For me it looks like a little fox with its sly eyes and sharp ears!
It was inspired by La Fontaine’s “The Raven and the Fox” depicts a scene where the fox outwits the rooster:)

Honestly, before this, I had never drawn roosters or foxes. Then, I saw the outline of a cunning fox’s face. What do these outlines remind you of? I reread this fable with eternal truths, in a beautiful version of French poetry.

The resulting outlines of this experiment is the fox’s face show the triumph of cunning. It based on the beautiful French poetic La Fontaine’s fable “The Raven and the Fox”. (Le coq et le renard, II.15) . And the oldest Greek fable “The Cock, the Dog and the Fox” by Aesop. (Ο πετεινός και η αλεπού Οι Μύθοι του Αισώπου). (at the end of the post, the links for the tales are provided.)

Both fables are about the same message, the timeless and universal appeal of a truth as old as time. The rooster’s empty-handedness highlights the importance of outsmarting those who are too clever. And it leaves the fox empty-handed:)

A sketch of a fox's face with minimalistic details, set against a faint background of roosters, trees, and a small house.

The moral is to outwit a too cunning fox, eternal truths that can be applied in life. Appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes, the sweetest words hide the sharpest claws.

Yes, experience of the connection between art and literature is the unexpected!

Well… my imagination plus my hands themselves painted something that I would never have thought of or remembered. Art merged with poetry and classical literature. This combination gave me the opportunity for a new experience to paint unusual objects. These ideas were in my own head, which is much more interesting. If someone is lack of art ideas what to paint next topic or plot- here you go!:)

A watercolor painting featuring a fox's face with expressive features, surrounded by colorful outlines of roosters and a faint background of a wooden structure.
After, with imagination painting. Fox and Roosters. Don’t let a charming smile fool you:)
The cunning fox’s face emerged unexpectedly, a testament to the power of imagination:) Voila


How about an idea of series of paintings with other La Fontaine fables with strong moral lessons. I think it can lead to very interesting experiment:) Where art meets fable.

Sometimes the beauty of this approach lies in its spontaneity and unexpected results. Don’t be afraid to experiment and let your imagination guide you. The combination of your intuitive painting style and your literary inspiration is a unique and powerful creative force. Hope it helps my artist colleagues with multiple ideas for paintings:)

Unleash your inner artist and experience the unexpected!

Thank you for reading the post. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. These actions will bring you more captivating content about the history of art and architecture.

“Fables (La Fontaine, tr. Wright)/The Raven and the Fox.” Wikipedia, 29 December 2024 en. / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Fontaine%27s_Fables

“The Cock, the Dog and the Fox.” Wikipedia, 18 November 2024 en. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cock,_the_Dog_and_the_Fox

La Fontaine’s Fables https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Fontaine%27s_Fables

Aesop’s Fables https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop%27s_Fables

#artchallenge #eyesclosedpainting #creativeprocess#watercolorpainting #artisticclausura #painting #art #instaart #risovatmogutvse #AesopsFables #Fox #Rooster #ClassicLiterature #clausura #watercolorart #animalpainting #artistsoninstagram #LaFontainefables

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

You are welcome to visit my personal website pages. There, you can find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings. You can buy canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

4-4.Art and Travel. Pompeii’s Entertainment District: The Amphitheater, Theater, and Music Hall.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized

Watercolor journey in the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the paintings with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

C. 4-4

When Romans made Pompeii the city for their retired veterans, they needed to entertain people.
The Pompeii entertainment district had several buildings such as a Theatre, Music hall and Pompeii’s Amphitheatre. I chose to paint the Amphitheatre that was completed in 80 BC; it is the oldest well-preserved stone amphitheater.

For my watercolor reference’s painting of the Pompeii’s Amphitheatre, I used the Google Earth app to view the building from a bird’s eye view. Imagine 20000 Roman veterans sitting in this arena and watching the shows in their Entertainment District. Ancient Pompeii’s citizens gathered here to watch gladiators fight one another or wild animals.

https://pixels.com/featured/pompeii-amphitheater-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html


This is another example of a masterful use of concrete. The amphitheater with a staircase so unique, its design had not been repeated anywhere ever again. Although the fanning on top of the stairs that protected it against the rain has not survived until our days, what remains is a painting with the amphitheater with its staircase and the fanning hanging on top of it.

The Amphitheatre is one of the predecessors of Rome’s Coliseum and all other amphitheatres in the world. How did the Roman architects design this amazing building? A unique amphitheater creation of Roman architects. As opposed to the ancient Greeks, the Romans did not seek out a particularly fitting hill for an amphitheater that would suit the angled tribune seats. Instead, they would dig out a giant hole in the ground and use the ground level for the arena. All the dug up soil would be flattened and spread out around the diameter of the amphitheater hole and reinforced with concrete. These amphitheaters would hold up to 20,000 viewers!

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel :)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – Pompeii’s Amphitheater, Roman Architecture

Year of construction – 80 BC

Address: Amphitheatre, Pompeii

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Van Gogh cobalt blue, lemon yellow and cadmium orange, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello Fabriano, grana grossa rough watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_14" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

4-1.Art and Travel. Introduction to Pompeii and the City’s History.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the painting series with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

C. 4-1

Visiting ancient Pompeii is like traveling back in time. It is a ghost town near city of Naples the Mediterranean sea. You are immediately transported to 79 AD as you walk along the streets of the ancient city, enter houses, feeling the era and the tragedy of that time.

I was painting Pompeii’s Temple of Jupiter with the background of the long-dormant volcano of Vesuvius. It was a small resort town in the 1st century BC. In 62 AD, the earthquake struck, and the city of Pompeii was shaken to the foundation, followed by 17 years of hard work to bring it back to life, only to be followed by the Mount Vesuvius eruption, which covered the nearly-restored city with a blanket of ash and lava in 79 AD.

https://pixels.com/featured/pompeii-background-mount-vesuvius-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

Interestingly enough, the history of Pompeii is much longer than the Roman Pompeii. It was founded in 8 century BC during the Iron Age. It was overseen by an italic tribe called Oscans, then Samnite. For the next 1.5 century, the construction of most buildings in Pompeii had also begun and the city had well established villas. During this period, there was a very high civilization which included trade with Greek cities, among them Neapolis (Naples). The city fell to Rome in 89 BC and became a Roman colony in 80 BC.  Samnite’s property was confiscated by the Roman veterans that settled here. And a new page of history began… My family visited Pompeii several years ago with the Trafalgar tour and loved the well preserved city- museum under the sky.

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – Pompeii, background Mount Vesuvius, Roman Architecture

Year of construction- 8 century

Address: Pompeii

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Cotman madler red, Charvin bleu royal, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper National Gallery watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_15" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

3-5.Art and Travel. Concrete Transforms a Mountain at Palestrina.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the paintings with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

Concrete Transforms a Mountain at Palestrina. 3-5

The massive site spans a mountainside, built with Roman cement and remains a rare example of an intact pagan temple complex. Developing in Roman architecture later in Trajan Forum in the 2nd century AD would not be possible without experimentation in concrete that took place in Palestrina, UNESCO city. There are remains of the hemicycles with very attractive opus incertum work and embracing arms of the Barberini Palace, theatre staircase leading into it a kind of a pyramid with the goddess at the apex.

My painting is about the ancient Entertainment district with amazing complex of Sanctuary of Fortuna, the ancient market and shops, a theatre, a shopping mall, a Mecca for Romans of its day, on this hillside. Strolling past the hill with lots of terraces, with the remains of shops, you can imagine fashion lovers who went shopping, and then they could go to the theatre there. In combination with the nature on the hill, the view is fascinating and beautiful…I added blue sky colour and clean lemon yellow to my watercolour painting. The temple was dedicated to Goddess Isis and Fortune. The architecture of this monument symbolizes both of them because Isis is the loyalty, and Fortune brings good luck. I think this is why this amazing complex has survived, and multiplied and pleased, as people remember and worship this unique place.

https://pixels.com/featured/hill-of-sanctuary-of-fortuna-primigenia-at-palestrina-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

Another revolutionary discovery for the city as UNESCO World Heritage Sites that Roman architects were able to achieve for the building was their solution for the terrace on the hill. They made the upper part of the capitol columns with an angle that made it possible for the higher level of the columns to stand at the top of the lower level. Roman architects went further than Greek and Etruscan architects; they abandoned the traditional architecture and had the willingness to change things. Concrete architecture experiments prove once again they can have a lasting impact on the architecture

All roads lead to Rome— Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

Links

Year of construction 2nd century BC

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting— Palestrina, Roman Architecture

Address: Via Colle Pastino 20, 00036, Palestrina, Italy

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Cotman terra de siena and viridian Corman, Charvin bleu royal, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Van Gogh, National gallery   watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_16" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

3-3.Art and Travel. Sanctuaries and the expressive potential of Roman concrete construction.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the paintings after the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

Sanctuaries and the expressive potential of Roman concrete construction. 3-3

This lecture was about two Sanctuaries, they were meant to attract large numbers of people to visit the Temples, shopping areas, souvenir shops, theatre. The Sanctuary of Hercules at Tivoli had columns placed engaged or attached, the prototype for the Coliseum in Rome, with the actual street Via Tiburtina that was leaving from Rome to Tivoli so people can’t miss it. Not just to walk through it but to see something that really amazes the eye.

My painting is about a Roman place of the Sanctuary of the Temple of Jupiter, Anxur of Terratine and its internal corridor of the Sanctuary of Jupiter, where the podium is well preserved. I was attracted by the reference in the professor’s photo, where the doors smoothly merged into one another. This reminded me of sci-fi movies where you see some doors receding to another planet or century or place…

https://pixels.com/featured/rome-theatre-of-marcellus-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

This revolutionary design was used in many other architectural monuments.  It’s not just about the view of the doors that look as if they are diminishing in size, although they aren’t in reality but also the idea of creating exciting visual experiences as you walk through something. There are rounded entrances, as if it’s a corridor of time, coming to us from the future to the past or vice versa. It’s a magical phenomenon that fascinates through the creation of vista and panorama with mirroring doors that lead you to where you wish to travel: whether to the past or the future with something new to learn and return with new knowledge.

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

Painting- Temple of Jupiter, Anxur of Terratine, Roman Architecture

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Year of construction –  mid-second century BC 

Address: Piazzale Loffredo, 04019 Terracina LT, Italy

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Cotman terra de siena and viridian Corman, Charvin bleu royal, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Van Gogh, National gallery   watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_17" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

2-3.Art and Travel. Defensive Stone walls and regular town -planning, Roman Architecture.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the paintings with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

Defensive Stone walls and regular town planning, Roman Architecture. 2-3.

The wall around Rome itself and Rome was encircled by Servian Walls in Rome dates to 373 BC. Romans were colonizing towns in Italy, and they were putting walls around them. Gate of Falerii Novi is one of the small town’s ancient walls near Rome that was built in 241 B.C. The quite spectacular arch was completed in extraordinary creative and innovative way in Roman architecture. It all begins here in the arch of the gate and the wall of Falerii Novi according to the Roman Architecture course. Romans started to think making of urban spaces and places during this particular period. They were very careful about their selection of materials, reddish brown tufa and grey peperino stones, in order to emphasize this distinction in texture and in color. They started to use the alternating square and rectangular blocks as well as the scheme of headers and stretchers for this wall.

The painting is about Gate of Falerii Novi, one of the earliest and masterfully done arch in Roman architecture. The architect has achieved is to take a series of wedge shaped blocks, it was here that stone cutting began. What is unique, because it is neatly laid out in order (long to short) and it is so elegantly done that everything is still perfectly preserved. The Romans were concerned that the barbarians could attack and destroy their cities, not only Rome, but also their small other cities, and through gaining experience, continued to make revolutionary discoveries in architecture.

https://pixels.com/featured/gate-of-falerii-novi-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

Beauty and tenderness and strength that preserve the inviolability of the Roman era, which attracts me from high school, I see echoes of those first Roman gates in any world building including Toronto. It is a perfect one-day trip from Rome.

How can I ever miss such a trip before? I hope to paint En plein air this monument soon and to gaze up at and enjoy the Gate of Falerii Novi that was built more than twenty two centuries ago.

All roads lead to Rome — Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting — Gate of Falerii Novi, Roman Architecture

Year of construction — 241 BC 

Address — Falerii, Lazio, Italy

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Charvin ochre rouge + violet-Cotman dioxazine purple, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Fluid 100, cold press watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.))

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_18" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

2-2.Art and Travel. Rome, Temple of Jupiter OMG, Capitolini Triad, Roman Architecture. Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

I continue the painting for my course Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture. Rome, the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus Capitolinus, Roman Architecture. 2-2.

I should admit that the information from this lecture is my favourite one so far from the course. The temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, was built under the rule of the Etruscan King Tarquinius Priscus and completed by his grandson king Tarquinius Superbus on the Capitoline Hill in the sixth century BC. Design of the building had a huge impact for Roman and world architecture. There was a vast and beautiful Temple dedicated to three gods- Jupiter and his two female goddess companions, Minerva, the goddess of art, wisdom, medicine, commerce, handicrafts, poetry and Juno, the goddess who protected the nation as a whole and also kept special watch over all aspects of women’s lives.

I understand why it was such a beautiful Temple… because two out of three parts were dedicated to the female goddesses, and each god had a single cella. The Temple had the triple entrance way into three cellas of the structure. Democracy and equality for the 6th century BC, do you agree? The main temple was rebuilt several times, and all the time a colossal structure towered over the city with importance as a cultural, religious and civic center of Rome. The Temple was as beautiful as a miracle. I will add two quotes about the building from the Yale Roman Architecture course to this post:

Roman emperor Constantia’s II in the 4 century AD articulates its grandeur well: “beside the Temple of Jupiter everything else is like earth compared to heaven”.

Cicero, after the great fire of 83 B.C. and the rebuilding of the Temple of Jupiter OMG in marble: “Let us feel that conflagration to have been the will of heaven, and its purpose not to destroy the temple of Almighty Jupiter, but to demand of us one more splendid and magnificent!”

My painting is about the Chief temple of ancient Rome, the most important temple completed with mud brick for the podium and for the walls, wood and a red terracotta roof.

Painting- Rome, Temple of Jupiter OMG, Capitolini Triad, Roman Architecture. Year of construction- Precisely in 509. Address Via del Tempio di Giove, 18, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Rome, Temple of Jupiter OMG, Capitolini Triad

An absolute discovery for me was that the Temple was built prior to the construction of the Parthenon in Athens (447 B.C.). Romans looked back to other nations’ architecture, what had been done by the Greeks and what had been done by the Etruscans. Romans picked and chose what they liked in each and they brought that together in an entirely new creation, with their own culture and religion. Roman architects mixed it up and created a distinctive style, that we know now as the Roman temple. Another interesting fact is that the religious service took place outside, the priest would officiate outside the temple, and very few were allowed to go inside to see sacred cult statues.

The temple was the only building that survived after the raiding of the barbarians in the 3rd century AD. The temple stood for about 1000 years. The remains can still be seen in the Piazzale Caffarelli, now part of the Capitoline Museums, and of its garden in Rome. Our family was several times in the museum, walked along this part of the museum and did not even suspect what miracle of architecture we were passing by, we hope to return back soon and enjoy the remains of the greatest architectural project in the 6th century BC.

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_19" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

Link to the Roman Architecture Course:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Charvin Savannah + Van Gogh ultramarine, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello Fabriano, grana grossa rough watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

3-2.Art and Travel. The first experiments in Roman concrete construction.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

The first experiments in Roman concrete construction. 3-2

There was an ancient large warehouse on the banks of the Tiber River in Rome. This site was found due to archaeological research in Rome. Scientists used the great Roman historian Livy’s notes,  who was writing about Porticus Aemilia in the age of Augustus. In addition, the marble Map of Rome, partly readable, was helping this discovery. In the lecture there was a restored view of the Basilica Aemilia and how it looked like. It was made of concrete and it had barrel vaults that opened the walls up, created piers, and arches above those piers, so both axial movements through the building were available but also with lateral movement, revolutionary architecture.

For my painting I found a video on YouTube with Roman archeological professor at the heart of the ancient Porticus Aemilia.  I added some murky greenish waters of the Tiber, as the Google earth app always shows the river with green vs. blue color.  The Porticus Aemilia had four tiers rising up ever so slightly along the slope, with barrel vault, arched doorways, as well as the arched windows. The ancient four-story storage’s building had excellent architectural additions.

https://pixels.com/featured/rome-porticus-aemilia-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

It was a beautiful building near the river with the light penetrating everywhere, unlike the boring gloomy modern warehouses. Roman architects were using their revolutionary solutions of using concrete. This design would be difficult to make out of stone, but concrete did its thing. Voila:)

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

Painting- Rome, Porticus Aemilia, Roman Architecture

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Year of construction- 193 B.C.

Address: Via Rubattino, 38, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Cotman terra de siena and viridian Corman, Charvin bleu royal, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Van Gogh, National gallery   watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_20" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

2-5.Art and Travel. The advent of the Corinthian Order, Roman Architecture.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University.

I continue my artistic series with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

The advent of the Corinthian Order Roman Architecture. 2-5.

In Tivoli, not far from Rome, there is a gentle, feminine temple of Vesta that is beautifully situated over a particularly verdant area of Tivoli. It is very well preserved and still has details of ancient walls and columns. The temple was built in the 1st century BC on the hill of the ancient acropolis of the city of Tibur, formerly called Tivoli. The city was under the Etruscan king’s rule and also had Greek artistic traditions. In combination it had a strong influence on local art and architecture.

https://pixels.com/featured/temple-of-vesta-tivoli-roman-architecture-tamara-vitsenkova.html

My painting is about this feminine Temple, I did it with very delicate, very soft paints; my favourite colors smoothly flow and complement each other. The Temple of Vesta with its base of the structure that grows out of the rock, harmoniously continues it, and rushes to the graceful round rotunda on the ten columns of the Corinth. The frieze is decorated with reliefs depicting bull skulls, a tribute to the Roman tradition of sacrifice, and heavy garlands hanging from them. A cella is inscribed in the circumference of the rotunda, the core of all the buildings, the place where the ceremonies were carried out. The dome of the rotunda had a hole for the smoke of the sacred fire that burned here in honour of Vesta with delicate, lace and aerial structure.

The columns were invented by the Greeks and Romans and used all three types – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The Corinthian column is equally beautiful from all sides due to its harmony and it was more popular in Roman Architecture. The Temple is located on a hill that fits perfectly into the landscape, like a young girl, with curls; reminiscent of a popular widespread Italian flower. The column looks the same and beautiful from all angles with harmony that, objectively, makes it the best

All roads lead to Rome – Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture/home/welcome

Painting – Temple of Vesta, Tivoli, Roman Architecture

Year of construction 1st century BC

Address: Piazza Tempio di Vesta, 6, 00019 Tivoli RM, Italy

Tools used for my painting Watercolour Cotman terra de siena and viridian Corman, Charvin bleu royal, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Van Gogh, National gallery   watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_21" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

2-4.Art and Travel. The Hellenization of late Republican temple, Roman Architecture.

Artist, Roman Architecture, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

Watercolor journey with the course Roman Architecture by the Yale University

I continue the painting with the course Roman Architecture + the city of Rome with Yale’s course Roman Architecture https://www.coursera.org/learn/roman-architecture.

The Hellenization of late Republican temple, Roman Architecture. 2-4.

The Temple of Portunus is located in the former of the Forum Boarium, nowadays it is on the Piazza della Bocca della Verità, very popular place of the Mouth of Truth from the movie Roman Holiday with stars Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

It used to be a major commercial area along the banks of the Tiber in antiquity. In the Republican times here was a small port nearby from the side of the Tiber and market, where a lively livestock trade was carried on.

My painting is about the Temple of Portunus; the reference was my husband’s photo from our trip to Rome several years ago. From a distance the impression is that the whole building was made out of stone. The temple of Portunus by Tiber with their columns encircle the structure but is engaging into the wall. It characterizes the Ionic order, called spiral volutes. Greeks’ ionic capitals created for this type of column decoration like a hairstyle, the front parts of them with curls (ionic cymatium) and fruit garlands, and flutes were drawn along the entire trunk, descending like folds on the dress of bride ;) This is another example that Roman architects looked at Etruscan and Greek precedents, decided what they liked and mixed it up the way it best represented their own culture and religion. Another revolutionary step of Roman Architecture for this Temple was using roman concrete construction inside of the podium. This is the reason why Temple of Portunus is one of the few ancient buildings that have managed to stay intact until today.

https://pixels.com/featured/temple-of-portunus-rome-tamara-vitsenkova.html

In the middle ages the temple of Portunus was recreated to a Christian church, and this is another reason why it has been perfectly preserved. In this course the Professor showed the 19th century painting of the temple of Portunus with some architectural changes by this time. Nowadays we can see that the Temple was renovated closer to the original design of the structure, very important for the future preservation of Roman architecture.

In the ancient Roman mythology Portunus was considered the god of doors, keys and honeycomb, the guard of entrances and exits. I would like to go back and visit not just the outside and inside and I see everything with my own eyes. And I hope that the ancient god Portunus will open the door of its Temple for us.

All roads lead to Rome- Alain de Lille

Bon voyage! Until the next travel:)

Painting – Temple of Portunus, Rome, Roman Architecture

Year of construction – between 120 and 80 BC

Address – Piazza della Bocca della Verità, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Tools used for my painting Watercolour siena, burnt siena Van Gogh, perm red light, lemon yellow, viridian Cotman Charvin ochre rouge + violet-Cotman dioxazine purple, Derwent, Albert Durer and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Paper Acquarello watercolour album. Fabriano, grana grossa rough watercolour album, 22×30 cm (9 ×12 in.)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Name
Email
Your message

Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_22" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

The magic of the holidays is in the making! ✨ Join me on this artistic adventure as I explore the captivating world of #TravelVibes #ArtAdventure

You are welcome to visit my personal website pages. There, you can find out more about the artwork I am offering in oil and watercolor paintings. You can buy canvas prints, framed prints, and more artwork.

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.