Standing Into Danger

Friday, November 15, 2019

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky! Mitoraj at Pompeii

Did you, as a young child, ever hear a story that wouldn't let you go?
That made you determined to visit where it happened before you died?
On May 20, 2016 I finally realized one such dream.

I stood in the Forum in Pompeii and looked to the north at Mount Vesuvius,
imagining the horror of the 79 A.D. eruption that destroyed the city.

The volcano literally blew its top off and ejected a column
of hot gases and volcanic debris into the stratosphere.
Ash and pumice rained on Pompeii for over eighteen hours
and accumulated to a depth of 9.2 feet (2.8 meters).
Then hot, dense, rapid flows of gas and volcanic material
buried the city, killing any living things in their paths.

Mount Vesuvius from Pompeii's Forum

Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

To walk the streets and explore the buildings of Pompeii was beyond amazing!
But for those of us fortunate enough to visit this storied place
between May 14, 2016 and May 1, 2017 there was an extraordinary event.

For me Pompeii has always been about the violent volcano,
the unparalleled look into the lives of Pompeii's citizens,
the buildings and public spaces, humble and grand,
the frescoes, statuary, mosaics, and architecture.

I did not anticipate a temporary exhibit of monumental sculptures
by a Polish artist I had never heard of and likely never would have:
an exhibit that had me standing in awe at the sight
of huge, fragmented, and broken heads and bodies.

Hermanos

Brothers (2010)

by Igor Mitoraj

Bronze: 293 cm. X 326 cm. X 295 cm.

Outside, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Ikaro Blu or Blue Icarus (2013) and Tindareus (1997)

by Igor Mitoraj

Forum with Mount Vesuvius in the background,

Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

The Back of Eros Alato Con Mano

Winged Eros with Hand (2013 ~ bronze)

by Igor Mitoraj

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

The Front of Eros Alato Con Mano

Winged Eros with Hand (2013 ~ bronze)

by Igor Mitoraj

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Initially Terry and I explored Pompeii in a guided group.
This made it difficult for me to gather information on the Igor Mitoraj sculptures;
but I kept photographing them because they were hauntingly beautiful.
It wasn't until much later that I was able to find out more
about this Polish artist and his huge sculptures.

Gambe Alato or Winged Legs (left) and Torso di Ikaro (right)

by Igor Mitoraj

Looking toward the Teatro Grande from the Triangular Forum

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Ikaria (left ~ 1996) and Ikaro Alato (right ~ 2000)

by Igor Mitoraj

Looking from within the Teatro Grande

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Teseo Screpolato (2011)

by Igor Mitoraj

Bronze: 295 cm. X 188 cm. X 180 cm.

Looking toward the Quadriportico by the Theaters

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Igor Mitoraj was born in Oederan, Germany on March 26, 1944,
the child of a Polish mother and a French father.
After the end of WW II, he returned to Poland with his mother
and grew up in Grójec, southwest of Warsaw.
He graduated from art school in Bielsko-Biała
and studied painting at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków.

Mitoraj turned to sculpture and traveled in Mexico, France, and Italy
to increase his artistic knowledge as he worked with bronze terracotta, and marble.

Igor Mitoraj

29 April, 2014

Wikimedia

Mitoraj's monumental sculptures tap into the classical Greek and Roman tradition
that emphasizes idealized, perfectly proportioned human bodies and unemotional faces.
His truncated torsos and severed limbs reflect the damage
suffered by many of those ancient sculptures throughout time.

Mitoraj wanted his sculptures to reveal human nature and human imperfection.
He said of his art: “The idea of beauty is ambiguous, a double-edged sword
that can easily hurt you, causing pain and torture.
My art is an example of this dichotomy:
mesmerizing perfection attached to corrupted imperfection.”
artsy

Ikaro(left), Ikaria Bretelle(center), and Ikaro Screpolato (right)

by Igor Mitoraj

Looking toward the Basilica near the west corner of the Forum

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Ikaro Screpolato or Ikaro Cracked (1998)

by Igor Mitoraj

Adjacent to the Basilica near the west corner of the Forum

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

The Feet of Ikaro Screpolato (Icarus Cracked)

by Igor Mitoraj

Adjacent to the Basilica near the west corner of the Forum

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Ikaro Screpolato (left), Ikaria Bretelle (center), and Ikaro (right)

by Igor Mitoraj

Ikaro Screpolato Bronze: 360 cm. X 120 cm. X 85 cm.

Ikaria Bretelle Bronze: 373 cm. X 153 cm. X 111 cm.

Ikaro Bronze: 360 cm. X 120 cm. X 85 cm.

By the Basilica near the west corner of the Forum

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

As a writer, I am always fascinated by the creative process,

especially with how inspiration strikes and where ideas come from.

Mitoraj said of his process, "There are no theories, there are no explanations.

The works impose themselves on me - I am their slave."

ansa

The tragic story of Daedalus and Icarus inspired Mitoraj,

and the exhibit contained a number of magnificent sculptures

based on the two:

Daedalus, the skilled craftsman and artist who created

the labyrinth for King Minos of Crete,

and his son Icarus who flew too close to the sun with wax wings

and plunged to the earth when they melted.

King Minos had imprisoned father and son in the labyrinth,

and Daedalus and Icarus tried to escape with wings crafted by Daedalus.

Icarus drowned in the Mediterranean while his father watched from above.

Mitoraj built on the legend by imagining a sister Ikaria for Ikaro (Icarus).

The Death of Icarus

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

Daedalus and Icarus fresco, villa imperiale, Pompeii

To me there was a wonderful synergy in the connection

between ancient Pompeii and Igor Mitoraj's art.

After the exhibit ended, the Mitoraj Foundation and the Contini Art Gallery

gave Italy a gift of Mitoraj's Daedalus, one of his sculptures displayed in Pompeii.

It will remain at the entrance to Pompeii near the Temple of Venus.

Daedalus

by Igor Mitoraj

At the Entrance to Pompeii near the Temple of Venus

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Daedalus

by Igor Mitoraj

Overlooking the Sorrento Peninsula from the Temple of Venus

Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

It was Mitoraj's dream to have his sculptures displayed in Pompeii.

He selected the exact location for each sculpture chosen for the temporary exhibit.

Sadly, he died in Paris on October 6, 2014 and never saw his sculptures
in situ among the excavations of ancient Pompeii.

This extraordinary exhibit was designed and promoted

by the foundation Terzo Pilastro ~ Italia e Mediterraneo,

with the support of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.

It was organized by Pompeii's Superintendency, the Contini Art Gallery,

and the Atelier Igor Mitoraj Contemporary Art Museum in Pietrasanta.

pompeiisites

Centauro or Centaur

by Igor Mitoraj

Forum, Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Pompeiani III (2007)

by Igor Mitoraj

Bronze and Marble: 176 cm. X 75 cm. X 75.5 cm.

Terme Stabiane or Stabian Baths

Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

One of the Few Female Sculptures at the Pompeii Exhibit

by Igor Mitoraj

Terme Stabiane or Stabian Baths

Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Grande Toscano (1981)

by Igor Mitoraj

Bronze: 272 cm. X 185 cm. X 80 cm.

Forum, Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

The temporary Mitoraj exhibit in Pompeii may be long over,

but I will always remember how exquisite these sculptures were.

To think I knew nothing about it, when I first walked into Pompeii.
Sometimes you just get lucky!

Memorie (2012)

by Igor Mitoraj

Forum, Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

A Very Overloaded Me
after eight hours running around
Pompei Scavi, Italy

May 20, 2019

Note: I did extensive research for this post.
I have provided the best information, documentation, and attributions that I could.
It was difficult because source after source contained similar or verbatim passages,
and for some sources I had to translate text from Italian with Google Translator.
Any mistakes are mine.

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of Italy

Attribution: User:David Liuzzo

wikimedia

Location of Pompeii

Google 2019

Location of Modern and Ancient Pompeii

Google 2019

Ikaro Blu or Blue Icarus (2013)

by Igor Mitoraj

Bronze: 223 cm. X 650 cm. X 238 cm.

Forum, Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Tindareus (1997)

by Igor Mitoraj

Forum with Mount Vesuvius in the background,

Regio VII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy

May 20, 2016

Friday, November 8, 2019

Post Under Construction

Things did not go according to plans today.
My post is still under construction.

I am not going to tempt the universe to derail me,
by saying anything about when it will appear.
Or what and where it is about.

Have a great Friday!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

On Chad and Sisters Two

On the Bay of Fundy
Long Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 31, 2014

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

IWSG Day: Wednesday, November 5, 2019 ~ A Surprising Find

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG founder Alex Cavanaugh are:
Sadira Stone, Patricia Josephine, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Erika Beebe, and C. Lee McKenzie.

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.
I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is:

What's the strangest thing you've ever googled in researching a story?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, Everyone!
I can't believe it's already IWSG Day again!
I hope that you've all had a great October
and made progress with your writing goals.

At first glance, this month's question seemed easy,
until I actually tried to think of the strangest thing
I've googled while doing research for a story.

I have literally googled thousands and thousands of things
since I discovered the wonders of Google Search,
amazing to someone who grew up information-starved in isolated places.

When Information Was Hard to Find

Donnie, Me, and Roy

Atholville, New Brunswick, Canada

Fall, 1956

Most of this research has been prompted by my writing:
from how to knap a flint knife and butcher meat,
to the formation of elements in dying stars,
to Roman bridge construction in ancient Italy,
to what happens to a person's body when cut by a chainsaw,
to French coins and Miꞌkmaq names from 1600.

Nucleosynthesis

nasa.gov

Finally I gave up and went with a recent search
that prompted a lot of discussion among my family and friends.
I haven't used it in a story yet, but I'll work it in somewhere.
It was something I had never thought of before
and didn't expect to find anything about.

I was cleaning the freezer one Sunday morning while listening to Fareed Zakaria,
when I pulled out a bag of freezer-burned hotdog buns,
leftovers from our July 4th celebration.
I tried to throw them into the garbage, but I just couldn't do it ~
Too many frugal great aunts in my lineage.

What to do? What to do? I thought, tossing the bag back and forth in my hands.
And then it hit me, Maybe I can use the hotdog buns to make bread pudding!

I never for a second believed I'd find a recipe,
but I entered a search in Google and one popped up instantly:
justapinch.com

I had more buns than the recipe called for,
so I played around with the ingredients and proportions,
chose butter over margarine, and substituted half and half for much of the milk.
That leftover hotdog bun bread pudding was scrumptious!

Ample butter, cream, and sugar makes most things mouthwatering!
And when you top a concoction with homemade whipped cream, it's even better!

In no time we were out of whipped cream
and down to the last half bun each.

The Last Bit

Way Better Than It Looks!

October , 2019

Over the next few days I described my creation to family and friends,
joking about channeling my inner Newfoundlander.
No one was impressed. Everyone was aghast.
You made What?!

Oh well ~ No imagination. Their loss. My win.
Well, until I climbed on my scale!

I didn't write much in the past two or three weeks.
Cataract surgery slowed me down.
But I have my last post-surgery appointment this morning,
and I can't wait to get back to my regular schedule!

Happy writing in November!

Chilling After My Surgery

Aurora, Colorado, USA

October 21, 2019

Friday, November 1, 2019

Bubbles Over Brighton

Have you ever gone through a pile of photographs you've taken
and come across a few that seem a little odd?

Two Bubbles and a Pole

September 3, 2018

I experienced that today when looking at some photos
I had taken in Brighton, England in the U.K in 2018.

I was actually looking for a specific photo along I-70 in Utah,
but I was distracted by these.

At the time I took these,
I thought I was capturing some artistic pictures.
Now they strike me as a little strange.

Bubbles and the West Pier

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Bubbles Over King's Road #1

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Bubbles Over King's Road #2

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Chasing Bubbles

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Making Bubbles #1

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Bubble in Blue

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Bubbles Over the Beach

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Other Photographers Capturing Bubbles #1

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Other Photographers Capturing Bubbles #2

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Bubbles at Sunset

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

I never did find that photograph I was looking for,

but then I was searching through over 112,000 photos.
Maybe I'll find it by next week!

Back to Reality!

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Donnie and I

On the Margaret's Justice Ferry
Between Westport and Freeport
Grand Passage, Bay of Fundy
Nova Scotia, Canada

July 31, 2018

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of the UK

Google Maps 2019

google

Location of Brighton

Google Maps 2019

google

The Beach at Brighton

Google Maps 2019

google

Making Bubbles #2

Brighton, UK

September 3, 2018

Friday, October 25, 2019

Milking It!

Monday I had cataract surgery,
and it has gone very well.

Google Search

Terry took great care of me,
as did my ophthalmologist Dr. Burcham
and the caring staff at the Surgery Center of the Rockies.

It was sheer bliss to lie on the couch downstairs after my surgery,
binge listening to multiple episodes of The Young and the Restless
and napping until late into the evening.
Terry kept me well-supplied with coffee, water, pizza (for dinner)
and reminders to use three different kinds of eyedrops every two hours.

You Bet, Terry!

Google Search

I plan to start visiting blogging buddies today (Friday),
as I ease back into using a computer.

I'll be back with a regular post next Friday!
Wishing you all well!

Enjoying a Welcome Cup of Coffee

after Surgery on Monday

October 21, 2019

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

On Chad and Sisters Two

On the Bay of Fundy
Long Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 31, 2014

Books Read in 2026

"18 Days in Heaven" by Gale Poirot
"A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Hope, Love, and Overcoming" by Kerrie Rawson
"Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life" by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD.
"Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics Deepest Truths" by Eugenia Cheng
"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir
"Tell Me Everything" by Elizabeth Strout
"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese
"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" by David Graeber and David Wengrow
"The Life Impossible" by Matthew Haig
"The Lord go the Rings" by JRR Tolkien
"The Match" by Harlan Corben
"The Night the Path Disappeared" by Terri Bergen
"The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper" by Roland Allen
"Theo of Golden" by Allen Levi
"Think Twice" by Harlan Corben
"Why Christianity Must Change Or Die" by John Shelby Spong

Standing Into Danger

Pages

Friday, November 15, 2019

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky! Mitoraj at Pompeii

Friday, November 8, 2019

Post Under Construction

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

IWSG Day: Wednesday, November 5, 2019 ~ A Surprising Find

Friday, November 1, 2019

Bubbles Over Brighton

Friday, October 25, 2019

Milking It!

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