Italy as Art Inspiration

Italy continues to be a source of inspiration for me. In my Toronto art studio I keep coming back to my Italian travel photographs and sketches I made in Italy for new painting, collage and photograph ideas. In preparation for my upcoming spring art shows, including the One of a Kind 2020 Spring Show, I'm releasing these two new art prints of Il Redentore, Venice, Italy. 

Italy Series Artwork: Boats at Redentore Festival

In the background of both photographs you can see the church Il Redentore (full name Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore), which means the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer. The beautiful church was built to celebrate the end of the plague in the 16th-century and designed by famous architect Andrea Palladio.  Other neighboring buildings on Giudecca Island in the Dorsoduro quarter of Venice, Italy can also be seen in these two images.  These photographs were taken during the Festival of Redentore, which I was lucky to attend twice while studying art through NYU (New York University) in Venice, Italy.  Held every year in the third week of July, the Festa del Redentore started as a celebration to give thanks for the end of the terrible plague of 1576, which killed 50,000 people including master Venetian painter Titian (Tiziano Vecellio).  Every year since 1575, the city of Venice has a celebrated with a huge city-wide festival.  Many boats dock in the waters of the Giudecca canal to celebrate the weekend long parties and view beautiful fireworks.  A large temporary bridge is built to connect the main Venetian island and Giudecca Island.

Redentore Artwork Relevant to Today

In this modern day of coronavirus, Venice is empty of tourists and the city is cancelling big celebrations like Carnevale di Venezia. Hopefully, the virus and fear of crowds will pass soon in Italy. The City of Venice hasn't yet announced if the Festa del Redentore will take place again this summer 2020. Hopefully, this modern virus will be contained soon and life in Venice, Italy and other cities will be back to normal. 

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I find myself often dreaming of Summer in Venice, Italy...