street art, Neopolitan style!

In both London and New York there are large exhibits in museums devoted to "street art". They look ok, but it's hard to see how this subject can really fit in a museum context, without getting pedantic and dull.

That's part of the point, innit?

While on a visit to Naples Italy this summer, I was expecting to do a photo essay on the garbage strike there.

However, Silvio Berlisconi beat me to the punch, sending in military troupes to scoop up and remove the garbage from the city center.

The place was trash-free when I arrived, and smelled, well, pretty much like any other city.

All of the rubbish was neatly sequestered out of the way, leaking and dripping, while the city fights about the new incinerator due to be built to dispose of this mess. It's all still THERE, mind you- I just wasn't seeing it. What I was seeing, I was not prepared for.

There was this huge wealth of AMAZING painting on the walls and corridors of the old city- I have really never seen anything like this before.

I will let the images do the talking.

Some are political, or offer religious or social commentary, some are about football (go mastiffs!) and mark territory, and some appear to just respond to the existing pipes, holes and other physical features on the city walls.

The level of imagery is very high here. No dumb scrawled names or simple bragging here-this is, as it states above- the Esthetic Rebellion in action!

These works are all exceptional for their use of the available space and surrounding objects, and the sheer lyrical play between flatness and sculptural possibility.

I was Gobsmacked.

There was stencilling, spray paint, brushed paint,

painted-over fly posted xeroxes,

and, there was Collage! stuff, objects, materials glued onto the walls as well!

see below: Things were scratched and incised- as in the commentary on art and nature, below:

How fabulous is this??

One artist in particular took my fancy- her/his style in unmistakable, hats off....

S/he gets a mini-show of her/his own, as follows:

These folks put the average subway tag to shame, indeed, they put the average Chelsea gallery output to shame!

This sculpture(cement and paint?) was outside a shop- I cannot really explain it's presence or function- but hey, that just makes it art, right?

When in Rome...

Head for the park!

I really had only one day to spend there, and I spent this in the Borghese park. A bike race was taking place and everyone, really was there...


After this, I toddled back to the hotel and got ready(Really!) for the President's annual garden party, in the Querinale.

This is hard-to-believe, but true. Some Italian friends were going, and snagged us some invites to go with. This annual event, featuring Romes political elite and some of the holy See's as well,gathers around 2000 guests into the garden. There is music, and food, and amazing people-watching.

I LOVED it. There was SERIOUS jewelry, and some scary cleavage and surgically enhanced looking zombie-types.

There were really, spectacularly beautiful and graceful people in exquisite outfits. there were the powerful, the old and powerful, and the soon-to-be powerful. I even got to sit with the president for a minute.

Silvio Berlusconi was also there, holding court and looking far more embalmed in real life than he does on TV. The whole event was, for me a study in growing older with elegance. As I stumble into middle-age I am increasingly aware of my elders and looking for models.

So:

Helen Mirren, yes, Silvio Berusconi, no.

No obvious trying to look 20, no clownish surgery or botoxing, keep ones face lively, mobile and vivid. This requires wrinkles.

over and out.

spring has sprung....

More pictures from the Market in Venice-

this time,

lovely wrapped blood oranges from Sicily!

And asparagus, both white & green...
Meanwhile, at the Palazzo Ducale, it's construction all the way!
This city is now a never-ending restoration site.

Even the domes of San Marco are getting the scaffold treatment.

A Magnificent Mimosa, already in full bloom...