Without Lifting A Finger

Third time, so I took few pics. Took some friends. They enjoyed. The big Sam Francis still alluring. How exactly did they "chop up" the Basel Murals and why can't t they display them collectively in one space? And why advertise that there's something underneath Van Gogh's Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow), and then not? Anyway, a beautiful day. We came up Orange Grove and saw all the grandstand seats (for a price) for the Rose Parade. Holidays California style. * All the way from Dresden: Titian's Portrait of a Lady in White . I think (over time) I became more intrigued with Guido Reni's St. Cecelia (nearby), but I didn't take her pic. And I was also pleased (for a few) with Lucas Cranach the Elder's Adam and Eve (two separate pics). *

Unfortunately we didn't get to see her (unless you consider the peekaboo I had from the door). It was a weekday and we were cut off right at the last minute: apparently parish business (weddings? baptisms?) comes first. Understandable. I'd seen it twice before but she's like an old friend. We had to be happy with the wait (the girls dawdled by the canal, I moseyed about), the sunshine, and the young man (I didn't get a name) with the homemade camera working his way around Italy, taking photos the old fashioned way for a donation (he didn't have the proper paperwork to demand a set fee). Anyway... *             

Pietà is the last painting by the Italian master Titian (c. 1575). It is housed in the Gallerie dell'Accademia of Venice . The picture represents, over the background of a larger niche in Mannerist style, the Madonna supporting the body of Christ, with the help of a kneeling Nicodemus . The latter is probably a self-portrait of Titian, represented as if he saw his also upcoming death in the Christ's face. [1] On the left, standing and forming an ideal triangle , is Mary Magdalene . Another small self-portrait, together with his son Orazio, is shown in the base of one of the columns surrounding the niche. The picture is generally considered Titian's last: an inscription in the lower part of the picture notes that it was finished by Palma the Younger . [From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0_(Titian )]



Titian - The Venus of Urbino, 1538 - Uffizi Galleria Florence Italy , a photo by mbell1975 on Flickr. Mark Twain's reaction (from his Tramp Abroad ):

Titian. Assumption of the Virgin (Assunta). 1516-1518. Oil on wood. Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, Italy , a photo by alarcowa on Flickr. According to Wiki, a young Oscar Wilde proclaimed this the best picture in Italy. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I was impressed with this when I saw it so many years ago (I think I saw it a second time with my wife). The size (it is huge) and colors are much more impressive than any photo can reflect. Still, I was rummaging through my head this morning in search of beauty--and this came to mind.