The Little Woman Atop Her Mighty (strong) Steed: Botero's Rape of Europa

While visiting the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts last Sunday, we got to get up close and personal to three monumental bronze sculptures created by Fernando Botero. These huge sculptures are part of the exhibition, The Baroque World of Fernando Botero. Botero, born in Columbia in 1932, created "The Rape of Europa" in 1999. That's one fine looking little woman atop that steed. Right? She and her animal weigh approximately 2,500 pounds!

Her is what USA Today Magazine wrote about Botero in August 2008: Botero converted his painterly ideas into "bronze and marble sculpture, which have become a seminal element in his oeuvre. His monumental bronzes are seen by perplexed strollers along the Champs Elysées in Paris, in front of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, and along Park Avenue in New York. The large figures transform their surroundings into a world of fantasy, as seen in Venice where his bronzes adorn the squares along the Grand Canal, or when his sensuous nudes are mirrored in the reflecting pools in front of the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.

The Piti is a fantastic place to see Botero's work. The last time I was there I enjoyed a Bristish car show lined up on the sidewalk out front. (Our son studied architercture there and actually lived in the buiding directly across from the Piti. A favorite coffee shop is right there, the Bar Piti. (Oh what a great city!!)

The subjects of his sculpture - The Baroque World of Fernando Botero - includes a selection of recent sculptures never before shown in North America. They "draw from ancient Greek mythology,' points out Miranda Lash, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art....Zeus reappears again in 'Rape of Europa' (1999) as Europa's comically placid and portly steed. The soon-to-be ravished Europa sits proudly on the back of the bull, seductively in control, an attitude assumed by many of the women in Botero's sculptures. ..."

A Latin American painter, sculptor, and draftsman, Botero depicts the "comedy of human life—moving or ironic, baroque in expression, sometimes with a mocking observation, and sometimes with a deep, elementary emotion. He has created a world of his own with a particular blend of violence and beauty."

The current show in St. Petersburg is the first retrospective of his work in North America since 1974. Included are 100 paintings, sculptures, and drawings selected from the artist’s private collection. Many works have never been exhibited in public. (The exhibition is organized and circulated by Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. John Sillevis from the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, curated the exhibition. ) This show at the MFA runs through April 4th.

Botero's works are collected by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, The Hermitage Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Hirshhorn and others.

Giving me the finger?

We spent Saturday afternoon and evening at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg with the Friends of Photography, a small group of folks with a passion for photography. While there we had the pleasure to explore three really huge bronze sculptures that are part of the exhibition, The Baroque World of Fernando Botero. Botero, born in Columbia in 1932, created The Hand in 1985. The position of the middle finger is particular revealing and pointed and must have some meaning for the artist that I could not uncover. It weighs approximately 2,500 pounds!

Botero explains his use of these "large people", as they are often called by critics, or obese figures and forms thus: "An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it."
You would instantly recognize his paintings and sculptures as they feature unusually large, tremendous, XXX-plus sized women and even some men. Big. Rotund. As in three seats on a commercial jetliner.

A Latin American painter, sculptor, and draftsman, Botero depicts the "comedy of human life—moving or ironic, baroque in expression, sometimes with a mocking observation, and sometimes with a deep, elementary emotion. He has created a world of his own with a particular blend of violence and beauty." In 2005, Botero produced a series over 80 paintings and drawings which depicted the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The current show in St. Petersburg is the first retrospective of his work in North America since 1974. Included are 100 paintings, sculptures, and drawings selected from the artist’s private collection. Many works have never been exhibited in public. (The exhibition is organized and circulated by Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. John Sillevis from the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, curated the exhibition. ) This show at the MFA runs through April 4th.

Botero's works are collected by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, The Hermitage Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Hirshhorn and others.

Balancing Act: The Equilibrist by Marc DeWaele

The Equilibrist is a fascinating interactive sculpture. Located at in front of the Franklin Exchange Fountain at Franklin Street and Zack Street in Tampa’s downtown, it was the Grand prize Winner in the artLOUD! 2009 competition with its purpose to bring art to the city’s downtown. In that regard it has been very successful. The sculptor Marc De Waele created Equilibrist in all metal. It stands 84-inches tall, is 50-inches deep and 48-inches wide. This larger photo is a close-up of the balancing figure so do click on the smaller insert to get an idea of the overall size and complete design of this awesome kinetic creation. It won for being the Most Interactive and Creative Sculpture in the City of Tampa / artLOUD Competition sponsored by the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). It features eleven yearlong installations of artwork and even has another of De Waele’s pieces that I featured in a post at Tampa Bay Daily Photo back on June 17th (Click HERE.) That sculpture, entitled Our Harp Fountain, is on display on Franklin near Twiggs. De Waele specializes in canvas works, metal sculptures, copper fountains, trompe l’oeil and wall murals. Born in Belgium in 1962, De Waele worked throughout Europe. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Eeklo, Belgium, took courses in Paris and exhibited widely in Europe. Since coming to the United States in 1999, he has accepted commissions to create trompe l’oeil orders, restorations and wall murals - and furniture restoration - for private clients throughout the Tampa Bay area. (To learn more about De Waele's work, click HERE.)

Big Blue Toes dance to the courthouse steps: Ofra Friedman's FREEDOM

This giant foot belongs to Freedom, a steel wire mesh sculpture of a dancer by the artist Ofra Friedman. The dancer is suspended in a ballet pose and positioned on the front lawn of the oldest building in Tampa that was built for government use. It's a really good place for this piece of art. The building where she stands is still an imposing structure as you can tell from the giant columns. Although it has remained closed and empty since the new Sam M. Gibbons Federal Courthouse opened in 1997, it is well maintained on the outside and still looks like the Federal Courthouse that it was. It was built on an entire city block and once served as our main U.S. Post Office, then the Public Health Service and finally was converted into the U.S Courthouse in 1984. It actually provides a delightful backdrop for this dancer whose toes and fingers point the way up and down Florida Avenue. She is a exciting and eclectic addition to the old building and our downtown.

Keys to success and happiness. Out of reach by the thousands.

This large sculpture stands in a brick patio area connected by walkways on the south side of Kate Jackson Community Center in Anderson Playground. It is called Reliquary. It was part of the City of Tampa Public Art Program when installed in 2001. The hundreds if not thousands of keys are now woven together with moss from the overhanging oak trees that surround this cool, private slice of Florida paradise. Palms and philodendrons crowd in close to the quiet space. A key was attached to every one of the tiny, closed hooks when the piece was first installed. Curious kids - big and small - have removed many of the lowest hanging ones but now most are out of reach. Click on the closeup view at left to see the incredible variety of metals, shapes and colors of the keys that make up this attractive and most unusual sculpture.

Theme Day: Feet

The feet of an immigrant family, a mother and father, and their son and daughter, are depicted newly arrived in Ybor City, now a part of Tampa. Simply named Immigrant Statue, it was designed by artist Anthony Cardoso and sculpted by Steve Dickey. It was dedicated in Ybor City's Centennial Park in 1992.

The inscription reads:

To those courageous men and women who came to this country in search of personal freedom, economic opportunity and a future of hope for their families.

(See the magnificent statue in its entirety at Tampa Florida Photo.)

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in June's Theme Day: FEET

Here's a lady of the law to be obeyed - she's watching you.

She stands tall and triumphant in front of the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse. The courthouse, which was built in 2000, contains the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit which comprises Hillsborough County (of which Tampa is the county seat.) No one can pass this lady without noticing. I think she speaks to everyone who passes her way - in and out of courtrooms – lawyers, judges, bailiffs, judges and yes, the accused for sure. She speaks loudly and with force. How to describe the sculpture in a word? Magnificent. If I’m allowed a second word, she’s gorgeous. Veritas et Justitia is the formal name given the statue by the internationally-known artist, Audrey Flack. Calling her Lady Justice just does not do her justice. Plus she’s so wonderfully different than so many others who grace courthouse entrances and the tops of buildings, giving a sense of justice and fairness to our legal system. She perfectly represents balance and equality...in her own classy way. A contemporary interpretation of classical sculpture in the ancient Greek and Roman traditions, the artist created a classical figure but her presence is modern, forceful and incredibly alive. Very powerful. If the artist wanted to add a strong yet beautiful presence to the courthouse entrance she succeeded beyond question. The statue, ten foot tall and weighing 2,000 lbs., is cast in bronze, patinated and gilded. But no matter the amount of bronze and gilding, every piece of public art commissioned and installed in Tampa and Hillsborough County generates controversy and opinion. Veritas et Justitia elicited comment both positive and negative when it was unveiled in 2007. In my opinion, the artist succeeded immeasurably well. Audrey Flack is a pioneer of Photorealism and a nationally recognized painter and sculptor. She holds a graduate degree and an honorary doctorate from Cooper Union in New York City and a BFA from Yale University. She has taught and lectured extensively. Her work is in major museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American. Notice as you click and enlarge the photo (and you must to appreciate this fine work) that the lady does not hold the scales of justice, as do most other statues of this kind, and is wearing a most interesting blindfold, not solid so her justice is truly blind, but has tiny slits for her eyes. The greenish cast to the bronze is intentional and is set off handsomely by the gold leaf and crown of stars. I hope you agree that Veritas et Justitia is a magnificent sculpture.

Dolphin takes flight guided by slumbering water nymph.

Although I haven't seen it in person, there is a powerful bronze statue of a girl swimming with a dolphin by the Tower Bridge in London. From the number of images one can find of it online I imagine it's very special and quite popular. Photographers take great pains to capture it in every time of day and night. This statue, which in person is very large and impressive, is NOT in London. Although it could be by the same artist I suppose. And, you wouldn't find it in front of many Colonial-style homes in Sharon, Connecticut or on a farm house in Western New York State. (It might very well scare the cows, horses, passersby and certainly the small folks...cover their eyes, please.) It's on a residential street in South Tampa. Much of the house and statue are obscured by tons of native tropical plants that are awakening after two days of good, heavy rains. Without paying attention as you drive by, I guess it's possible to miss the little nymph but I'm sure the neighbors have an opinion and are aware of her taking up residence on the block. It's BIG and it's installed in a round fountain-like pool. It may be a fountain but with our tight water restrictions it wouldn't be operating anyway. I was surprised to find a bronze artwork of this size and quality in someone's front yard. To exaggerate a little, it's almost as as big as the house itself. To my mind it would never be a statue you'd say, "Gee, honey, that would fit just perfect in our little front yard." Plus, one wouldn't expect this particular creation to be plopped down at the front door taking up so much space. Unless your home is in the 5-10,000 square foot size range. But, here it is. And it IS beautiful and dramatic. Especially framed against the very tall Banana plant behind it. I'll keep an eye on it for when the water restrictions are lifted. If it is a fountain, it might just begin to draw a larger crowd than London's. Right. The line forms at the corner. Any day now.

Mom shines extra bright in stainless steel

I thought this stainless steel sculpture was most appropriate for Mother’s Day. (Can’t you just see your mom in it?) Entitled Family of Man, the 13-foot high artwork was created by artist Geoffrey Naylor (1928-1997). Born in Heysham, England, Naylor studied at Leeds College and then at Hornsey College of Art in England. He came to the United States and obtained his Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois. His work is in a number of private collections, plus the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (my hometown), the University of Florida and the Columbus Museum of Art. A painter as well as creator of large indoor and outdoor metal sculptures, Naylor taught at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida and was a professor of art at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Although my mom isn’t easily identifiable in Naylor’s work, I know she’d appreciate that I was thinking of her and every mother throughout the world. I'm sure she's the one holding us all together...and smiling at her beloved water, seagulls and Tampa cityscape. Moms all shine extra bright on this day as we honor them. Family of Man is part of the City of Tampa's Public Art Program and stands on Bayshore Boulevard just north of Gandy Boulevard. You must spend time with it. Stop on the median and enjoy the play of light off it surfaces at different times of day. Notice the closeness and interplay of mom, dad and their two children joined in stainless steel. It’s very cool (after the sun goes down, otherwise in our searing sun it is anything but cool.)

Tampa's Channel District is filled with unexpected surprises

The Channel District was once home to warehouses and businesses that supported the shipping industry and the busy port of Tampa. Over the last few years developers have transformed the area with condominiums, shops and restaurants. The Florida Aquarium, trolleys of the Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway and cruise ship terminals attract natives and tourists to the newly-bustling waterfront. But in the heart of the district are several artists who add character, energy and life with their galleries and creations. What is this monster on the street?