arttravelbug

Creative Commons images Photogestion on Flickr "Piero Fornasetti was an artist ahead of his time. With an imagination that blurs the lines between illusion and reality, his surrealistic and – dare I say – psychedelic works are always unexpected and catch you by surprise. The exhibition juxtaposes Fornasetti’s surrealist pieces alongside the gallery’s permanent collection of classical sculptures and Renaissance works in an ironic and inventive way. Throughout the frescoed rooms and grand halls, the parallel objects seem to “speak” with each other, creating a dialogue between the works that play with the imagination and invite the viewer to venture into a land without rules or preconceptions..." [ read more ]. To visit Citazioni Pratiche (translation: "Practical Quotes" or “Practical Citations”) Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Altemps, Piazza S. Apollinare 46, Rome Tuesday – Sunday, 9:00am – 7:45pm (last entry at 7pm) Closed Mondays Exhibit tickets C...

Santa Bibiana is a small Baroque style, Roman Catholic church in Rome devoted to Saint Bibiana, a Roman Virgin and Martyr. The church is home to a statue of the saint, created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1626, his first public religious commission. It shows St. Bibiana holding the palm leaf of martyrs, standing next to the column to which she was to be martyred. The sculpture has been in the news lately, after it's return from its first-ever loan to an exhibit, at Rome's famed Borghese Gallery, no less. The piece had only be moved once before, to protect it during assaults during World War II. In the process of returning the statue to her niche in the church, the ring finger on her right hand snapped off. While the art movers were devastated, much has been made of the clean break; had the digit been pulverized, it would have difficult to repair. Alas, the art restorers have done their work, and the digit has been reattached. If you've never seen a Bernini sculptur...