Visiting & Revisiting. Before & After

              The most wonderful thing about living in Florence is learning and looking at the same time. I love to revisit the museums or an architecture after reading about their history, then returning to look at them in detail again. One do not need to know a lot to appreciate art. Our instincts allow us to appreciate the aesthetics, which is why people find different things appealing. Some prefer contemporary art while others are fascinated by the ancient art. However, knowing about history and the motive in its making enable us to do more than look at it, say it's beautiful and walk away after 2 minutes.

            I also love to re-visit the places I have sketched and try to re-do them from a different angle. Especially huge architectures like the many churches, we can only fully appreciate them from different angles.

          One of my favourite churches and piazzas in Florence in Santa Maria Novella. Here's my interpretation of it, first in May 2012 then in March 2013.

       
               Here's Ponte Vecchio done 11 months apart. I made an error in the first sketch, thinking that I was sitting on Ponte alle Grazie which was actually on the other side of Ponte Vecchio. It is really pleasant staring out at the river and this old bridge on a fine spring day. The water quality of the River Arno is not good, being to basic for swimming or consumption. I have never seen fishes in the river. Hence water activities are limited to rowing.

         Ponte Rialto from Venice again. Exactly the same angle but some added details like the silhouettes of people passing the bridge and the water underneath, the little bird resting (if you can spot), relief carvings on the bridge front which I omitted previously. More details on the central portico.