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Posts from the ‘Arts’ category

My Prague: Jan Hus, Bohemian reformer and Czech icon

Above/featured: Jan Hus Monument, Old Town Square – 4 Jul 2008 (HL, 450D).

Most visitors to the Czech capital city of Prague will pass by and overlook the large sculpture near the middle of Old Town Square. The central figure in the monument is one of the most important historical figures for capital and country.

Although he may not be as well known outside of the European continent, Jan Hus is a massive historical figure within central Europe. Jan Hus was declared the greatest hero of the Czech nation in a 2015 survey by Czech Radio. In Konstanz on 6 July 1415, Jan Hus was sentenced to death on the charge of heresy. I’ve described locations in Konstanz during Hus’ final days.

In recognition of his attempts to reform the Catholic Church and to foster and encourage Bohemian identity, July 6 is commemorated annually as a national holiday in the Czech Republic: the holiday is known as “Den upálení Mistra Jana Husa,” which translates to “day of the burning of Jan Hus.”

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Great Hall, Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, First Nations, fotoeins.com

🇨🇦 National Indigenous Peoples Day (21 June) & Indigenous Artists

Above/featured: Great Hall, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver – 5 May 2017 (6D1).

In Canada, National Aboriginal Day is held on or near the same day as northern summer solstice to celebrate language, culture, and tradition on the longest day of the year. In 1996, then Governor-General of Canada, Roméo LeBlanc, proclaimed June 21 as National Aboriginal Day. In 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the change to National Indigenous Peoples Day to include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis indigenous peoples.

To highlight some wonderfully engaging work by contemporary indigenous artists, I provide examples of art seen and exhibited in both Vancouver and Seattle.

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Clubhouse Lane, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, fotoeins.com

Street art around the world

Above/featured: Clubhouse Lane, Adelaide, SA – 21 Aug 2012 (450D).

I provide from the following 20 locations examples of street art; some works are permanent, while others are no longer on display. With the “(h)” label, I’ve also highlighted a number of works by one of my favourites – the German artist pair Herakut.

  1. Adelaide, Australia
  2. Albuquerque, USA
  3. Cologne, Germany
  4. Flagstaff, USA
  5. Gallup, USA
  6. Hannover, Germany
  7. Heidelberg, Germany (h)
  8. Kassel, Germany
  9. Konstanz, Germany
  10. Melbourne, Australia
  11. Munich, Germany (h)
  12. Prague, Czech Republic
  13. Salzburg, Austria
  14. Seattle, USA
  15. Sydney, Australia
  16. Vancouver, Canada

As always, images are best seen on the widest screen possible, as the physical size of a mobile screen is simply too small.

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Salzburg Walk of Modern Art (2018)

Above: “Sphaera” by Stephan Balkenhol: Salzburg Kapitelplatz – 22 May 2018.

Salzburg is a well-known historical city in north-central Austria next to the border with Germany. For a different way of examining the city that goes beyond the history of the Habsburgs and the music of Mozart, the Walk of Modern Art allows visitors and residents to walk through parts of the city for a mix of historical and contemporary perspectives at street-level and from the cliffs above. The art pieces are placed throughout the city’s Old Town to coincide with key landmarks and sights. The city of Salzburg also provides information about the walk. UNESCO inscribed Salzburg’s Old Town as World Heritage Site in 1996.

Thankfully, there’s more to Salzburg than “The Sound of Music” (♫).

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Belvederegarten, Marmorsaal, Oberes Belvedere, Unteres Belvedere, Belevedere Museum, Belvedere Garten, Marble Hall, Upper Belvedere, Lower Belvedere, Vienna, Wien, Oesterreich, Austria, fotoeins.com

My Vienna: urban frame (2018)

Above/featured: Belvedere Garden, north from Marble Hall in Upper Belvedere to Lower Belvedere and beyond to St. Stephen’s Cathedral at left-centre – 19 May.

It’s easy to reduce a city to stereotypes, distilling landmarks to short paragraph summaries designed for easy consumption.

Some might say: you’re making things too complicated; they’ve got to be simpler. That misguided sentiment needlessly and carelessly minimizes the diversity and complexity of a city, her people, and the infrastructure through which citizens reside, navigate, and thrive. Although I chased after traces of Otto Wagner throughout Vienna, I’m also interested in illuminating the city as reflections from past and present and as glimpses of resident and visitor.

Vienna is an exceptional city

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