2017
/ Mystery in stone and sculpture / St. Mark’s, Venice, Italy
The square in front of San Marco Cathedral floods with water. It floods with tourists. This has been happening for over 1000 years! There is something magical about the mix of Byzantine, Romanesque, Islamic, and Gothic styles in the architecture. Joyful for all ages. All nationalities. You enter a mysterious moment that’s hard to understand and impossible to forget when you are there. When you return, you go right back to where you were last time.
Blue sky, rain or stars / Roman Pantheon Interior /
When you experience the giant hole in the dome, you are quickly swept away by its geometric design. Your focus goes to the negative space—where the outside sky takes you. Inside, take a moment to listen to the mixing of voices bouncing in the space, and you can quickly enter a trance of the ages yourself.
/ Ancient Roman Pantheon, Italy /
A wonder of the world emerged on the Rome landscape under Agrippa’s direction in 27 BC. The Pantheon has always been a magnet for visitors to Rome. Hadrian made significant changes in 150 AD after its creation, which are still in place today. Boniface IV moved the remains of early Christian martyrs here in 609 AD. Renaissance painter and architect Raphael marveled over its design. He pleaded to be buried there for five centuries, so he remains.
/ Kul Sharif Mosque, Kazan, Russia /
The Kul Sharif Mosque inside the Kazan Kremlin is a wonder of modern Russia, rebuilt in the 20th century, where it was initially built in the 1500s. Ivan the Terrible turned it to rubble when he terrorized the locals during the Siege of Kazan. Contributions from the Muslim world made this marvel of architecture and faith happen in recent times, completed in 2005.
/ Kul Sharif Mosque Interior, Kazan, Russia /
The scream of Mary Magdalene, frozen in time / Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita, Bologna, Italy /
Agony, pain, loss – that’s what the face and body language of Mary Magdalene (right) tells us ever since Niccolo dell’Arca sculpted her in terracotta in 1463. Maria of Cleophas, a companion in grief, amplifies the power of mourning. What an odd depiction of love for the dead Christ.
/ The Virgin by Joseph Stella / Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY /
An artist known for paintings of the Brooklyn bridge returned to Italy to embrace religious art. His 1920s Madonna’s, like this one, showcases a modern Renaissance—respectful of a golden age of Italian art, yet futuristic with a contemporary Naples in the background.
/ Sofia, Bulgaria /
The Virgin Mary, the Theotokos in Greek terminology, embodies the highest order of spirituality. The Byzantine Empire produced art and objects that spanned the Eastern Roman Empire, sometimes moving from place to place with travelers. Where is this work of art today? How long has it been there? Will it travel yet again?
Vincent Van Gogh, 1887 self-portrait / Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam , Holland/
Strokes and dabs of paint on cardboard depict a man who seems comfortable with himself in the stylish dress of his time. Vincent is a man who cut off his own ear later in life and lives eternally in Holland, seen by millions and valued as a priceless gift to humanity.