Allô Chatrath

  Visiting the Pinacoteca Nazionale Dio Bologna in Bologna, Italy last month, I saw this beautiful painting. It is entitled 'Sibylle' and was painted by Guido Reni in 1636.  Guido Reni (1575 – 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner. He painted primarily religious works, but also mythological and allegorical subjects. Active in Rome, Naples, and his native Bologna, he became the dominant figure in the Bolognese School that emerged under the influence of the Carracci.

My insatiable desire to travel and visit places took me to Colombia in South America in 2017. May I, at the outset clarify that Colombia is a proudly independent country in South America. It is not to be confused with Columbia which is a district in the country USA.  I joined a conducted trip that had participants from various countries around the world. I was representing 1.25 billion Indians. Incidentally not many Indians visit Colombia and still less visit this Archeological Park. The San Augustín Archaeological Park is a large archaeological area located near the town of San Augustín in Huila Department in Colombia. The park contains the largest collection of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in Latin America and is considered the world's largest necropolis. Belonging to San Agustin culture, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The dates of the statues are uncertain, but they are believed to have been carved between 5–400 AD. The origin of th...

  While in Bologna, Italy last month I visited the Pinacoteca Nazionale Di Bologna. Pinacoteca is derived from Greek and means an art gallery.   I was greatly impressed by this masterpiece. This painting was created by the Bolognese Giuseppe Maria Crespi, an iconic artist who loved genre scenes and was strongly attracted by the faces of the common people in the city.  It depicts a bewitching young girl clutching to a cat to her chest and holding a rose. , while her hypnotic gaze seduces the viewer as she stares directly into his eyes. The symbolic meaning is clear: the small animal and the flower, though beautiful, soft and delicate, both conceal hidden dangers. The claws and the thorns suggest the perils of love. In this small canvas, the painter shows all his painting ability in using patches of light and shade, following Guercino’s* models, and manages to give a visual image to the saying ‘there is no rose without thorns’. *Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, be...

While in Bologna, Italy last month I visited the Pinacoteca Nazionale Di Bologna. Pinacoteca is derived from Greek and means an art gallery. Here are some masterpieces from the art gallery:   San Giorgio e il drago by Vitale da Bologna. Vitale da Bologna (1309 -1360), also known as Vitale di Aymo de' Cavalli or Vitale degli Equi, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance . He is a representative of the 14th century school of painting in Bologna, his native city and the place where he was most active. Storie di sant ‘ Antoinio Abate by Vitale da Bologna. Vitale da Bologna (1309 -1360), also known as Vitale di Aymo de' Cavalli or Vitale degli Equi.