France, Italy, what's not to like?

I have traveled, I lived in Europe for 18 years and came back to the States in 2010. Depending on the category, I have a different favorite European country. Some categories are too indispensable and have subcategories, like food. Actually, I could go sub-sub-category with food, especially desserts. France: pastries, Italy: gelato, Germany: tortes.

France and Italy to me always vied for my favorite when it came to art, it's hard to beat the museums in Paris and the Palace of Versailles but Florence and Rome are equally incredible. I was once told the difference between Paris and Rome can be defined by a singular word. Paris is beauty and Rome is sex, both are equally alluring.

During one of my solo journey's to Rome, I walked into an almost deserted Piazzi di Trevi one morning and was transported by the one of the most famous fountains in the world. The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in the city. In 1629 Pope Urban VIII asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to sketch possible renovations to the existing fountain, but the project was abandoned when the pope died. Bernini was an Italian artist who was perhaps the greatest sculptor of the 17th century creating the Baroque style of sculpture. Though Bernini's project was never constructed, there are many Bernini touches in the fountain as it exists today.

I just finished a series of oil on canvas paintings with the central subject being one of Bernini's angel sculptures that are found on the Ponte Sant'Angelo (Bridge of Angels). These are three of ten angels that line the Ponte Sant'Angelo which spans the Tiber River, each sculpture is holding an instrument of the Passion of Jesus Christ. In this series I portray turbulent atmosphere and impeding storms juxtaposed with an immovable statue standing firmly upon a soft and calm landscape.