In Italy there is of course a plethora of saints. Some one never heard of, some invented like Santa Perduta (Lost Saint), celebrated in Orvieto with music by local groups and picnics of roast pig and wine. One might even think of it as a pagan festival. Throughout the centuries the pagan gods were graduallyContinue reading “Saints For All Things”
Author Archives: Erika Bizzarri
Shrinking Universe
My shrinking and my expanding worlds As we grow older, our world shrinks. Eventually, those few steps between chair and bed, that physical world that others see as “us”, will diminish day by day. Of the countless contacts we had before, most of them are now virtual. Space and time become meaningless. Yet, that endlessContinue reading “Shrinking Universe”
A Small Town: Part II On Seeing
On seeing It’s a small town. In around 20 minutes, I have an appointment at the health clinic at the other end of town. Although I would once have walked there, a bus is now more convenient. The bus stop is right by the local bank and I’m early. I’ve had my morning cappuccino so I’llContinue reading “A Small Town: Part II On Seeing”
A Small Town: Part I On Being Seen
My town is definitely a small town. Which means I’m not invisible. I don’t have to be eccentric, or construct a specific persona for myself. Sometimes ,I wonder though if it’s my dog rather than me who is being noted. Once, in Florence, I was walking down a street near the cathedral and I feltContinue reading “A Small Town: Part I On Being Seen”
Ambiguity
CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH Venice, the year 2000 An exhibition entitled COSMOS L’arte alla scoperta dell’ìnfinito The students we are accompanying have gone on to discover Venice on their own. As we wander on, just my friend and me, we discover an exhibition in Palazzo Grassi that looks interesting. What I remember most today, 23 yearsContinue reading “Ambiguity”
Lost and Found
Years ago, I lost a purple glove at the supermarket. I had removed it to pull out my shopping list and when I got to the checkout, well, there was only one glove keeping my potatoes and yogurts company. Despite backtracking and asking, no one had seen a single glove of any kind looking forContinue reading “Lost and Found”
February 14/15
February 1929 Newark, New Jersey, USA. A car, could be a Ford, goes speeding through the empty streets at midnight. I think I ran over a cat, says the red-haired driver as the silence is broken by a wail … Except it wasn’t a cat, it was a girl-child complaining as she was thrust intoContinue reading “February 14/15”
Once Upon a Time
Thoughts on a cold snowy day Winter sets in and nature and, perhaps, my senses also go into hibernation. It is the moment of “once upon a time,” hoping that that time will soon return when the first crocuses brave the cold and the hazel bushes are draped in their catskins. Once upon a time,Continue reading “Once Upon a Time”
Aftermath of the Holidays Part II
There are other futures involved in my Christmas presents. A pair of sheepskin boots that I cannot yet pull on by myself. There is a very warm vest with, thank heaven, capacious pockets for my phone, house keys, doggie bag, hankies, eye glasses, bus tickets. The backpack makes it possible for me to do myContinue reading “Aftermath of the Holidays Part II”
Aftermath of the Holidays Part I
A gift implies a future. Christmas had passed and the manger scene put away. I discover an unopened box next to my computer. With my name written on it. It is from the shop that sells notebooks with hand-made paper bindings and special pens. Inside, when I finally get around to opening it, is aContinue reading “Aftermath of the Holidays Part I”
Who Owns Whom Part II
As I move uphill, I can’t help but notice the bookshop window with the rows of books looking out at me. I can see the owner, Gianluca, in the back. I poke my head in and ask him how come he called his shop Arcimboldo. “Well, there’s that famous 16th century painter who created portraitsContinue reading “Who Owns Whom Part II”
Who Owns Whom Part I
Dear David Here we go again with books, that seemingly endless subject we always turn to in our afternoon tête-à-tête. As we were saying, David, now that you have had to give up your collections of books, parts of you are in the libraries of people you never met, in places you have never been.Continue reading “Who Owns Whom Part I”
Pop-up Card Caper
MYSTERY The great pop-up card caper There were two blue envelopes in my mailbox. Yes, I still have a mailbox. And yes, I still occasionally get letters, although most often it is the printout of a bill the bank has already paid for me. To get back to the blue envelopes. I knew without lookingContinue reading “Pop-up Card Caper”
Yellow
Shades of yellow Hues of yellow Lemon amber chrome gold Burnt umber, bronze A yellow butterfly Escaping from the ghetto A patch of yellow wall in Vermeers View of Delft Proust Van Gogh Rembrandt The Jewish Bride Slashes of yellow satin sleeves The little prince Daffodils and sunflowers A host of golden daffodils Your hairContinue reading “Yellow”
Giving and Receiving
December 2022. Time to think of presents if you haven’t already done so. Once upon a time you began to think of what to give a month before or even earlier. I remember I kept a lookout for something to put aside at giving time, even if it was in the middle of August, andContinue reading “Giving and Receiving”
The Consequences of Falling
A nano second. That’s all it is. And one finds oneself face down, trying to recover an awareness of oneself. That’s what happens when one falls – the fall itself – that moment when the body moves from upright to horizontal, that moment perhaps before one’s head hits the ground, somehow no longer exists. ThenContinue reading “The Consequences of Falling”
Words 2
Orvieto valley One would think that the valley seen from Ripa Medici in Orvieto would lend itself to a written description. Yet analysis in words seems to elude me. Perhaps because I always have a dog in tow. Walking along the streets at midday, it is September and the summer heat has abated, the differenceContinue reading “Words 2”
Bagnara Calabra
And then there is the word. Again the photo gives us what we can consider reality. It can be impersonal, in the sense that anyone could have taken that picture. Yet like a drawing, it is the result of a choice. The framing, the time of day. What strikes the observer. A description in wordsContinue reading “Bagnara Calabra”
Manual Approach
BUT BEFORE THAT MECHANICAL APPROACH, IT WAS ALL MANUAL SO how about a drawing or a sketch? Once upon a time that was how the present was recorded, so as not to forget. There’s an advantage here for you can choose, illuminate, accent this or that. You decide what is most important. You can focusContinue reading “Manual Approach”
Impressions: The Photograph
A photo gives you the impression of a moment. A photo gives you everything in your field of vision, the background, the surroundings, make themselves heard as loudly as what you are focusing on. With your iPhones you are documenting your presence in a certain place at a certain time. The very fact that youContinue reading “Impressions: The Photograph”
Erika Bizzarri 