Putti in Venice

Thursday I arrived in Venice and I wasn’t sure what sort of art or architecture to expect there after seeing so much of the Roman style. I didn’t see nearly as many Putti and I would have in a typical day in Rome but there was one that struck me especially interesting. I was in the Violin Making Museum in Venice (behind Piazza San Marco) and I saw a painting of a Putto playing a harp. The painting was so dark that you could hardly make out the image in the oil, the colors were black and a washed out peach skin tone that almost blended like the sea into the night. It was so fascinating to me because every single other Putti I’ve seen thoroughly jumps out at me. This particular one, I couldn’t even tell was a Putto until I got exceptionally close. I’ve begun to see myself through all of my themes that I’ve chosen to focus on in Rome and I feel like I love the sweet innocent angel images because they look so happy and pure. It was an interesting day for me to see the first one that looked really depressing because I wasn’t feeling well at all and was having a really difficult time getting around and this Putto seemed to be relating to how I was feeling perfectly, just as the first Putti that I saw in Rome were equally as excited as I was then. (I tried to take a picture to show you, but it just turned out looking like a black canvas.)

Information on the Grand Putti Tour

The first stop is St. Peter's Basilica. St. Peter's is well known for its expansive art collection and sheer size. When you're in the Basilica try to close your eyes (if guards aren't hurrying you along) and imagine being the absolute only person in the entire building. It would be absolutely breathtaking. If you get a chance to climb St. Peter's definitely do it and experience one of the best views imaginable of the city of Rome. The second stop is The Museum of Modern Art, which is a nice change of pace from the typical things you will see from place to place in Rome. You will mostly find art here from 19th to 20th Century Italian artists but there are some even more contemporary pieces as well. This is one of the larger collections in Rome and definitely deserves time to be appreciated. The third stop on the walk is the Borghese Gallery. Here you will see many amzing pieces by famous artists like Bernini (eg. his Apollo and Daphne and David), Caravaggio, and Raphael. Though this is a smaller gallery there are a lot of amazing things to see here and it is so presitgious that reservations are required and people are only allowed in the museum for two hours at a time.

Grand Putti Tour

Begin your walk at Piazza San Pietro and walk straight into St. Peter's Basilica. One of the first things you will notice are a few giant Putti holding bowls of Holy water. Walk through and see Putti covering the walls. Next return to Piazza San Pietro and walk straight out Via Della Conciliazione. When you see Castel Sant' Angelo on your left the road becomes Lungotevere Castello. Follow the Tiber River around the bend, the road name will change several times from L. Castello to L. Prati to L dei Mellini to L. Michelangelo to L. delle Armi to L. Delle Navi. Just stick with the river to your right and you're headed in the right direction. When you get to Piazzale delle Belle Arti go right onto Viale delle Belle Arti and the Museum of Modern Art will be on your left. When you are in the museum keep your eyes open for a unique and extensive Putti collection of Putti engaging in various activities. When you've exhausted the Museum of Modern Art (which will most likely take a few hours) you should exit to the left on Viale Delle Belle Arti which will lead you to Viale del Giardino Zoologico, you will see the Zoo on your left and after you pass it the road turns into Viale Dell'Uccelliera, where you will find the Borghese Gallery on your left. Inside you will find several Putti sculptures including some sleeping and some playing.

Putti in the Borghese Gallery

Putti are definitely a popular arch and doorway decoration, this was no different in the Borghese Gallery. Over every major entranceway between rooms in the gallery were two mounted Putti welcoming you to the new space. These Putti were a little different than other Putti I've seen because their hair was looking windblown and was longer than is typical. May of the Putti in the Borghese Gallery had long, wavy hair, sometimes even in a ponytail which is in undeniable contrast to the typical short haired style. (Unfortunately, pictures are not allowed in the Borghese Gallery so I can't share an images with you. I guess you'll have to go see them yourself!) Another interesting and different set of Putti in this particular gallery were in one of the main rooms on the first floor there were four giant vases all decorate with Putti doing different tasks. On one vase they were chopping down wheat and bagging it and carrying it somewhere. On the second vase they were picking and eating grapes and on the third they were stringing together roses and decorating a fawn with the flowers. On the last vase the Putti were stepping on each other and almost looked like they were fighting. Another major theme for Putti in the Borghese Gallery was sleeping. There were several sculptures of Putti sleeping. My favorite had three of the angel babies squished together very closely and sleeping peacefully. Another piece had just one single Putti sleeping all alone that was reminiscent of baby Jesus in the manger. Nearly all of the Putti in this gallery were exceptionally pudgier than any other Putti that typically decorate the streets and churches of Rome. There little fat roles were plumped beyond imagination and I can't imagine a real baby being quit so chunky.

Putti in Other Places

I visited Barcelona this weekend and I was interested by the fact that Putti are far less common in Spanish art. I see Putti and cherubs everywhere I turn in Rome. I have yet to see the most famous Putti in the world in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel but I see them everywhere nonetheless. They had several ancient buildings and statues lining the streets, much like Rome but the tiny little angel babies were nowhere to be found. This made me wonder, is Rome the only city that has a lot of these curious little creatures? Will I find them when I go to London and Paris? I can’t wait to find out. I'll be looking for my winged little friends in the Louvre in just a few weeks.

Putti in S. Giovanni in Laterano Church

The Putti that I saw this week in the Saint Giovanni (St. John) in Laterano Church were actually quite different from Putti that I've seen in other churches and around much of the city. Several Putti, dare I say most Putti (at least that I've seen) have only two wings, one on each side. The Putti in S. Giovanni's had two wings on each side and were atop every single arch and in nearly every corner of the entire establishment. (upper and lower left) There was also a crying Putto holding a shield with a picture of a Pope on it which I found very interesting because it was the first time I saw a Putto unhappy (above right). I also found evidence on Putti in some paintings around the church which seems to be far less common than the sculpture design. In the one particular painting the Putti seem to be carrying Jesus to heaven on a cloud. (right) This goes right along with my previous post about Putti being a symbol of heaven after death when on the crypt in the Santa Maria in Sopra Minerva church.

Learning a little about Putti

Putti, according to Eyewitness Travel: Rome "were a popular decorative feature in the Baroque period. A Putto is a painting or a sculpture of a child like a cupid or a cherub." Perhaps the editor, Fiona Wild, made the authoritative decision that there is not a difference between Putti and Cherubs, or even a cupid for that matter. This definition however, does not specify that Putti have wings, which is a distinction that I read on Wikipedia a few weeks ago (you can find more in the entry "Cherubs vs Putti"). I have been using this distinction in my search for Putti and I've found several babies that look like Putti but don't have wings and I've been leaving them out. I was specifically searching only for babies with wings to write about and discuss and even to consider Putti. Several times I've found what I thought would be Putti, or other people have pointed them out to me and when I discovered they didn't have wings, I left them with disappointment but perhaps this distinction isn't correct.

Putti or Cherub in Bicycle Thieves

Everywhere I turn I seem to find some Putti or cherubs. I'm still working on how to tell the difference, this is apparently a much argued topic. I'll be sure to keep you posted. For now, I'm still getting excited whenever I see one and this week I found some in a non-traditional place, a movie. In film class on Monday we watched Bicycle Thieves and at the part where Antonio is chasing the old man through the church and the ladies are trying to kick him out, he goes running around a corner and we see the Putti staring down at him. It made me wonder if they chose to have them in the shot intentionally or if they just so happened to be there. I doubt the director meant anything by it, but everything is choice and sends a message to the audience, whether intention or not. If they were Putti and they're signifying misfortune or mischief they definitely have a place being in this movie. Just something interesting to consider. :)

Cherubs

Today we visited the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church. This church was a gift for any cherub or enthusiast. There were cherubs absolutely everywhere! The artwork in every church that I have visited in Rome is amazing but this one in particular had an exceptional amount of beautiful sculptures decorating the ceiling and walls. Here are some of the most beautiful cherubs that I found. I should also mention that I'm simply calling these cherubs because they're in a church and therefor assume a religious connotation. Here are some of my favorite pieces from the church. This last one is especially interesting because it is on this tomb almost as if the cherub is protecting the woman or bringing her to heaven. I think this would be an interesting symbol even more than normal angels because the youth shows a new beginning. Like when the cherubs are with you, your life has just begun again.

Putti vs. Cherubs

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the Capitol Museum which is just an overall amazing place to be. Everything you see is beautiful and full of history. Of course, I found a few putti and got some fantastic pictures. The one above is a picture of some dancing putti that I found really fascinating. So after doing some research on Putti the first thing I found is that my statement in my previous entry about them being like cherubs is wrong. Putti are associated with Italian Rennaissance art and cherubs are associated with the Old Testament. Unfortunately I don't know how to tell the difference between cherubs and putti so I'm going to refer to all of the ones in Rome as Putti because Putti are most often found in Italian Rennaissance art, which Rome has in abundance. Though most often Putti are found in groups, in singular form the name is Putto. Putta is the name for a female, but female putti are almost never seen. Resources: Putti. <18 May, 2008. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. <29 April 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putto.

Putti

I realized after a few days in Rome that I have a huge fascination with a special creature that is mostly referred to in America as cherubs but are officially named Putti. I like to call them angel babies. No matter what you call them, these little winged babies are not only fascinating but also beautiful pieces of artwork. After seeing several around the city and realizing I was taking pictures of all of them, I decided this would be a great thing for me to talk about. The first Putti (above) that I found was actually by accident, we were searching for Hilda's Tower and I saw this beautiful building with this picture on top. In future blogs I will be searching for Putti all around Rome and researching some of their history to learn what their purpose is and how they became so famous.