I always assumed that the best way to create a show was to choose a theme, go through our collection of over 10,000 photos of Italy, and choose about 100 - 150 and voila, a broadcast has begun to be formed. Then the tweaking, creating a narrative, and interweave my experiences. That is exactly how Show # 87: Nighttime Magic was created. I knew we had hundreds of nighttime, evening, and morning photos of different places in Italy, so I chose my favorite couple of hundred, narrowed it down to about 150 and fashioned a program. Laura's input helped hone the finished product, as she edited some, and discarded others. The actual broadcast was flawless, and the show will become, as Ellen, my engineer predicted as I left the studio, a classic.
I built the show around some of my favorite towns in Italy such as Sorrento, Varenna, Stresam Varenna, Orvieto, Cortona, and la Spezia, all with evocatively stunning scenes. I also threw in my "big three" Venice, Florence, and Rome. Italy is amazing in the nighttime and evening, truly magical and that came through perfectly on this broadcast. Places that are charming enough during the day take on a truly eerie flavor in the evening. One of the great experiences for me is to choose a hotel right in the center of a town, stroll to dinner down some blind alley way, have a delicious Italian meal in a small family run trattoria, and then try to find our way back to our hotel down narrow, winding alleyways that pass for streets, getting somewhat (but not totally) lost along the way. The aroma of smoke from fires throughout these towns adds to the mystic. Even when I am home and smell the fires in upstate NY I can easily imagine myself and Laura, strolling arm and arm, wending our way through the maze of medieval streets and buildings hundreds of years old. I can easily imagine myself back then. Just close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Then, of course, getting back to our hotel, a beacon of light in a dark desert and perhaps sitting in the lobby or garden for an hour or so before heading up to our room really enhances this amazing experience. The whole package is what I tried to convey to my audience; Alan's Italy's ideal stroll around town in the magic of an Italian night.
Two weeks from now I begin a three part series on Italy, Then and Now featuring 19th century photos of places in Italy together with modern versions. First focussing on Florence, then Tuscany in general, and then locales all around the country.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Finally !!!!!!!
When we came home from Italy in June 2013, due to my impatience, we began to put together a show on the 55th Venice Biennale. That process continued until Friday morning, Jan 17, 2014. I usually change shows a lot between the conception and the broadcast, but this was the world's record. I decided not to do the show several times, and even the past week came to the conclusion that this would be too difficult. The Palazzo Bembo Shows at least had videos in which the artists themselves explained their work. In other shows related to art, I have along side me either Ric, Franc, or Eve. This time I would be on my own, and frankly, although somewhat schooled in the Italian Renaissance, I would have trouble doing a show on the 15th century Italian Art I have seen and studied for twenty years. Although Laura refused to appear with me or even be on the phone during the broadcast, she did spend countless hours with me helping to put together the show, explaining the art, teaching me about what I would be showing, and encouraging me to go through with it. I was rearranging, adding, and subtracting up to 3 PM on Friday, and went into the studio very nervous for the first time in a very long time.
It began with Ellen telling me of a house catastrophe, so I was upset about that at the get go. I looked over my notes which were "voluminous" in comparison to what I usually have. Sometimes I do a show without any notes at all. We began and the show went fairly smoothly although, because I did not have my reading glasses with me, I had a hard time reading. Nonetheless, I did it and it was now over once and for all. In the future I would have a hard time trying to figure out if I should do an art analysis show of any kind, but for now that is it. Now I can turn my attention to other projects and prepare for my renewal of my college teaching which begins on January 28.
Upcoming I will do as my next show on Jan 31 the Nighttime Magic Show about which I was quite excited, and Laura has shown no excitement. I am, however, very excited about simply showing stunning photos of amazing places without much commentary. That will be a welcome change. I can simply talk about the places pictured, and why they presented a nighttime or evening or morning sunrise view that captured my imagination. That is really my favorite thing to do. Then Ric has promised a two-part history of Florence during the 13th - 16th centuries. Otherwise I still have three Then and Now Shows, one on Florence (Part 2), one on Tuscany, and the last on all of Italy. That will be fabulous, because the Florence, Then and Now, Part 1 show that I did during the first year of production is still one of my favorites. After that I have a variety of decisions to make before we head to Italy for new material. I have one on Shopping in Florence that I think will be quite good, as there are many ways to shop in Florence ranging from markets to expensive upscale boutiques, and I pretty much know of them all, or most at least. Then I was thinking about a show on the Streets of Florence focussing on the famous and not so famous. Oh yes, Ric has also indicated a desire to do one on Carsulae, the very obscure but amazing long abandoned Ancient Roman Town which only has nondescript ruins. He knows a lot about that town and can pin point where everything in the town was.
So that's where we now are. I have a website for my college students which you may find interesting, www.profgreenhalgh.com. Have a look but it is very esoteric.
It began with Ellen telling me of a house catastrophe, so I was upset about that at the get go. I looked over my notes which were "voluminous" in comparison to what I usually have. Sometimes I do a show without any notes at all. We began and the show went fairly smoothly although, because I did not have my reading glasses with me, I had a hard time reading. Nonetheless, I did it and it was now over once and for all. In the future I would have a hard time trying to figure out if I should do an art analysis show of any kind, but for now that is it. Now I can turn my attention to other projects and prepare for my renewal of my college teaching which begins on January 28.
Upcoming I will do as my next show on Jan 31 the Nighttime Magic Show about which I was quite excited, and Laura has shown no excitement. I am, however, very excited about simply showing stunning photos of amazing places without much commentary. That will be a welcome change. I can simply talk about the places pictured, and why they presented a nighttime or evening or morning sunrise view that captured my imagination. That is really my favorite thing to do. Then Ric has promised a two-part history of Florence during the 13th - 16th centuries. Otherwise I still have three Then and Now Shows, one on Florence (Part 2), one on Tuscany, and the last on all of Italy. That will be fabulous, because the Florence, Then and Now, Part 1 show that I did during the first year of production is still one of my favorites. After that I have a variety of decisions to make before we head to Italy for new material. I have one on Shopping in Florence that I think will be quite good, as there are many ways to shop in Florence ranging from markets to expensive upscale boutiques, and I pretty much know of them all, or most at least. Then I was thinking about a show on the Streets of Florence focussing on the famous and not so famous. Oh yes, Ric has also indicated a desire to do one on Carsulae, the very obscure but amazing long abandoned Ancient Roman Town which only has nondescript ruins. He knows a lot about that town and can pin point where everything in the town was.
So that's where we now are. I have a website for my college students which you may find interesting, www.profgreenhalgh.com. Have a look but it is very esoteric.
Friday, January 10, 2014
A Florentine Masterpiece
After having a detailed back and forth e mail exchange with my friend Lidia who lives in Western Tuscany about 40 mins from Florence, I headed to the studio for the long awaited show on the Baptistery of Florence, one of the most famous landmarks in Italy. Ric Hirst and I had planned to do this show for a very long time and finally it came to pass. We arrived considerably earlier than we usually get there so that Ric and I could look over the entire show and determine correct order and also to eliminate photos that we did not need. This process only took about 10 minutes and we were on our way. Ellen was the picture of true perfection, even doing the sound check while Ric and I were having a private conversation before the broadcast began. There was nothing about the presentation that was lacking, and Ellen was so professional we hardly knew she was doing anything behind the console. If shows were broadcast like this every week, I would be very happy, and perhaps not have anything about which to write here !
Meanwhile by virtue of a lot of studying and his extraordinary knowledge of Italian history, Ric weaved a fascinating tale through the early fifteenth century. The entire story of how Italy became what we know today is an amazing story, and surely the occurrences in Florence played a significant role in that saga. Many scholars date the Italian Renaissance from the 1401 announcement that the East Door to the Baptistery in Florence would be sculpted using a different design from what had been there since the previous century. That sculptural masterpiece was accomplished by Andrea Pisano and was to be moved to the South Side, while a new conception would replace it on the East Side facing the main entrance to the Cathedral. The determination of who would be given this assignment would initiate the most significant one hundred years of art history beginning with the selection of Ghiberti for the honor of sculpting the doors. His competition is like a who's who of Florence Art, including Dontatello and Bruneleschi. Ric tells the tale with stunning images taken by Laura Gurton, and all put together by yours truly.
Meanwhile on the show we announced that the next show would not skip a week, but take place next Friday when I finally do the 55th Venice Biennale. Then two weeks later I will broadcast my Italian Night Magic with my favorite photos of Italy at night. In the interim Ric will put together a two part history of Florence during the 13th through 16th century. I already told him to take his time and we can even do four shows, but we shall see what comes out of that. Those 400 years changed the world, and we will take a very close look at that.
Meanwhile by virtue of a lot of studying and his extraordinary knowledge of Italian history, Ric weaved a fascinating tale through the early fifteenth century. The entire story of how Italy became what we know today is an amazing story, and surely the occurrences in Florence played a significant role in that saga. Many scholars date the Italian Renaissance from the 1401 announcement that the East Door to the Baptistery in Florence would be sculpted using a different design from what had been there since the previous century. That sculptural masterpiece was accomplished by Andrea Pisano and was to be moved to the South Side, while a new conception would replace it on the East Side facing the main entrance to the Cathedral. The determination of who would be given this assignment would initiate the most significant one hundred years of art history beginning with the selection of Ghiberti for the honor of sculpting the doors. His competition is like a who's who of Florence Art, including Dontatello and Bruneleschi. Ric tells the tale with stunning images taken by Laura Gurton, and all put together by yours truly.
Meanwhile on the show we announced that the next show would not skip a week, but take place next Friday when I finally do the 55th Venice Biennale. Then two weeks later I will broadcast my Italian Night Magic with my favorite photos of Italy at night. In the interim Ric will put together a two part history of Florence during the 13th through 16th century. I already told him to take his time and we can even do four shows, but we shall see what comes out of that. Those 400 years changed the world, and we will take a very close look at that.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Pre-empted by a Snow Storm - and Some Good News
Ric Hirst and I were supposed to do the show on the Florence Baptistery this evening, but were stopped in our tracks by the snow storm that nailed the northeast with savage force. This turned out to be a bit serendipitous, however, because we decided to change the format of that show to a degree. Here is the story (there is always a story).
Ric and I were speaking during the week, and he indicated that he would like to answer two questions I asked him a long time ago. One question was: Why did the Renaissance begin in Florence in the 15th century ? Actually this question was asked by me to him and a few other people I knew just before I was about to do Alan's Italy Show # 2 on December 25, 2011. I just watched that show, and noticed that at the end of the show I had planted a question. Sorry. I had Ric call me just to get the phone calling thing going and that was the question that he was instructed to ask me. I did answer the question, but the query is really so profound that he continued researching it for parts of the past two years. The second question I asked him was simply to talk a little about the workshop/apprenticeship concept that existed in Florence during the 14th century on through the years. That question was for my own purposes, but was also referred to on that show. When Ric requested to talk about that, I immediately told him that at the beginning of the next show we do, he can have the time to answer both questions. Then he e mailed to me a list of the wealthiest people in Florence in the year that a tax record indicated the top 1.4% of the population. This concept is tied up in the other two questions, so right then and there I decided to make his next show a two parter. Even though he will still talk about the Baptistery, he will also talk about Florence in the 15th century, an idea for a show we have been batting around for several months anyway.
So next week's show, January 10, weather permitting, we will first look at the Renaissance, Workshops, and also how all of this was tied together to the enormous wealth that existed in Florence starting actually in the 13th century with the rise of the banking industry right up to the present. Then afterward Ric will begin to talk about the Baptistery, preceded by a discussion on baptistries in general. He has a lot of stories to tell related to this theme and there seemed to me no way he could accomplish all that in one sixty minute show. Therefore we will split the broadcast into two.
Meanwhile, many residents of Ulster County and elsewhere in the northeast, people are trying to dig out from a mountain of snow which began falling two days ago and continued through this morning. I was out and about after my snowplowing had occurred at about 2 PM. The roads are awful, slushy, icy, snowy, and worst of all very slippery. These very hazardous conditions did not, however, stop many very, very stupid people from driving way too fast under these horrid circumstances. It never ceases to amaze me how people could not only jeopardize their own lives but other motorists as well by just driving like they really have somewhere urgent to get to. I have often asked friends of mine, "where are these people hurrying to all the time? Please tell me! I must be missing something and want to go wherever they are going." So for now, staying home nice and safe and warm under my own roof, where I don't have to worry about reckless drivers.
Ric and I were speaking during the week, and he indicated that he would like to answer two questions I asked him a long time ago. One question was: Why did the Renaissance begin in Florence in the 15th century ? Actually this question was asked by me to him and a few other people I knew just before I was about to do Alan's Italy Show # 2 on December 25, 2011. I just watched that show, and noticed that at the end of the show I had planted a question. Sorry. I had Ric call me just to get the phone calling thing going and that was the question that he was instructed to ask me. I did answer the question, but the query is really so profound that he continued researching it for parts of the past two years. The second question I asked him was simply to talk a little about the workshop/apprenticeship concept that existed in Florence during the 14th century on through the years. That question was for my own purposes, but was also referred to on that show. When Ric requested to talk about that, I immediately told him that at the beginning of the next show we do, he can have the time to answer both questions. Then he e mailed to me a list of the wealthiest people in Florence in the year that a tax record indicated the top 1.4% of the population. This concept is tied up in the other two questions, so right then and there I decided to make his next show a two parter. Even though he will still talk about the Baptistery, he will also talk about Florence in the 15th century, an idea for a show we have been batting around for several months anyway.
So next week's show, January 10, weather permitting, we will first look at the Renaissance, Workshops, and also how all of this was tied together to the enormous wealth that existed in Florence starting actually in the 13th century with the rise of the banking industry right up to the present. Then afterward Ric will begin to talk about the Baptistery, preceded by a discussion on baptistries in general. He has a lot of stories to tell related to this theme and there seemed to me no way he could accomplish all that in one sixty minute show. Therefore we will split the broadcast into two.
Meanwhile, many residents of Ulster County and elsewhere in the northeast, people are trying to dig out from a mountain of snow which began falling two days ago and continued through this morning. I was out and about after my snowplowing had occurred at about 2 PM. The roads are awful, slushy, icy, snowy, and worst of all very slippery. These very hazardous conditions did not, however, stop many very, very stupid people from driving way too fast under these horrid circumstances. It never ceases to amaze me how people could not only jeopardize their own lives but other motorists as well by just driving like they really have somewhere urgent to get to. I have often asked friends of mine, "where are these people hurrying to all the time? Please tell me! I must be missing something and want to go wherever they are going." So for now, staying home nice and safe and warm under my own roof, where I don't have to worry about reckless drivers.
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