7C - Super Venice Class - Y back 10.30pm-ish

Super session of our Venice class. We moved onto how they managed to build the city at all, in the sea. Basically 'wooden posts driven into mud-flats' with the buildings on top.

This prescribed the weight and therefore the height of possible structures. It also explains why, and I'd never thought about this before, there are such a lot of windows. They are much lighter than stone. Or 'brick' in fact because, very much like today, the buildings are mostly brick with ornate stone fronts.

Picture 1 is San Marco and St Mark's Square which dates back to the 9th century. Napoleon described it as "the drawing room of Europe".

We then covered the architects, from Bellini onwards till the arrival of Palladio. And also the later people.

Picture 2 is a Palladio Church - The Church of St Giorgio - and it is easy to identify his influence across Europe.

I shall stop rabbiting-on about Art and Architecture because it doesn't interest everyone. We then covered the arrival of the printing-press from Germany and how Venice became such an important printing and publishing centre. One reason is that the city was prosperous with a big P and people wanting to set up businesses had access to venture capital.

The publishing house Giolito began in 1490 something and is still doing well. At that time they had a reputation for being unscrupulous i.e. if a book was banned they would stick it in another cover with a different title and bang it out again.

Lets hope that in 500 years they have mended their ways.


My day has been busy. I decided to visit Maple Framing in Stapleford and buy some big boards, to cut into 40x50cm mounts for tomorrow night's competition. Then there was lunch at the Mechanics (haddock and chips I'm afraid, although the salads looked very nice ha ha!). The my class and then home to start mount-cutting. All to save 'a couple of bob' rather than have Brian cut them at the shop. I must be potty. Mind you the 'sweating' must be good for me - do they call it 'anaerobic' or something ?

I've just had a text to put a tape in for 'Dangerous Housewives' at 10pm, then it will be off to collect Y from the tram. It will be nice to have her home on Valetine's day.

It's nearly 7.30pm and I haven't done the crossword yet.

....See you tomorrow..