Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Mt. Etna from Taormina

I am now (mostly) unpacked from my semi-annual move between Hartford and Naples,
but before I begin posting Florida photos, there is one more thing
from Italy that I wanted to show you.

This is Thomas Cole's breathtaking, huge 1843 painting of Mt. Etna from Taormina in Sicily.
It hangs in Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum.  I had it with me on my recent trip,
and planned to show my own modest photograph of a similar scene.

But, I think the painting is a montage, not a faithful representation.


Here is my own similar photo of the ruins (which I also posted on October 9.)


And here is a photo from Taormina of Etna in the distance.

I never came across a vantage point from which one could get the ruins and
a prominent view of Etna into a single scene.

OK, I will try posting new material from Naples (Florida) tomorrow.

26 comments:

  1. I like yours better; sorry Cole!!

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  2. Love both. But your landscapes are marvelous!¨

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  3. I think your images are fascinating.From your images, it appears that the ruins have not changed much since they were painted back in 1843.

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  4. i like having the comparisons, beautiful!

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  5. Um…you had Cole's painting with you on your recent trip or a photograph of it? (I have an image of you carting that beautiful painting around the countryside, reviewing it often to locate a similar vantage point.) You unpack quickly! Hope you didn't find any unpleasant surprises after having the Naples chateau "boarded up" for months.

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  6. The painting and your third photo are very similar, probably the ruins don't exist anymore...

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  7. I agree with Birdman. Nice shots.

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  8. Mr. Cole obviously had a drone at his service...

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  9. You just can't trust those painters. It's actually a lot more realistic than some of the work that romantic painters produced in the UK.

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  10. I think it's fantastic that you took that photo with you to find the right spot. You did pretty darn good too even if the artist took a few liberties. Great job!
    Glad to hear you are pretty much unpacked and ready to roll. Wish I could say the same. Downsizing takes a lot of sorting out; what to keep, what to discard.

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  11. Terrific captures, Jack, an awesome place it is indeed!! Thanks so much for sharing your trip in general -- next best thing to being there myself!! Glad you're getting settled in again!!

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  12. I think it's called artistic licence, and I always think we photographers are allowed the same licence to tweak, on occasion, so long as we're upfront about it.

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  13. Thanks for showing us reality vs. fiction, Jack. I like seeing the comparison.

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  14. I agree with Jenny - artistic license is allowed!

    The jazz club wasn't open yet - too early on a Sunday for them.

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  15. Thomas Cole must have a bucket truck or at least construction scaffolding to get that perspective. Personally, I like your photographs better.

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  16. The painting is super impressive! Nice to see it compared with the present day view. It hasn't changed so much.

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  17. The painting is beautiful, but I like your pictures better too!

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  18. The canvas is impressive, and so are your shots!

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  19. Those mid-1800s painters had their own painterly version of Photoshop that added perspectives, lighting, and a rosy glow to larger than life landscapes.

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  20. Of course, artistic license. The painting is the essence of Romanticism, an artificial ideal. The real views in your photos are pretty darn good.

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  21. a photographers delight with the amazing backdrop of Mt Etna. I think you've done excellent with your capture Jack.
    I'm sure it was fun walking in the footsteps of Thomas Cole.

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  22. I concur with all above Jack.. Fab shots.. the painting is quite good too :) :)

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  23. Very interesting comparision, Jack! I've never visited Sicily but I would love to.

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