Last Sabbatical Blog and Tintoretto

 

Goodbye Aviano and Friends

I return tomorrow to Atlanta and then to Fairhope by December 17^th. What a fabulous experience this has been!  I would not have changed a minute and that was a real surprise to me.  Friends and family were there ALL along the way and that was a true blessing.  Taking the time for a sabbatical  journey is one thing, processing all I learned, enjoyed, and thought about will take much longer.   I know one thing – it seemed a miracle from the beginning through the end – friends that opened their homes and hearts, travel that clicked into place, a schedule that surprisingly worked, and clothes that were all used and enough for 6 months.

Read this today in a popup : “One simple way to boost happiness is to slow down and take a break. Not all day, not every day, but once in a while to savor life, express gratitude and notice the beauty going on around you. 

"Einstein once said there are two ways to live life: One is as if nothing is a miracle; the other is as if everything is a miracle," Ben-Shahar said. "We need time to savor that miracle."   So very true!

What a great last week in Italy with friends.  Got upgraded to better car, upgraded room at Desiree, had lunches, coffees, and book club meetings with Italian and American friends all during the week.  My last weekend was spend at a Christmas Market at two charming villages on Saturday and a visit to a favorite antique market on Sunday.

Monday, I turned in my car and took the bus to Venice since I had an afternoon before checking into my airport hotel for an early morning flight.  I had missed a wonderful Tintoretto (1519-1594) exhibit at the Palazzo Ducale that will be at the National Gallery of Art in Washington next year.  

Tintoretto was born five centuries ago and Venice is celebrating!  Venice itself is a Tintoretto exhibit without walls and his works are found in many areas of Venice, but the Gallery dell’ Accademia has his younger work and the Palazzo Ducale his remaining work in an astounding exhibit through June 2019.

Tintoretto was a great Venetian painter.  He possessed a flair for business, “leveraging his talents in a society where art was a powerful tool- for conveying family status, religious piety, and the values of the Republic”.  He outmaneuvered other painters by undercutting their prices or agreeing to impossible deadlines.  He gave paintings as gifts to increase his market share and cultivate potential clients. He was able to cover large canvases rapidly.  With the help of a well-organized workshop, he supplied more paintings for 

Venice’s palaces, government buildings, churches, and confraternities than any other artist. This exhibit included painting from many museums, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

A beautiful end to a perfect six months.  

                        

Thank you all for traveling along with me.