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Oct 09, 2018
Piazza Navona is a magical sight - an luminous expanse dominated by three massive fountains, each one a splendid work of art.
There is definitely an energy in the air when you visit this piazza in the evening. It is an enchanting setting filled with art, music, people laughing, talking, and strolling. I can’t think of a better way to start an evening! But my absolute favorite time to be in this piazza is in the morning. It wakes slowly in the crystal mediterranean light. You are surrounded by epic baroque sculptures whispering the history of ages past. It’s the perfect time to find a seat at one of the cafés that border the piazza and soak it in.
This piazza is the site where the Emperor Domitian built a circus for athletic games in the first century A.D. You can see remnants around you if you know where to look. The piazza is still roughly the same shape as it was then - an elongated oval similar to the Circus Maximus.
The obelisk in the center of the fountain was salvaged from the ruins of the Circus of Maxentius by Pope Innocent X of the powerful Pamphilj family. He must have been a man of vision because he commissioned many of the major works here. In my painting you can see three of them: la Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, la Chiesa di Sant’Agnese, and il Palazzo Pamphilj.
La Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
The centerpiece of the piazza and also of my painting is Bernini’s “La Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi” which means “The Fountain of the Four Rivers”. The figures surrounding the fountain represent major rivers from the continents that were known at the time of it’s construction: the Danube in Europe, the Nile in Africa, the Ganges in Asia, and the Rio della Plata in the Americas.
La Chiesa di Sant’Agnese
Next to the fountain is Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone by Borromini. In my painting, it is the white building on the right with two bell towers and large dome. Interestingly, the fountain was completed in 1651, a year before they even started building the church.
Il Palazzo Pamphilj
Just past the far bell tower, you can see Palazzo Pamphilj by Rainaldi. In fact there is a dove holding an olive branch at the top of the obelisk. This is the symbol of Innocent X and his coat of arms is carved into the rocks at the base.
I am always fascinated by the layers of history that present themselves as I look deeper into subjects for my paintings!
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