Art Italia
Sanjiv Bathla  gives a round-up of the Art School’s Italian itinerary

The Art School gently crumbles, to take a new shape. We remember each corner, each wall that spoke to us, by way of the frescos and murals done by Mr. Khastagir. Bless the hands that put brick upon brick, the mind that planned the courtyard, where one could hear the whir of the potter’s wheel, the souls that stroked the heart of every canvas and said, “Speak, if you can’t write your dreams, paint, if you are speechless.” From Khastagir to Rathin Mitra, Mr. Khan and now, Aloke T. Bhowmick, all have held sway over this realm.

To expose young art enthusiasts to the wonders of Italian art and architecture, an art excursion comprising Tejasvi Mathur, Vivan Rai, Shashank Peshoria, Shashank Mittal, Nipun Mohan, Vidur Yadav, Jai Vardhan Swarup, Aditya Gupta, Abhishek Jain, Kanishk Gupta, Piyush Gupta, ATB and myself, took off for Mediterranean shores to be cast under the spell of the ‘eternal seductress,’ Italy. We were glad it wasn’t the Ides of March when we ventured forth! An Etruscan soothsayer had warned Caesar to beware of misfortune that would strike him on the 15th of March, 44 B.C. We were in no hurry to hear the words “Et tu Bhowmick!”

It is often said that spring in Venice, autumn in Florence and Christmas and the New Year in Rome have inspired artists and poets down the ages. We Doscos decided to juggle the order and visited all three, that too, in the very same season. It is due to the barbarian invaders, the Goths and the Lombards, the Byzantine emperors, that Rome chose to fortify itself time and again. It also celebrated its victories and triumphs by erecting grand monuments that have stood the test of time. Much of the marvellous architecture that one sees is a result of these events.

The guides were ‘verri’ professional. They exposed the drama of Leonardo and Michelangelo, the poetic moodiness of Giorgione, the classic works of Raphael. We were introduced to the Mannerist artists Angelo Bronzino, Jacopo Pontorno and Rosso Fiorentino, who revelled in the use of bold colours, as perhaps seen in the movie Krrish, when Hrithik Roshan touched a butterfly and transferred the yellow onto Priyanka Chopra’s cheek! At this juncture, Kanishk Gupta thought it important to tell our guides the Oberoi House story and how it was built. Not to be left behind, Vivan Rai of Hyderabad House spoke about the present-day Nizams. The guides were duly impressed!

To get the flavour of art and its history, we began our ramble in Rome, City of the Soul. The landscape was enchanting, the sound of fountains and birds soothing. Wild poppies and moss growing between broken stone led us to the ruins of the Forum. We walked past the Arch of Titus, right into the heart of the Colosseum. The profusion of marble, the shine of gilt, the majestic gate of Rome and the touristy Spanish Steps, all were a feast for the eyes.

A day was spent in the world’s smallest nation, the Vatican City, all of about 100 acres. A country of about 800 citizens, including the Pope, who possesses passport Number One, it is secured by Swiss Guards, enclosed by walls that only Tom Cruise managed to scale in MI 3. The Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel are as impressive as they are famous. I remember the C-form boys boasting, “If Vati-can, so can we.” They were referring to decorating the new Art School! The Vatican was as ‘hole’y as it could get. Starting with making a hole in the pocket. It isn’t that cheap to visit any place in Italy or the Vatican, Habemus Papam (home of the Pope). It is believed that the Pope steps out only on Wednesday afternoon. However, ATB probably bumped into him on Monday when we visited. Through the secret passage, of course! The boys got a chance to shake hands with Amisha Patel, the actress, who happened to be visiting too. She was very glad to see Indians, especially the twosome from Jalandhar, Shashank Peshoria and Abhishek Jain. The Vatican is famous for its traditions and rituals, one of them being the white smoke that emerges from a chimney when a new Pope is elected. All those familiar with Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons will know what I am referring to.

Next was a scenic train ride to Florence. Firenze as they call it, is full of aesthetic masterpieces, especially for Renaissance art and architecture lovers. The largest dome in the world, the Duomo, the Medici collections from which once Napoleon stole a few pieces, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, symbolic statues carved by Michelangelo and innumerable wonders were on offer in this beautiful city. Across a series of stunning Tuscan bridges like the Ponte Vecchio over the river Arno, up towards the hill above Florence, sits a jewel-like church, San Miniato, from where (Contd. on Page 2)