Baudelaires's Flaneur (The Sketcher)

Charles Baudelaire described walking down city streets in the 1850's as an adventure, more dramatic than any play, richer in ideas than any book. One should become, he suggested, a Flâneur, (a stroller or saunterer). Flâneurs don't have any practical goals in mind, aren't walking to get something, or to go somewhere. What flâneurs are doing is looking. Opening their eyes and ears to the scene around them, wondering about the lives of those they pass, constructing narratives about the houses, eavesdropping on conversations, studying how people dress, and street life in general. Flâneurs relish in what they learn and discover.

Excerpt from The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher

These are a few spreads taken from my last few months of traveling around Italy.

An Archtiect's first visit to Venice.

I'll never forget the feeling of stepping off the train at Venezia Santa Lucia and hopping onto a water taxi.   Its comparable to stepping directly from reality into a deep dream state.    There is something unspeakably captivating about an entire city built on water.  Canals tangle through streets forming beautiful intersections,  juxtapositions, and compositions.  There is no place quite like Venice in the world.   Venice is a living work of art.   

Orveito Day Trip

Walking through the hilltop city of Orvieto is like floating through a De Chiroco painting.  Like some great mysterious dream.   

CASTIGLION FIORENTINO

There is something magical about the streets in Castiglion Fiorentino. I have been walking them for months now and I every time I wander there is a new discovery.  The same street may look vastly different as the weather changes and the sunlight paints a wall or a street with golden hue, illuminating some detail or composition that I had never noticed before. 

FIRST WEEK IN CASTIGLION FIORENTINO

Every streetscape takes my breath away.  Every turn frames a new perspective into a breathtaking and beautiful image.  The city is alive with the everyday life of the people.   Although I have been extremely busy, everything seems to move at a much slower pace than back home.  I am really enjoying taking everything slowly… it has been a very nice change of pace.  I want to walk slower to enjoy the scenery, eat slower to enjoy the food, and drink slower to enjoy the wine.  Ive spent many hours walking around the city photographing and sketching different pieces of this beautiful place… trying to take it all in and absorb it.  These are just a few images that I could upload.  The internet is very slow, so I will upload as much as I can.  These are a few images of the city…. enjoy!

AVERE INIZIO

On Monday *January 25th, 2010 I will head off to Europe for my last semester of college.   I have never traveled overseas and I have never lived in any other city besides my hometown.  I am filled with anticipation and eager to see what lies over the horizon.    My overall objective is to experience the culture of Europe and attempt to understand the values and traditions that make up the social, cultural, and architectural landscapes of European cities.   I’m not there just to take pretty pictures, drink the wine, and eat the cheese, although that definitely will be part of it.
I will be living in small hill town in eastern Tuscany called Castiglion Fiorentino, which is a province of Arezzo.  I will armed with my new Canon Rebel Xsi 450, 3 Moleskine sketchbooks, and a Rhodium capped Sailor Sapporo fountain pen.  Pics and sketches to follow!