While various areas around me burn in the July heatwave, Sanremo remained a cool 32°C but with high humidity it was feeling around 37°C. Remaining indoors in rooms bathed with air-con is all well and good, but I was going stir-crazy: it was quickly feeling like lockdown once again. Overloading myself with my degree studies, I realised I was mentally exhausted. I’d had enough of writing about how my work relates to theories of poststructuralism, deconstruction and semiotics. I needed to get away.
Turin, after frying in the heatwave, was forecasted to have a break, so I booked the trains and hotel and we (Corrine and me) were off the next day (last Monday). Six hours later, after a change at Genoa, we arrived at a black-cloud-covered train station, and torrential rain, absolute bliss.
Turin is one of my most favourite cities. It was Italy’s capital city before Rome took the honours, and it retains its grand regal atmosphere, with large piazzas and wide porticos lining the main streets - just perfect for keeping out of the sun, or the rain.
2019 was the last time I was there, attending a very cold November meeting of the Urban Sketchers. I remember it well for the biting cold snatching my fingers while attempting to sketch the huge monument to the Italian Cavalry.
For this drawing, I remember I used a Wolff’s Carbon (Royal Sovereign) pencil and a Pentel water brush on A4 paper. Using water to engage the carbon gives a good tonal range from deep darks to very slight grey. Dragging the pencil lightly on the paper surface creates a sort of hesitancy of mark, seeming to give the horse and rider a slight shiver.
These simple materials are brilliant for quick sketches. All images rely on tonal range (the use of black, white, and the greys in between) where a gentle atmosphere can be made from greys close together in the tonal range, while a dynamic image might use a wide range, possibly the whole range from black to white.
Talking of black and white things (those of you who know me well will see this coming) … I love draft Guinness, kept at the perfect temperature, poured with care in a Guinness glass, and a perfectly drawn shamrock perched on top. The first thing I’ll be looking for in any city is an Irish bar. Sanremo has none, Turin has many. A perfect remedy to mental exhaustion. We went to four bars, had some great conversations, including with a guy who works at a robotics company. I vaguely remember discussing Asimov’s 3 rules of robotics in a mist of ... … the next morning was a blur.
Once my retinas started functioning again, I emerged again into Turin’s relatively cool air and quickly encountered, for the first time, Turin’s 2,000 years old Porta Palatina. Glimpsing it in the distance from the end of a long dark street was a true “wow!” moment. Its orange bricks have a natural vibrant contrast against the deep blue sky. It attracted me like a magnet. You might keep an eye out for arch shapes in my upcoming paintings?
The Palatina north gate was the first “wow” encounter, the second came when we were leaving to return to Sanremo. Entering the train station with 30 minutes to kill before our train departs, we stumbled on a Banksy ‘experience’. I have to admit to some reticence to paying €10 for what I imagined would be a photo montage and loads of information boards. But on entering I realised this was a full-blown enquiry of his work, with full size installations. My past experience with Banksy’s work was on the small screen, but now I was able to judge the scale, standing in front of reproductions of his best known works. It was an exciting exhibition, well presented, in the appropriate industrial setting of Turin’s grand railway station.
But, with time ticking before our train was due to leave, I was one of those tourists who could pay scant attention to the detail - grabbing snapshots as I went (so I could look at them on a small screen - doh 🙄 ). To my delight I managed to capture some video art to help me with experiments I’m doing for my paintings. I leave you with one of those videos titled Home Sweet Home. Enjoy.
About me
My name is David Bell and I’m an artist living in Sanremo, Italy. I write this blog for my band of supporters, giving an insight to my art and life generally living on the beautiful Riviera of Flowers.
If you find my scribblings useful and you want to buy me a coffee then you can click BuyMeACoffee (for card payments) or you can use PayPal. No worries either way, it’s just great you’re here with me for the ride.
Ciao4now … alla prossima.
Cool.