Dressing for View of Toledo

Dressing for View of Toledo by ninamleung featuring long sleeve sweaters

Object Collectors Item long sleeve sweater, $68 / Balmain mini skirt / Burberry ankle booties / Valentino clutch / Guerlain italian home decor

The city of Toledo is medieval, so it was necessary to choose an inspiring film set in the medieval period, The Three Musketeers from 1973. Doesn't Raquel Welch look amazing? 

Travelling with View of Toledo

Okay, this is an easy one. If View of Toledo were a place, it would be.......surprise, surprise, Toledo!

View of the Toledo from the bridge. 

El Greco's View of Toledo

Ipad rendering of El Greco's View of Toledo

A stormy sky in the Bay Area on Saturday inspired me to choose this painting.  I love dark skies and light colored landscapes as in El Greco's View of Toledo. I never knew he made any landscapes, so I feel that this one is pretty special. Doesn't it look modern? It reminds me of Van Gogh's Landscape at Saint-Remy, painted almost 300 years later.

El Greco traveled throughout Italy learning a combination of techniques including color and design in Venice, composition that he learned from Michelangelo, and the Mannerist style both in Rome. He certainly traveled a lot! Imagine what that was like back in the late 1500's! He left Italy for Spain after being ostracized by Michelangelo. Apparently, El Greco was pretty vocal about his not so flattering opinions of Michelangelo's work. Doing so forced him to go find patronage elsewhere.

He finally made his way to Toledo where he created his most famous and praised works, including The Burial of Count Orgaz, one of my favorites. He loved Toledo and lived there until his death.

Interpretations of the Cyclades

Naxos Skies, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Greece is water and white and blue....perfect for watercolors! There is so much contrast in the landscape of Naxos, I believe it's well interpreted with watercolor.

My son Eamon got involved with painting this time. Dipping his brush into the water was his favorite part!

Naxos River, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Grecian Pool, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Grecian Pod, watercolor and ink, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Cyclades Sea Life, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Eamon's Cyclades, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Dressing for the Cyclades

Dressing for the Cyclades by ninamleung featuring a pink shimmer nail polish

Raquel Allegra tie belt / Ancient Greek Sandals sandals / Madewell real leather purse / Vince Camuto golden jewelry / Michael Kors golden jewelry / Alexis Bittar punk jewelry / Miu Miu sunglasses / Tom Ford nude lipstick / Guerlain curling mascara / Estée Lauder perfume fragrance, $52 / Bobbi Brown Cosmetics pink shimmer nail polish

Perfect for exploring the island of Naxos....a good sundress, a comfortable pair of handmade sandals, and jewelry inspired by the sculptures of the Cyclades. I was inspired by the sculptures, but also the movie Before Midnight. In the movie, the couple dines and walks through the Greek countryside. The Mediterranean light is so strong and the atmosphere so palpable, it feels like you're there. 

Travelling with the Figures of the Cyclades

If the Cyclades Figures were a place, it would be............


Naxos, Greece!

 Isn't it beautiful here? I love the stark colors, white, blue, brown, touches of green. There's so much contrast and the bright, summery light even translates on film.

Figures from the Cyclades

My own clay copy of a Cycladic figure.

As it's the last week of August, I must squeeze in one last summer-inspired post. This week, it's the figures of the Cyclades, which is a series of islands in the Aegean Sea. The figures are simple human studies with perfectly beautiful proportions. I've always been fond of them.

Until creating my own rendition of one of these beautiful figures, I believed they were very simple, easily created objects. Boy was I wrong! It was not easy trying to recreate the proportions of these lovely figures. Compare mine to the real thing and notice many differences. The lines of the original are long and symmetrical, the indentations at the elbows and waist are at just the right proportion, the feet are long and have finely carved toes, the head is organic AND geometric. Of course, they carved theirs from stone, so they probably spent more than the 30 minutes I spent on mine!

What a great lesson, though! Copy a sculptural masterpiece and understand exactly why it should be appreciated!