Thursday 29 October 2009

Il Duomo, Taormina, Sicilia


Cathedral San Nicola di Bari, by night
oil on canvas  - 30 x 40 cm
painted on location - 7 Oct 2009
SOLD

This is a must visit location for anyone going to Sicily. Located high on a steep mountain slope, one is enriched with such magnificent views of not only the lustrous Mediterranean Sea, but also that beauty, known as "the sleeping giant", Mount Etna. The worlds most active vulcano, and one of the biggest. I found out from the owner of our Bed & Breakfast that Taormina became known to recent visitors, (18th century + onwards) by a German landscape artist who had an exhibition of the paintings he made at this location in a prominant Paris art gallery, which stunned the Parisian public. They refused to beleive that such a landscape existed. Which at once offers tropical vegetation, with ruins of the Golden Greek Era, and topped of with a snowcapped active vulcano in the distance! This awakened the curiousity of the Parisians, who sent a delegation to confirm this surrealistic scenery. It soon became one of the hottest tourist locations of southern Europe. Since I was down there painting myself, thought this would be nice to share with you all. A picture for you to see for yourself what I was inspired to paint.

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