Monthly Archives: October 2016

Thursday Doors – October 6, 2016

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The Doors of an Iconic Shrine

The Dom Bosco Santuary, in Brasilia, Brazil, is a memorial to an Italian saint who, in August 30, 1883, dreamed of a trip through South America between the parallels 15° and 20° latitude south. In his dream, Dom Bosco saw a fairly extensive cove that began from the point where it formed a lake. He then heard a voice say: “When you dig those mines hidden in the midst of these hills, you will find the promised land. This is exactly where Brasília, Brazil’s new capital and the Federal District were built 66 years ago.

The Shrine’s twelve ornate entry doors contain bronze plates with images of Dom Bosco. The front entries depict his utopian dream city. They were all open so I could only get part of the panels. But the doors are just a fraction of this magnificent building. The interior of the main sanctuary is enclosed in blue stained glass creating a gentle blue glow. Its walls are formed by eighty columns that unite in high Gothic arches. The structures are 2,200 square feet of stained glass, combining twelve shades of blue dotted with white. Inside, the feeling is of being under a starry sky. Architect Claudio Naves complemented the composition with rose-colored columns in the corners.

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Posted for Norm’s Thursday Doors.

The Prettiest of Them All

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Approaching the subject.
Getting closer.
Well, hello lover…!
Let me see if I can get a long shot of you.
OK, maybe from across the street?
Can’t get the Crown but please admire the masonry. This the tallest brick building in the world.
Appreciate the details.
More details…
Salute to the flag! And here are the radiator caps…
Behold the Eagles!
The Crown.

If you love architecture and Art Deco, you’ll LOVE the Chrysler Building, on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan, in New York City. The Chrysler was designed by architect William Van Alen and completed in1930. The Art Deco ornamentation at the crown of the Chrysler is considered a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture. It is based on features used on Chrysler automobiles. On the 31st floor, the corner ornamentations are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps. The corners of the 61st floor are graced with eagles, replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments.

Another outstanding feature of the Chrysler building is its terraced crown, composed of seven radiating terraced arches. The entire crown is clad with stainless steel. The flush windows, the stainless steel crown, the spire, and the eagles were all fabricated from sheet metal shops on the 65th and 67th floor. Unlike other buildings, the Chrysler was virtually sculpted by hand. A true work of art. I think it is the most beautiful building in New York and perhaps the world, although I haven’t seen all the buildings in the world…

So, given my strong admiration for The Chrysler, when I was in New York this past summer I decided to photograph it up close, which proved to be VERY difficult. The massive structure is squeezed between other buildings and so tall that standing across the street from it won’t allow you to shoot its whole extension. You can get the building but not its beautiful crown. And when you get the crown, you cut half of the building. That’s why I decided to photograph it in parts. I also didn’t have my 300mm lens with me on that trip so I wasn’t able to get some of the details as I would have liked. C’est la vie! I still owe it to myself a decent set of pics of The Chrysler, which shall happen the next time I’m in the Big Apple.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgia

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I rarely feel Nostalgia. I’m the kind of person who is always looking ahead, rarely looking back. Living in Southern California for the past five years, one of the rare occasions I feel a little nostalgic is at the beginning of Autumn. Everything about Autumn is magic and I especially miss the beautiful spectacle of leaves changing colors, something I took for granted in the 30 years I lived in the Washington, D.C. area. Here are some photos of our neighborhood, in the D.C. suburb of Potomac, MD. They were  taken in mid-October, when the leaves were just beginning to change colors. Our house was the last one on the right, next to the woods. A very tranquil place, where families of deer often came to visit… Sigh… fallpotomac-web_10_006fallpotomac_10_007_edited-1fallpotomacweb_10_003