"Nona Leaning out Above the Gate - Ortygia, Sicily" (16"X12", Oil on Canvas, $450)
I saw this scene as I walked by and got this shot before the Nona (grandmother) could spot me and lean back in out of sight. This is one of the things that people do all the time in Italy: lean out windows, looking at - essentially nothing. It just seems to be a way to pass the time of day before the next delicious meal.
This cultural display doesn't seem to be for public consumption, or at least not for the prying eyes of the tourists who stream through the streets. The idea seems to be 'see without being seen'. I couldn't resist taking advantage of the fact that she was already done with looking at me as I approached, and had resumed looking to her left, up the street. I framed her up, being careful to include the gorgeous wrought-copper gate above the dark green heavy-wood gates with their sweeping copper details capping each one. There's as much height to the doors that I couldn't include as what is shown here, making them quite tall enough for delivery trucks or moving vans to pass easily through. I seem to remember a short darkened tunnel leading to an open courtyard beyond the gate. I can picture that courtyard, with the tall rear windows of all the apartments (including this one) opening onto it. This gate is a view that deserves to be painted as a detail scene, like so many of the buildings in the North End that get the same treatment, as seen earlier in this blog.
This was quite a large building, and I'm sure that this Nona had a well-appointed apartment. I only hope she still lives there and that she's leaning out the window right now.
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