Burano, the island of artists

Remigio Barbaro’s home on Burano island

Burano is not only the island of fishermen, lace-making and houses painted in bright colours. It has also given birth to many artists including Remigio Barbaro, born in 1911 and died in 2005. He taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice for a while and was given a professorship in New York that he refused. He met internationally prominent people such Ernest Hemingway and Peggy Guggenheim.

His courtyard full of works

He worked in his studio house where he found the right ambiance surrounded by an amazing garden. His works are in terracotta, bronze and clay and preparatory drawings, studies and sketches. He mainly dealt with religious subjects.

The terracotta work representing the famous composer, Baldassare Galuppi

Not everything he did, however, is housed in his house museum. There are many works such as the monument to Baldassare Galuppi located in the main square on Burano island.

The adulteress

Waiting for peace, that was presented at the Biennale of 1956 under the name of Adultera is installed near the boat station and many more in the surrounding areas.

Houses on Burano island

Furthermore, he was commissioned by the Superintendency of Venice to take care of the restoration of the facades of the houses on the island. He analysed the pre-existing colours and decided which intervention was best done.

Before dying, he expressed the desire to turn his home into a permanent museum. Unfortunately, his wish has not yet been fulfilled.

A little touch brings good luck

Venice has a lot of secrets and some have not been discovered yet. Some artefacts have been recycled and inserted into buildings, so it is difficult sometimes to clarify the reason why they are there.

The Hooks at San Canciano

What about the hooks you can see while you are crossing the bridge near Campo San Canciano attached to a wall facing the water? Their meaning might not be clear to all the people who walk past them and kiss them because they think they bring good luck.

The bridge of the Quartered

Those hooks are the only ones left in Venice, There were some more in the district of Santa Croce, at the ponte dei Squartai (the bridge of the Quartered).

They are made out of iron, and have the shape of an anchor like the hooks you find in a butcher shop to hold meat. They were put in at least four different parts of Venice referring to the cardinal points of Padua, Mestre, Chioggia and Lido. Venetian law required that the four parts of criminals’ and traitors’ bodies who had been executed had to be exposed.

Pink columns, Doge’s Palace facade

Their heads were brought instead to St. Mark’s Square where they were probably hanged between the two pink columns of the facade of the Doge’s Palace.

The reason for all of this exposure dealt with the warnings that the Republic of Venice wanted to communicate to their citizens as an educational example in order that they did not commit the same crimes.

The Venetian wooden terrace: Venice seen from the top

Venetian roofs

In Venice there are many buildings that are topped with wooden terraces. In the twelfth century Venetian houses were just made out of wood and had terraces parallel to the main facades. As they collapsed very often the government decided to remove them especially those along main streets and canals, and later they were added on top of the roofs.

Small rooftop garden in the foreground

What function did they have?

They served for different purposes. It was one of the favorite places of many women, who used to dry clothes outside, did some gardening and watered flowers.

Panorama

Starting from the 1500s they were used for another purpose. Local women took advantage of the sun rays to lighten their hair. The most fashionable color was the blond invented by one of the most famous painters, Titian, who painted his female subjects blond and with fair skin.

Violante, Titian’s painting

It was a ceremony that most of the women followed in order to be fashionable but In order to obtain this highlighted effect they followed to the letter the recipes suggested by manufacturers and sellers of perfumes. A straw hat with no top served for the purpose, where their long hair was rolled up to dry.

Iron wooden terrace

The wooden terraces left in the city are subject to the Superintendency, that in recent times has decided not to give so many permits for new ones!