Italians Winter in S.F.

With a high pressure weather system hovering over the California coast, it was a perfect day to head for the City. The Mayor and his 1st Deputy drove south across the Golden Gate Bridge to enjoy the view and take in an exhibition at the DeYoung Museum. The bay was flat as a floor, and the Farallon Islands stood out in sharp relief 20 miles away to the west. Temps were in the 60's and the calm bay waters highlighted the lack of a breeze. A few hardy sailors had little to worry about as they waited for a little wind.

Masters of Venice
The exhibition at the DeYoung has been installed for about 3 months and has drawn an amazing crowd of art lovers from around the country and the world. The collection features the work of Italian Renaissance Painters whose works were collected by Hapsburg royalty in the 15th and 16th centuries. Most of the works have been loaned by the national museum in Vienna.
The most famous works were completed by stalwarts of the Italian school: Veronese, Titian, and Tintoretto(the little tintore).
Their work encompasses examples of high art, spanning the period that marked the transition from muted,classical subjects done in egg tempora, to paintings using oil based color suffused with light. Mythology became more thematic as painters moved away from Biblical studies to well known characters from the Grecian and Roman pantheon.
Most of theses works have not been exhibited abroad as a collection; and this one installation is truly a monumental project with global attraction. Well worth the time and effort.
It has received the Mayor's highest accolade: 5 stars!

Lunch by the Bay
Any decent artistic adventure creates an appetite, and in due time, Sausalito came into view and a shore side spot called Bar Bocce was selected. An amiable lunch crowd filled the place and outside seating was at a premium. We enjoyed a hand made pizza and a fine well-anchovied Caesar salad. A fine time was had by all.