Thursday, March 9, 2017

Before and After in the Eternal City


I continue to transcribe and restore my images of Rome and other places, taken from 1969 through 1976. These are from a photo shoot I did in Rome on July 16, 1971. I am able to date it so accurately because it was documented in my journal which I have kept every day since 1968. The buildings here are on the quiet and un-crowded area known from ancient times as the Caelian Hill, one of the original Seven Hills of Rome. The place is "Saint Andrew's Oratory," and nearby is the church and old monastery of Pope Saint Gregory the Great, one of Rome's leaders during the "dark ages" of the barbarian invasions.

This photo took a lot of restoration, including colorization where the original color had completely faded away. To me it almost looks like a painting, perhaps in watercolor. At that time I was indeed painting watercolors on site in the city. You can read about my experience in this place at this entry from last year. I wish there were such a quiet, sunlit, and reverent place nearer to me. I'll be posting more restorations (in other online venues) as I work on the photo archive.

Restored from half-35 mm color slide, probably Kodachrome.

No comments: