The Rural Iowan: Discovery

For many centuries, The Palazzo Reale di Milano (The Royal Palace of Milan) was the home of Milan's city government. Nowadays, it is still an important part of the Milan government but on the tourism side as it houses some of the most world renown exhibitions and expositions. This time it showcased two of the most famous painters of all time...Andy Warhol and Wassily Kandinsky.

Andy Warhol: The Father of Pop Art

It's not everyday you get to see a gallery full of Andy Warhol masterpieces, but when you are in Milan....anything is possible. The Warhol exhibition at the Palazzo Reale, near the Duomo, contained some of his well known pieces like the Campbell Soup Can, Mao Tse Tung, Self-portrait, Marilyn, etc. They even had one of Warhol's "piss paintings" where the canvas was urinated on to cause an oxidation effect.

Warhol was fascinated with Leonardo da Vinci. Ironically, his last art exposition during his lifespan was called "The Last Supper" and was held right here in Milan. The tour was also international friendly as they had individual audio players explaining certain artworks in ENGLISH. :)

Andy's Liz Taylor

Lady Sketch

The Elvis Presley Boot

Campbell's Soup can

Andy's Flowers

Wassily Kandinsky: Father of the Abstract

Immediately after my mind being blown away by Andy Warhol, it was time to see Wassily Kandinsky's exhibition. At first I couldn't put a painting behind Kandinsky's name, but as soon as I entered the exhibit my exact thoughts were, "He was the one who painted that?!"

Born in Moscow, he originally studied law and economics but his concentration was soon to be pointed in a different direction...painting. I guess his educational background would explain how he moved towards becoming a theorist painter. Unfortunately, the two images below are not originally taken by me as the gallery security guard forced me to turn off my phone; nonetheless, these were two important Kandinsky works on display and the Palazzo Reale.

Sky Blue by Kandinsky

Yellow, Red, Blue by Kandinsky

Saturday: Church Exlploration

No matter what your religious beliefs are, when you come to Milan you HAVE to take some time out of your day and visit any and every church that crosses your path. If I'm correct, I think Nico and I visited around five of them on Saturday. The one I will be describing in this post is the Basilica of San Lorenzo.

With the origin of this magnificent Catholic church dating back to the late fourth (390AD) - early fifth (402AD) centuries, the original structure has been rebuilt several times due to fires and other natural disasters. However despite these setbacks, the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Colonne di San Lorenzo (the square plaza in front of the basilica) are still symbols of the Roman Empire legacy in Milan.

Complete with decorative marble and early christian mosaics, inside the basilica you will notice the main geometric shapes used for its development where squares and circles. Over history, several chapels have even been added along the sides of the original structure. One in particular which is still standing and can be seen by the public for a small fee (1-2 Euros) is the Chapel of St. Aquilino. This chapel dates back to the origin of the basilica...late 4th century.

Overall, this was an amazing church located in the center of Milan, Italy. Milan...a city for anyone who wants to take a journey back in time. Enjoy the pictures!