Tag: folk art
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Fill Them Up
A piece of kitsch depicting a Sicilian folk scene.
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Bagheria’s Sicilian Carts
While in Bagheria on Wednesday, we had an extraordinary meeting at the workshop of Michele Ducato, one of the last painters of Bagherese Sicilian carts. Pictured is a detail from a cart on which he’s currently working. In addition to learning about the “family business” and the construction of the carts from Michele, Giovanni Di…
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High Ho Folk Art!
The bridle gear and breastplates created for the horses that pull the Sicilian carts are elaborate extensions of the carts’ decorations. This detail gives you an idea of this other form of folk art.
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Wheel of Fortune
Sicilian Cart. (Photo Credit: Experience Sicily’s Filippo Buttitta)
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Bloom and Song
From February 12-22, 2015 the city of Agrigento celebrates the 70th Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore (The Festival of the Blooming Almond Trees) and the 60th International Festival of Folklore. The “in Fiore” festival marks that spring is arriving and the almond trees are in bloom, while the folklore festival features performances of not only…
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Remember the Dead
Today is All Saints Day, a day recognizing martyrs. Tomorrow, November 2, is All Souls Day, the day to remember the dead.
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Hand-painted Wishes
“Auguri per il Matrimonio” (“Best Wishes for Marriage”), detail from my father’s toy, hand-painted Sicilian cart. Painted in Bagheria by Onofrio Ducato.
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Sicily is Color
Detail from the rim of a Sicilian cart’s wheel.
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Mesmerizing for Hours
Before video games, TV, and films, Sicilians had carts and cart drivers, traveling minstrels, and vendors whose songs told the stories of the detailed scenes painted on cart panels. Examining the mesmerizing craftsmanship of each unique “carretto” could keep you busy for hours.