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Art & Places: Madonna at Kornmarkt, Heidelberg, Germany
“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” ~Michelangelo.
In the case of the beautiful baroque statue above, it was sculpted by Peter von den Branden in 1718.
Known as Madonna of the Corn Market (Kornmart in German language), this statue still stands proudly in the Kornmarkt, where she is appreciated not only for her religious meaning, but her artistic as well.
As Mary (Maria) became the patron saint of Catholic belief in the Palatinate, this statue was built by the Jesuits for The Prince Elector, who was trying to persuade the people of Heidelberg to switch to Catholicism. He failed as many of the Protestants preferred to migrate out of Heidelberg.
Mary demonstrates three typical characteristics of this period: Queen of Heaven, a virgin and Lady of Victory. She stands with her baby (Jesus) in hand on a gilded round cloud formation supported by four cherubs. The baby has his right hand raised in a blessing gesture wile his left hand holding a spear in the head of the snake dragon which represents the Protestants.
The statue stands on a pedestal base (7.38m high) equipped with three fountains bowls and was created in red sandstone. Other materials include various metals such as copper, brass and iron.
Information source:
Tourism Heidelberg – Madonna of the Corn Market
Wikipedia – Madonna Kornmarkt
Databank – Konrmarkt Madonna -
Altstadt, Heidelberg
I believe I haven’t share my experience visiting the Altstadt (Old Town), Heidelberg, Germany. Make yourself a coffee while reading this post with many interesting photos I captured for you.
Altstadt.Altstadt, the oldest part of Heidelberg, sits just below the Schloss. It extends along the Neckar River for a mile, with Karlstor on one end, and Bismarckplatz on the other.
Neckar River on the left, Altstadt on the right.Altstadt is a wonderful combination of old and new buildings, narrow streets, market squares, arts, history, science, shopping, eating and relaxing.
The Hauptstraße is the main road through the Altstadt, and is where most of the shopping is located. It is Europe’s longest car free zone (1.6km).
Other points of interest that can be found in the Altstadt include the Kornmarkt, the Church of the Holy Spirit, Hotel Zum Ritter and the Old Bridge.
Above is the Kornmarkt (Corn Market) which was once used for the collection and trade of agricultural goods. Seen at the background is the Town Hall (Rathaus). Rathaus was built first in 1701 after the War of the Palatinate Succession. In 1751 Prince Elector Karl Theodor embellished the building, and then in 1886, the east building was added. In 1908, part of the Town Hall was destroyed by a fire, and so once more had to be rebuilt. The building was expanded in 1961, adding another wing as well the bell tower.
Church of the Holy Spirit (Ghost).One of the few buildings in Heidelberg to survive the many wars during the past centuries is the Church of the Holy Spirit which stands reverently in the Marktplatz. The construction of the church was completed in 1544 since the the foundation was laid in 1398. The church has been home to Catholics and Protestants alike throughout the centuries. In 1706 a divider separating the two denominations was put in when both wanted to have services there, and it remained until the 1930’s. The church also has remains of the tombs and epitaphs of the Palatinate electors as well as a collection of manuscripts.
Hotel Zum Ritter.Hotel ZumRitter is located directly opposite the Church of the Holy Spirit on the Hauptstrasse. It was built in 1592, and is one of the very few buildings in Heidelberg to have survived the War of the Palatinate Succession. It is considered to be one of the most remarkable examples of the late German Renaissance period.
Prince Elector Carl Theodor built the Old Bridge in 1786. Although the fifth bridge built over the Neckar in this location, it was the first stone bridge to be constructed. The twin towers on the city side of the river were once part of the city wall, and contain dungeons used for housing criminals. In the center of these, hanging above the portcullis, is a plaque giving acknowledgement to Austrian troops who helped defend the bridge against a French attack in 1799. One of the most notable items on the bridge is the statue of a monkey holding a mirror. The legend surrounding this curious statue tells us that it symbolizes the fact that neither the city-dwellers nor the people who lived outside the city were better than the other, and that they should look over their shoulder as they cross the bridge to remember this.
I hope you enjoy reading this. I have hundreds of photos captured here and I will post more when time permits.
Information source: Tourism Heidelberg
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Art & Places: Dataran Merdeka Fountain, KL
If you are visiting Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) in Kuala Lumpur, do take the time to look for the fountain situated near the flag-pole here. And also, please look at the very interesting details of the fountain.
Also known as Queen Victoria Fountain, this fountain was imported from England and assembled in 1897. The fountain was originally erected at Market Square, but was moved to Dataran Merdeka (previously known as Parade Ground) upon objection from the police as it obstructed the traffic flow. This fountain was erected as a tribute to the Queen.
The base of the fountain is a basin and from the centre, an octagon-shaped marble stones rise to support five tiers of basins and above them, a pinnacle where the water comes out. The basins are decorated with floral and shell reliefs.
The art nouveau fountain features Heraldic creatures of lions and dragons that I supposed to represent the Victorian empire. Nevertheless, the iconic beasts have been characterized as having the intelligence, loyalty, honesty, and strength necessary to guard what is valued.
The combination colors of green, blue and brown represents the colors of nature; tree, sky and earth.
Location: Jalan Raja, 50150 Kuala Lumpur.
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Em’s Travel Diary – my own column!!
This year has been great so far for me and I am happy that I am given a chance to write and illustrate in a spread column (2-page) in Gaya Travel magazine. I can never imagine, in a thousand years, that this will be happening.
It all started when a friend, Rayyan Haries, tweeted me about wanting to feature my artwork on the cover of a magazine; Gaya Travel. I later set an appointment with him and met with the Creative Director, Sharm, and we discussed what he had in mind for the magazine’s new look and feel. I showed some of my artwork online and out of spontaneity, Sharm offered me a spread in this magazine to write and draw. Like seriously?Of course, I’d be crazy not to accept it…so I said yes! Truly happy and I am very thankful to Rayyan and the Gaya Travel team!
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Featured on the cover of Gaya Travel Magazine
Some of you were already aware that I am illustrating for a magazine but I did not mentioned it previously as I want them to break the news. Since the news was already out this morning on facebook, I sure am excited to add to the buzz.
Here is the cover I illustrated for Gaya Travel Magazine. Do look out for the issue at you nearest bookstores (will update the locations).
Final version of Gaya Travel Magazine cover, Issue 8.1.Previously it was done in the form of digital vector but somehow it seemed to be flat, and I tend to agree with that. So I drew again using traditional medium; watercolor.
Preliminary vector illustrationThe proportion of the watercolor work did not match with the vector, so the team had to cut the traveller image as you can see in the final cover above. It was all my fault as I was lazy to do the proportion calculation. Anyway, it turns out great too. The masthead color really makes the cover stands out.
Don’t forget to get a copy of the magazine, ok. Should be out next week. Here’s the better version of the cover in full.
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My Mother’s Kitchen soon by end of March
95% done. I just need to add some photos and it will be ready to publish. “My Mother’s Kitchen” is an ideal book for reading aloud and for playing ‘I spy’ in the kitchen as children learns to recognise things in the book.
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Featured illustrations at AFCC, Singapore
This year, Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC), is featuring Malaysia as the country of focus and it was such an honour for me to be given the chance to illustrate for them. I sent them some of the ready ones from my A to Z: Things that Boys and Girls Like to Do and some new ones illustrated just for the event.
As a children book’s writer and illustrator, I want to be involved in as many events as I can; around the world. This will help me further promote my books and illustrations. I have a very BIG dream; and that’s to be one of world’s renown illustrators in the industry. For this year, I am travelling to Singapore and Abu Dhabi to promote myself.
So what is AFCC is all about? AFCC brings together content creators and producers with parents, teachers, librarians, and anyone interested in quality Asian content for children.
With a mix of professional conferences, masterclasses and workshops, rights fair and media mart, and public events, AFCC is a unique and popular event right here in Asia that provides an opportunity for writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, distributors, parents, children, teachers, and librarians to meet, learn, develop their craft, and discover business opportunities.
The National Book Development Council of Singapore has been organising the highly popular Asian Children’s Writers & Illustrators Conference for the past ten years. Leveraging on its success, the conference was expanded to form AFCC which has emerged as a very popular professional and trade event since 2010.
AFCC impacts 1.5 billion children in Asia as well as their parents, professionals, and businesses involved in their development.
To join the conference, more information can be obtained here: AFCC.