Two Months in Italy and Istria
July 19
During a walk we descended from the Fabrizio bridge to the edge of the Tiber where I saw a beautiful view of this Roman bridge and the Tiberina island. It reminded me of the paintings of Corot. I decided to paint there to hold a small conversation with him. Almost no one is aware that it was here in Rome almost a hundred years before the Impressionists that painters started painting outdoors. This view is strikingly similar to views painted in those years. I thought that in this tranquil place, near the river it would be possible for my wife Beryl to paint in the shade of the trees. She found a comfortable spot from which to paint the bridge. Unfortunately my location was in the sun. In a few minutes I was bathed in sweat and the turpentine evaporated quickly, but my canvas seemed to paint itself.
Trieste
July 21
We’re in the Trieste airport. ‘Air One’ lost my box. Without it I can’t do anything. It contains twelve canvases specially prepared for the trip. There is another box stored at Pier Luigi’s house in Rome. For a while, I thought that my whole project would come to naught. I waited in agony for two hours while the officials searched for it. Eventually they found it - still in Rome. We waited all the rest of the day in the airport. Fortunately the next flight from Rome (one hour late at seven thirty pm) returned it to me.
A Bridge Across Time
