Eloy Cortinez Photography: Featured Galleries and Collections

Motor city

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Detroit is often used as a synonym for the American Automotive Industry that was nurtured into maturity on the banks of the Detroit River. Prior to 1903 Detroit was a thriving carriage production center. Since the first horseless carriages were originally, as their name suggests, based on alterations to traditional carriage designs, it was no coincidence that Henry Ford decided to locate his first automobile factory in the fledgling city where resources for his trade were already widely available as were workers skilled in the trade most associated with his new business. Soon after the Ford Model T began rolling off assembly lines and onto the streets of Detroit, the Dodge Brothers, Walter Chrysler and others began to set up shop, solidifying Detroit's role as the automotive production capital of the world for decades to come.

venezia

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:57:20 GMT

]]>Venice is a very special city. Its remarkable configuration and historic treasures have made it a tourist Mecca , or if you prefer a refined amusement park for people looking for a “cultural”-oriented experience. Some people say that Venice is slowly dying, living mainly off tourism. Surprisingly, however, if we take a closer look, it’s possible to uncover a normal city with normal citizens that happen to be living in an urban landscape, criss-crossed by hundreds of canals, where no cars are allowed. In this context, everyday activities have a special flare. Normal people earning a living in a normal way or simply walking wearing a business suit, look somehow glamorous. Ordinary activities like carrying food or supplies become out-of-the-ordinary. Even from this mundane point of view, the city on the lagoon possesses its own bucolic light.

Lost Detroit II

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Interior of a recent abandoned church in Detroit

Naviglio grande

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

]]>The history of Milan is closely connected with the system of canals, that pass through the whole city. The area characterized by the Navigli is certainly one of the most picturesque of Milan. The oldest canal Naviglio Grande takes it’s water from the Ticino river. Tha canal was constructed from 1177 to 1257 and is about 50 km long. In the past it was used as transporting way of goods, particularly for the blocks of marble that were used for building the Cathedral. Typical, old Milan houses, old wash-houses with wooden beamed roofs and craftsmen’s workshops remember on passed times. Today you find boutiques and ateliers of artist of Milan, cafes, restaurants and old moored barges fitted out as bars for meeting the typical atmosphere and the young Milan people.

Turin

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Turin (Italian: Torino; Piedmontese: Turin; pronounced [tyˈɾiŋ]) is a major city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River surrounded by the Alpine arch. Turin is ranked third, after Rome and Milan, for economic strength.[3] Turin is well known as the home of the Shroud of Turin, the football teams Juventus F.C. and Torino F.C., the headquarters of automobile manufacturers Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, and as host of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Several International Space Station modules, such as Harmony and Columbus, were also manufactured in Turin. It is often referred to as "the Automobile Capital of Italy" or the Detroit of Italy.

Landscapes

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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Schignano carnival

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Di antichissime origini, il carnevale di Schignano è uno tra i più importanti d'Italia, quanto ad interesse etnografico.

Il teatrale carnevale di Schignano si svolge secondo il rito romano , quindi "và in scena" il sabato ed il martedì grasso, il giorno che precede il "mercoledì delle ceneri", è sicuramente uno dei carnevali più famosi della provincia di Como, data la sua unicità.

Il carnevale di Schignano mantiene ancora oggi il carattere antico di questa manifestazione, arrivata sino ai giorni nostri grazie alla partecipazione degli Schignanesi e all'impegno della Pro Loco. Il palco teatrale della manifestazione è la piazza principale del paese, i vicoli interni e le strade con congiungo le varie frazioni. Le maschere che lo animano si distinguono in "belli" e "brutti", metafore rispettivamente dell'umanità ricca, vanitosa e vuota e di quella povera, semplice, dedita quotidianamente al lavoro.

I "belli" o "mascarun" hanno una pancia molto rigonfia, segno evidente di benessere, ed indossano abiti sgargianti, impreziositi da collane, pizzi ed ogni genere di inutile chincaglieria. Alla cintola hanno appesi dei piccoli campanelli. Sopra la bella e preziosa maschera di legno (opera degli artigiani locali), portano un cappello sfarzoso, ricco di fiori, piume e qualche bambolina. La loro vestizione awiene in casa, aiutati dalle donne della famiglia.

I "brutti", invece, hanno un corpo deformato (l'imbottitura è realizzata con paglia e foglie) ed indossano laceri vestiti da lavoro, pelli di pecora e sacchi di iuta. Alla cintola hanno appesi grossi campanacci e sulle spalle portano una gerla ricolma di ogni genere di cose vecchie e sporche. Alcuni di loro hanno anche una scopa (per spazzar via la sfortuna), una valigia (simbolo dell'emigrazio-ne di un tempo) e un fiasco di vino (per consolarsi). Sopra la loro maschera di legno, dal profilo iregolare, portano cappellacci e corna di bue. La loro vestizione avviene nelle stalle fuori dal paese, aiutandosi l'uno con l'altro.

La sfilata delle maschere si svolge il sabato e il martedì che precedono la Quaresima. Aperta dalla "fugheta" (la banda musicale) e da due alti "sapör" (gli "zappatori" che aprivano la strada agli eserciti napoleonici), dal corpo ricoperto di pelli di pecora, il volto fuligginoso, lunghi baffi e un ascia di legno in spalla, la sfilata dei "belli" e dei "brutti" si svolge per le vie del paese, fra improvvise sceneggiate ora dell'una ora dell'altra maschera, sotto il controllo della "sigurtà".

Giunti sulla piazza, uno dei 'brutti" viene scelto per essere messo al rogo. Il rituale vuole però che questi riesca a fuggire. Dopo la caccia per le vie del paese, viene nuovamente catturato e, sostituito con un fantoccio (detto "carlisepp"), dato alle fiamme. Muore così, ogni anno, il carnevale a Schignano.

Battaglia di Casorate

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:49:16 GMT

]]>Historical reconstruction of the battle of Casorate, fought in 1356 between the Milanese Visconti army and a German army of Charles VI of Bohemia. At the time, German lords wanted to impose a very heavy tax regime on the city of Milan, and as a consequence, the nobility, lead by the Visconti Family rebelled and confronted the imperial armies. After a very harsh battle, the Italian forces prevailed.
Today, an accurate reconstruction of the battle and medieval lifestyle takes place in the small town of Morimondo, close to the actual battle location. People come from abroad in order to participate, immersing themselves in all the duties of medieval times, camping much like medieval armies did using circular tents, cooking food over a wood fire and using medieval utensils. The weapons, armor and uniforms are accurate replicas as well. Activities span two days ending with a re-creation of the battle where Germans and Italians fight once again in a realistic and spectacular way.

Berlin

eloy@eloycortinez.com (Eloy Cortinez Photography) — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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