A Day at a Museum

I woke up to the French being loud as they walked past my door and I stayed awake since they were scraping their chairs on the floor right above me. I woke up at 7 AM and we didn't have to meet until 9:30. It was upsetting, but I wanted to try to stay positive since there was nothing that could be done about it now.

Despite walking past it every day, we had never been inside the cathedral (Duomo/Florence Cathedral). It is a gothic style church with very little decoration. The reason for this is can be found in how Florence feels about the pope. They aren't aligned with the pope, but rather with the Holy Roman Emperor (I don't get it, but okay). 

The inside of the dome is a hated scene of the Last Judgement which was started by Vasari and finished by Zuccari. Nobody liked the art and now the art is so old, they can't get rid of it. It's an awful situation to be in. When Zuccari took over, he re-did some of the parts that were already done but we don't know what parts. Honestly, it is pretty darn awful. From the ground, it doesn't look too bad, so I posted a picture. 

This is a fresco by Castagno of a Mr. Tolentino, a Mercenary. it is considered to be more dynamic due to the twist of the horse's head.

This is a fresco by Uccello and it is a monument to John Hawkwood, a British soldier. It was done in 1430-40's. It is pretty cool in terms of perspective. Uccello uses a worm's eye view and adjusts it because he didn't want the audience to be staring at the underneath of a horse (and also because they told him to fix it).

This is just a cool clock.

We were able to have about an hour break where me and a few students went grocery shopping. It was so nice to be able to roam the aisles like I would at home. It made me feel a little closer to normal today.

At the end of the break, we met up to head to the Uffizzi Gallery. I had my ticket in hand and I headed up to go into the gallery; however, when I got to the top of the stairs, I didn't have my ticket anymore. There was nothing else I could do but tell Steve. I was so scared; I didn't want him to be mad or to have to spend any more money on tickets since they doubled in price. We were almost to the front of the line and when I told him, he wasn't even mad at all. He didn't have me go back downstairs to buy a ticket, but instead had me stick close by. He started speaking Italian to the guy at the ticket booth and he grabbed my arm and snuck me in behind him. SNEAKY STEVE. He was so proud of his stealth that he would re-enact the scene several times throughout the day. 

This is Madonna & Child by Cimabue. The artist did this composition in a Byzantine style (a style which dies around 1290). The guys on the bottom of the 4 old testament prophets which is symbolic of the old foundation on which the new law (Christ) is established.

This is Giotto's Madonna & Child. It was painted 1314-27. It is a late Gothic/Proto Renaissance work of art. It's unique because it has believable overlapping of figures. The halos cut off the heads of the angels in the background. There is more clear perspective and the use of chiaroscuro (light and dark).

This is Rucellai Madonna by Duccio. He painted in the International Gothic Style, which is more aristocratic and inspired by the French. The gold is absolutely gold leaf.  

I gave my presentation on Simone Martini's Annunciation. So a painting that is called the Annunciation shows the scene of when the angel Gabriel appears before the Virgin Mary and tells her that she will be the mother of the Christ child. This particular scene is one of my favorites. 

The painting is definitely for a more elite audience. The gold background indicates that this is a heavenly scene. The words which are exchanged between the two central figures translate to "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" are embossed onto the wood. The blue of Mary's cloak is lapis lazuli, which is a stone from Afghanistan. The lilies in the vase are symbolic of Mary's purity. The two people on the sides are saints. The people in the circles are Old Testament prophets. Honestly, Martini is so talented; he had so much texture included in this work of art. It is absolutely evident where artists like Botticelli received their inspiration.

This is the Strozzi Altarpiece/Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano. It was painted in 1423 in the International Gothic Style. It shows multiple events occurring in one scene. It tells the story of the 3 Wise Men looking for the Christ child except instead of the traditional wise men/magi, it is three generations of Strozzi family members wearing clothes that would have been illegal because there were vanity laws in place. This work of art is deliberately aristocratic and way over the top which can be seen in the second image where Christ is touching the head of one of the family members.

Right after checking out the Strozzi Altarpiece, some classmates found my ticket! It might have been in my notebook but we may never know. I turned my pockets inside out so there is no way that they could have been hiding in my pants or sweater. So grateful I had that just in case!

This is Beneziano's Saint Lucy Altarpiece. The artist is from Venice which had a huge impact on his arr. In this piece, he merges the style of Florence with the art he was raised with and this was the outcome. There is a focus on texture and details. The pomegranate trees are symbolic of the blood of Christ. This Florentine composition is a holy conversation, where no one is really communicating. 

This is the Madonna & Child/Uffizzi Madonna & Child by Filippo Lippi. It was painted 1460-65. This was the work of art that was on the back of everyone's ticket. Mary is more aristocratic in this piece and that would impact Botticelli. The vineyards are symbolic of the sacrifice of Christ. The landscape represents Florence. The model for Mary was the nun that Lippi was basically in love with and had two children with despite being a monk himself. Her name was Lucrezia.

This is Botticelli's Primavera (Spring). Botticelli was absolutely influenced by aristocratic art from the past. I used to think that he was kind of overrated but then I saw his art in person. I am converted!

The 9 figures in this work of art all come from classical mythology; the central figure is Venus. The orange tree is symbolic of the Medici family. The flowering of spring is symbolic of the human spirit. The pearls are symbolic of chastity. This was a work of art intended for private consumption since pagan subject matter was a huge No-No.

I was so excited to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus. Earlier this winter, I developed an allergy to some eye shadows and had to wear vegan makeup. I currently wear Lime CrimeTM Venus eye shadows. This work of art is on the cover of my makeup!

The face of Venus is an idealized face. The milky white skin suggests that she was based off of marble sculptures of the ancient past. In addition to Primavera, it was intended for private consumption.

We were able to spend a lot of time in the Botticelli rooms and we didn't even lecture on most of the works, which was an honest bummer. I've included images of some of my favorite works. 

I love works that include the appearance of translucent fabric; I think it is a true show of talent. The colors in this work of art are just stunning. Mary's pose is so refined. This is another scene of the annunciation, except this time it appears that Gabriel is a girl. 

The detail in this work of art was out of this world. Again, the colors were so rich and gave me a glimpse on what heaven might possibly be like. The skin of each of the figures is so smooth, it is hard to believe that it was painted.

This work of art shows Mary surrounded by children. The faces are all so similar, which I think indicates that Botticelli had a type. He knew what he was good at and just did that.

I wished that there had been fewer people in the Botticelli room. I could have easily spent another hour in there. Loading pictures onto the blog is an honest pain, so definitely check out my Facebook page to see the rest of the images I haven't included.

While we were standing there looking at the art by Botticelli, my friend Sierra told me that I had a Botticelli face. What a compliment!

This is the Baptism of Christ by Verrocchio. Verrocchio taught Leonardo da Vinci and this work of art might be the first that Leo ever did work on. I've included a close up on the angels. Research suggests that the left angel was the angel he did. Leo was known for his softer figures and attention to detail. Even if Leo didn't have a hand in it, the work of art is great; just look at the detailing of the water!

This is the first work of art that Leo ever did on his own. This is his Annunciation and it was painted in the 1470's. He used very soft lines for the contours and used sophisticated drapery. Something I thought was interesting was that he completed MAYBE 12 works of art in his life time, probably less. At least with painting, that's the number. 

I was really excited to see this painting by Raphael because I have used it as a meme for years! This woman would commission a work of art by Michelangelo that was included right next to the portrait. 

This is the painting that the meme woman commissioned from my boyfriend Michelangelo in 1505. This is Doni Tondo and it is pretty wild. It definitely suggests the direction that Mich would go in painting the Sistine Chapel. This is the last/only painting he did before he did that commission.

This beautiful painting by Raphael is Madonna of the Gold Finch. It is so named due to the lil bird that is included in the composition. In 1504 Leo was a superstar who just returned from Milan. 1504 Mich returned to Florence a Killer Queen after his Pieta. Raphael showed up and like a sponge, he just absorbed the best talents from the artists around him--especially from Leo and Mich. He found his niche in making images of Mary and Jesus doing 16 surviving paintings in a 4 year period.

In this work, he got the pose from a sculpture of Mich's and the soft contour is a gift from Leo. The background is influenced by another painter named Perugino.

This composition includes Mary, Jesus, and John the Baptist.

This is the sculpture by Bernini that we will see in Italy. It's kind of bittersweet but he also is the worst. This is Saint Lawrence and it was done in 1615; this was the first sculpture commissioned of Bernini. Saint Lawrence was a guy who was martyred by chaining him to a grill and burning him alive. Awful stuff. This sculpture has the texture of the fire catching his skin. Spooky. There are also the emotional elements that Bernini is good at. He did this when he was only 16 or 17 years old.

This is Madonna of the Harpies by Sarto. It was painted in 1517, right in between Renaissance and Mannerism, though it definitely leans more Mannerist. It is named for the creatures on the pedestal. 

This is Parmigianino's Madonna of the Long Neck. I do not like it at all. The work of art is unfinished and the proportions are absolutely crazy. It was considered offensive because the clothes cling to Mary's body.

This is the Venus of Urbino by Titian. This work of art would have a MASSIVE influence on 19th century art. Titian led the Baroque style in painting. He very carefully put multiple layers of glazes on his paintings. He used a soft contour line technique called sfumato. 

The work of art I have been waiting for: Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith & Holofernes. 

Artemisia was raped by her father's friend and only after refusing to marry her, did her father, Orazio press charges. During the rape trial, she underwent intense torture to see if she was telling the truth. She almost lost her fingers due to one of the practices the court did to her. In the end, her father stopped the trial and dropped the charges because he got a painting back that the guy stole. Some father, amirite?

Anyway, she went on to marry some lame dude from Florence who just had lots of affairs. Artemisia left him and she painted her happy lil heart away with the help of my boyfriend's nephew getting her some great commissions. She was the first woman to be admitted to the Academy of Art. She is also one of the first women to be mentioned in art history books. Regardless of gender, she is one of the great painters in history. 

This specific version of the painting which details Judith chopping off Holoferne's head (because he is a villain) is the second copy she did. It was commissioned by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Some scholars suggest this painting is autobiographical and painted her rapist's face as Holofernes and herself as Judith (honestly, more power to ya). In this painting, the woman is no longer the victim; the women are strong and powerful. 

This isn't a work we discussed in class but it is a Caravaggio! This severed head of Medusa is on a shield. Some scholars say this is a self-portrait of Caravaggio but as a woman. It's pretty cool.

Another image we looked at was Caravaggio's Abraham & Isaac. This image was so unexpected because it includes a rare landscape by Caravaggio (he never does those). In addition, the angel stopping Abraham physically touches him. Typically, they like to keep the divide between heaven and earth maintained.

In the next room was another Bacchus by Caravaggio. This was unexpected as well (which should be expected). This god of wine extends a goblet to the viewer, perhaps offering a drink. Some scholars argue that Bacchus is offering himself as well. They claim it is a moral message; however, it is definitely ambiguous what the scene is really all about. The detail in it is absolutely insane. Caravaggio creates the illusion of glass and was able to get the convex reflection just right. Gifted.

We were able to stay in the museum until they yelled at us to leave. It was one of the first times that I was able to leave a museum without being absolutely exhausted. If anyone ever goes to Florence and wants to check out a museum, I would go to that one; but try to get a reservation time. It's a little bit more but it beats waiting in line. Also, don't lose your ticket.