Italy: November 2005

Uffizi Gallery

History class in the Uffizi Gallery (1560) today. It was awe-inspiring going through the 8 000 sq.m of space filled with the most important art collection in the world, including works by Botticelli ('Birth of Venus' shown), Michaelangelo, DaVinci, Durer, Caravaggio, Lippi, Fra Angelico, Giotto, Bellini, della Francesca, Raphael, .. Despite the fact that many pieces were down for restoration, and others, sadly, ruined by prior restoration attempts, in person the artworks there were amazing; and as always, surprisingly different in scale and tactility.
I have to spend another good two or three days there to Really see the collection.

Medici Palace

History class with Peter Porcal at the Medici Palace.
Prototype of Renaissance civic architecture, the palace was built by Michelozzo for Cosimo the elder in 1444. In 1659 it was sold to the Riccardi family and remodelled and extended in new Baroque style.

London

Contemporary art crawl in London this weekend.
Saturday: "Universal Experience: Art, Life & The Tourists Eye", a group show at the Hayward Gallery (disturbing views of the flipside of touristy cities, their facades and hidden political agendas). Then to Tate Britain to see the Turner Prize Shortlist (disappointing, only 1 painter this yr, Gillian Carnegie), then to the Serpentine Gallery in the Kensington Gardens to see the "House of Dreams" installation by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov (wonderfully tranquil 'all-encompassing environment'). I also went to the "Edvard Munch By Himself" show at the Royal Academy, which turned out to be more inspiring than I expected. His use of light and palette were beautiful and so simply executed. It was a nice reminder that things don't always need to be complicated or overly-worked to constitute an 'art' piece.
Sunday: Tate Modern to see the Rachel Whiteread installation, Jeff Wall, and Henri Rousseau exhibits. Re-visiting some old favourites in the permanent collection (Neel, Beuyse, Richter, and Kiefer) was far more interesting and worth the trip there. Then went to Whitechapel gallery for an exhibition tour of "Paul McCarthy: LaLa Land parody Paradise" a grotesque, yet comical view on the human condition a-la Paul McCarthys Disney-esque pirate installations and cartoons.
Monday: Visited all of the commercial galleries on Cork street. Saw some amazing Picasso and Braque pieces for sale. Walked to the National Gallery to visit my favourite daVinci, Holbein, and Velazquez.
Shown: Simon Starling installation (Tate), Velazquez, and Paola Pivi (untitled:Donkey).

Siena

Went to Siena for the day with Peter.
Visited the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi (1500), and the National Archaeological Museum of Siena, and had lunch in Piazza del Campo. This is a gorgeous medieval town.

Art History - Masaccio

I can't believe the things I've seen today. Honestly, sometimes this seems like it's all a dream and I'm walking through the pages of my art history texts. Today we visited the Santa Maria della Carmine church here in Florence. We took a seat inside and began talking about the history of the building. A few minutes later we were led into a small chapel belonging to the Branacci family through a tiny door on the side of the building. I looked around me, and there it was, the 'Tribute Money' (1425) by Masaccio, right next his 'Expulsion of Adam and Eve.' I have been studying and deconstructing these works since I can remember. Seeing them in their original environments and under natural light, as they were intended, was breathtaking.
Later, we trecked over to the Santa Maria Novella church near the studio. Masaccios 'Trinity' (1425) stood infront of us as we entered anither side door. We were speechless. This piece is the first representation of 1 point or linear perspective in art (invented by Brunelleschi). The vanishing point is at the base of the cross. This is another well referenced piece of art in history classes and books, and one that I am more than familiar with, and fascinated by.