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Italy Adventures: Florence

*Apologies for belated post. Internet was down for one week!*

Yesterday, I went on a class field trip to Florence. The majority of the day consisted of a guided tour through the Uffizi, one of the oldest art galleries in the world. Apart from being insanely crowded and bursting at the seams with tourists (like myself) I was still able to take a few angled photographs of the most interesting pieces we saw, of which I will give a brief description in this blog post.

Below is the first art piece that the guide showed us. Unfortunately, I was not able to find the name for it. It features the Virgin Mary, very two-dimensional, with the angels seemingly stacked on top of each other. Her facial features are diminished and there is no use of highlights or shadow, giving no depth to the art piece.



Below is the art piece “Ognissanti Madonna” by Giotto di Bondone (1310). This representation of the Virgin Mary is much different from the first. In this piece, she is strong and feminine, and it is interesting to see her wearing a sheer white blouse, whereas in many representations one cannot notice her female features. Her legs are spread apart, showing confidence. There is also a sense of depth in the painting, with the angels standing behind one another rather than on top of each other. There is a ripple effect on her clothing, showing some shadows and highlights caused by light.





Below is the piece “Dukes of Urbino” by Piero della Francesca (1467-70). The sad story behind this painting: Frederico da Montefeltro, the duke of Urbino, really wanted to have a baby boy, and his wife, Battista, got pregnant seven times with no success, she had a daughter every time. On her eighth try, she had a boy but she died during childbirth. Battista is so pale and dead-looking in the painting because by the time the painting was halfway done, she had already died. Still, Francesca finished the painting, representing the lost wife and the duke. Also, notice in the painting that the duke has an oddly shaped nose. This is because he broke his nose and lost one eye during a tournament, hence the painting features his “good side.” The piece could be folded in half and stored away, as it was a private piece for the duke.



Below is the piece “Judith Slaying Holofernes” by Artemisia Gentileschi (1614-20), the only female artist that we were introduced to during the tour. Artemisia was a highly talented painter and she even attended an art school in Rome. Unfortunately, while attending university she was raped by one of her father’s friends. Radically for her time, she went to court with the case. She also vowed to continue painting, and this painting, though representing a bible scene also represents her anger with men and the man who hurt her. Artemisia is one of the faces of feminism in Italy.



The painting below is a famous representation of Madonna known as "Doni Tondo" painted by the great Michelangelo (1504-1506). In this piece, the Virgin Mary looks nothing like some earlier representations. She is muscular and almost man-like. She is also shown in movement- stretching her arms to receive baby Jesus. No longer is she sitting on a throne surrounded by angels. She is simply sitting on the ground. Behind her are five naked men, who the tour guide said are supposed to represent pilgrimage. In any case, it is a rare sight to see a depiction of the Madonna in such a common pose.


This is the view from the second floor of the Uffizi.


This is the ceiling in the great hall of the Uffizi.


A replica of the statue of David (real one is inside a museum because it was corroding too much when it was exposed to nature’s elements).

The great Duomo in Florence.


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