Stars Align

Florence, Italy: Day 3. A Life of Dreams... The Uffizi Gallery

Trying to keep up with our guide, I only took one photo of
this rather stunning passage, and only of the ceiling.

Meeting time for our Uffizi tour had finally arrived.  We gathered at the Piazza Signoria and smartly made our way inside this grand building, commissioned in by the Medicis (1560) as administrative and judicial offices.  The Gallery, included in designs for the second floor, is essentially a princely collection amassed by the Medici family over generations and in its time, as it is today, an essential Grand Tour stopover.  In 1737, the collection was bequeathed to the city (never to leave) by the last member of the dynasty, Anna Maria Lodovica.  In the 19^th c, rationalization of the collection saw sculptures and antiquities moved, leaving mostly paintings distributed throughout 45 rooms. 

This is the famous Tribune with favourite Medici pieces on show -
even for those fortunate to be on a Grand Tour in 1660 -1840's. 

We moved through at a smart clip, our knowledgeable and agreeable guide sharing his passion for the Renaissance with us.  Given that we could not repeat all that was explained to us, and as we saw an assembly of a large number of objects, a few more photos will have to suffice.  (Yes, it seems a blur now – thank goodness we were allowed to take photos; not especially good ones mind, given the crowds, but at least they jog those little grey cells!).  So, here you have it, an Uffizi overview!

Gothic Art: 13^th – 14^th c. Rooms 1-6.  We saw how Italian painters of the time began to move away from stilted conventions of Byzantine painting, striving for naturalistic detail and realistic portrayal of depth.  The highly decorative International Gothic best shown in a glittering piece by Gentile da Fabriano, who clearly liked a bit of the sparkly stuff.

Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto 1310; Room 2

Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano 1423; Room 6 (close up)

Early Renaissance: 15^th c. Rooms 10-14.  Artists of the Early Renaissance explored perspective (space and depth) shown in these unusual side portraits by della Francesca.  Generally, it is believed her portrait was painted from her death mask, however our guide said he believed she was dressed in the fashion of the day (think of Queen Elizabeth 1).  Gradually artists, Botticelli included, dared to challenge established thinking by painting pagan subjects within the strict boundaries set for Christian religious themes. 

Portraits of Duke & Duchess of Urbino, by Piero della Francesca 1460; Room 7

Primavera by Botticelli 1480; Rooms 10-14

Birth of Venus by Botticelli 1485; Rooms 10-14. The first painting on canvas.

High Renaissance:  16^th c. Rooms 15-28.  This period established Renaissance masters who improved upon previous achievement; their work characterised by emphasized proportion, strong balance, and ideal beauty. Michelangelo’s vibrant colours and twisted poses were especially influential.  Titian was included in these rooms even though he was a most celebrated Venetian painter.  

Holy Family by Michelangelo 1456; Room 25

The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci 1472; Room 15

Madonna of the Goldfinch by Raphael 1506; Room 26

Venus of Urbino by Titian 1538; Room 28 
This one sent Mark Twain in an absolute spin!

 Mannerism: Rooms 29

Mannerism exaggerated the qualities of the High Renaissance often resulting in contorted anatomy, unnatural colours & strange composition, best seen in Parmigianino’s masterpiece.  (Mannerism exuberance was succeeded by Baroque, and we’ve thrown that word around a bit, especially in Sicily.  Baroque had its beginnings in Rome in 1600’s and was a theatrical mix of passion, drama and exaggerated movement.)

Madonna of the Long Neck by Parmigianino 1534; Room 29
Not a good photo but you get the idea of Mannerism.

 Later: Rooms 30-45

There were more rooms full of other wonders, masters of Northern European painting including Durer and Holbein, and even though our focus was a little more local, we finished up with quick glimpses of Rubens, Room 41 & 42 and Rembrandt, Room 44 then finally, Caravaggio.

Adolescent Bacchus by Caravaggio; Room 44

Medusa by Caravaggio 1596; Room 43

Oh my, that must be 50 art photos by now, all up & posted, but who's counting!  I’ve tried to included a few links to sites with much clearer photos - most of the artworks are behind glass.  So then, how was this Uffizi lesson in Art History? 

Exhausted?  Me too!