Meeting time for our Uffizi tour 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, 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 19th c, rationalization of the collection saw sculptures and antiquities moved, leaving mostly paintings distributed throughout 45 rooms.
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| 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 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, 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 19th c, rationalization of the collection saw sculptures and antiquities moved, leaving mostly paintings distributed throughout 45 rooms.
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| This is the famous Tribune with favourite Medici pieces on show - even for those fortunate to be on a Grand Tour (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: 13th – 14th
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.
Early Renaissance: 15th 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.
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| Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto 1310; Room 2 |
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| Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano 1423; Room 6 (close up) |
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| Portraits of the Duke & Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca 1460; Room 7 |
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| Primavera by Botticelli 1480; Rooms 10-14 |
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| Birth of Venus by Botticelli 1485; Rooms 10-14. The first ever painting on canvas. |
High Renaissance:
16th 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.
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| Holy Family by Michelangelo 1456; Room 25 |
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| The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci 1472; Room 15 |
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| Madonna of the Goldfinch by Raphael 1506; Room 26 |
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| Venus of Urbino by Titian 1538; Room 28 This one sent Mark Twain in an absolute spin! |
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.)
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| 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.
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| Adolescent Bacchus by Caravaggio; Room 44 |
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| 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 the lesson in Art History?
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| Exhausted - me too! |
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