Category Archives: Italy

Is That You, Lorenzo?

Lorenzo de’Medici, after Andrea del Verorocchio, 1480

I was startled to see a familiar-looking face among the treasures in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and even more startled that I actually knew his name. It was Lorenzo de’ Medici, known during his lifetime as “Lorenzo the Magnificent.” His image appears all over Florence, Italy. He lived from 1449 to 1492. This likeness is in painted terracotta. Reportedly his brother Giulano was much better-looking, but Lorenzo was the one groomed for power.

Lorenzo inherited his family’s banking fortune, built up starting with his grandfather, Cosimo. The Medicis were great patrons of the arts in the Renaissance, and Lorenzo was privileged to take over the family fortune at about age 20. He continued and even expanded his family’s tradition of supporting great artists like Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo.

Madonna del Magnificat, Botticelli, Public Domain

It was common for artists to use members of their patron families as models. In this Madonna by Botticelli, Lorenzo’s mother Lucrezia, a poet and patron of writers, is the Madonna. Lorenzo is the young man obligingly holding the inkpot.

At the time he took over, the family’s banking fortunes were already in decline due to overspending and political struggles. Still, Lorenzo used his wealth, political pull bribes and various strong-arm techniques to maintain a fragile peace among the notoriously fractious rich families of Italy. His lifetime was known as the “Golden Age of Florence.”

Like his father and grandfather, Lorenzo was the de facto ruler of Florence, important enough and annoying enough to some people that he came very close to being assassinated. On Easter Sunday 1478, he and his entourage were attacked–in Florence Cathedral. The conspiracy was instigated by the rival Pazzi family, and backed by the Archbishop–and even by the Pope. Giuiano was killed, but Lorenzo escaped with only a stab wound. After he died (later, peacefully), things went downhill for the Medicis in Florence. In fact, Lorenzo’s successor was known as Piero the Unfortunate.

Join me next time for more explorations into the art and history of Europe!

The Ides of March

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In the midst of the most turbulent American political season in decades, I recently re-read Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. His source was mostly the historian Plutarch. The play is still relevant, and still illuminating on the subjects of loyalty to others versus loyalty to country, honest differences of political opinion, and whether and when violence is justified.

This day, the 15th of March in the year 44 B.C., did not work out so well for Julius Caesar. According to the historian Plutarch, a fortune-teller warned him that something terrible would happen to him before the “Ides of March.” Confident fellow that Julius Caesar was, he laughed at the prediction and even gloated, as he made his way to the Roman Senate on that morning. He figured he was home free. But assassins awaited him at the Theater of Pompey, where Senate sessions were being held temporarily.

“Death of Caesar,” 1798, VIncenzo Camuccini, public domain

Julius Caesar’s death marked the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of fierce civil wars that eventually led to the formation of the Roman Empire–a period that was stable, but definitely not democratic. Julius Caesar had already more or less ended the Republic: he had named himself “Imperator.”

Events excalated. Caesar refused to resign when the Senate politely requested that he step down, and with one of his legions he defiantly crossed the Rubicon River into Italy. That was strictly forbidden. Military conquest was for the frontiers. Rome was for reasoned debate among civilized men. Ever since Julius Caesar’s audacious and risky march across that border river, the expression “crossing the Rubicon” has meant a fateful and irreversible action. There was no turning back, for Caesar or for Rome.

Looking back over the centuries, it appears that the common people loved Julius Caesar for his flamboyance and for the military glory he had brought home to Rome. But his aristocratic peers saw only danger ahead. They decided that Caesar had to go. Once he was safely dead and out of the way, his heir, Octavius, obligingly made Julius Caesar a god.

Today, the Roman Forum is a haunting place to wander, pondering the ups and downs of history. I bought a book with clear overlays which shows how the various buildings must once have looked. But even without a visual aid, it is not hard to imagine Julius Caesar and his entourage making his way through the Forum on his way to the Senate session on that fateful day in 44 B.C.

Join me next time for more explorations into the art and history of Europe!

Columbus Day

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No American holiday is as controversial as Columbus Day. Over 500 years after Christopher Columbus’s voyage to what was then the “New World,” celebrations often turn into protests. Since Christopher Columbus was from Genoa in what is now Italy, Italian-Americans use the holiday to celebrate their heritage. Native Americans and others decry the exploitation of their peoples by the European colonizers. We can all give some thought to history today. I am repeating some material from a previous post of mine for Columbus Day.

Remember the ditty, “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue?” Just two years after Christopher Columbus’s voyage, in the year 1494, the Renaissance artist Pinturicchio apparently added images of the Native Americans described by Columbus to a fresco in the Vatican. Columbus called the people he met “Indians” because he mistakenly believed he had reached the East Indies, source of coveted treasure like silk and spices.

: Detail of fresco showing Native Americans

News reports on the frescoes vary. Either the images were more or less overlooked for the past 500 years, or they were uncovered in a recent cleaning of the fresco. The images are difficult to see. They appear at the top of the open tomb.

: Pinturicchio “Resurrection of Christ”

The fresco, titled “Resurrection of Christ,” was commissioned for the rooms to be occupied by the newly-elected Pope Alexander VI. This Pope was the former Spanish cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, so his rooms came to be called the “Borgia Apartments.” All the great powers in Europe at the time were much interested in the so-called “New World.” Of course, we now know that a big part of the interest in “the New World” was in exploiting the people and the riches to be found there. But seeing this fresco gives us a little insight into the excitement in Europe over the new discoveries. And over time, after many mistakes and abuses, a “New World” of freedom and democracy really was created.

I first read about this discovery in The New York Times, http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/early-images-of-american-indians-found-in-a-vatican-fresco/. I have to thank Kathy Schiffer, in her blog “Seasons of Grace,” for coming up with the full image of the fresco. Her article is at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2013/04/first-ever-painting-of-native-americans-discovered-in-the-vatican/.

Today, in the midst of a government shutdown frustrating to everyone, the Statue of Liberty has reopened. The reopening is timely. In spite of grievous mistakes made by our country, past and present, and by European colonizers in the past, the United States still stands as a land of freedom and opportunity. The Statue of Liberty is still a cherished symbol of what America offers. An article about the reopening is at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/nyregion/statue-of-liberty-reopens-as-other-sites-stay-empty.html?_r=0.

Native Americans at the Vatican

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Remember the ditty, “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue?” Two years after Christopher Columbus’s voyage, in the year 1494, the Renaissance artist Pinturicchio apparently added images of the Native Americans described by Columbus to a fresco in the Vatican.

Detail of fresco showing Native Americans

News reports vary. Either the images were more or less overlooked for the past 500 years, or they were uncovered in a recent cleaning of the fresco. The images are difficult to see. They appear at the top of the open tomb.

Pinturicchio “Resurrection of Christ”

The year before last, I was lucky enough to be in Rome just when the Vatican Museums were first open on Friday evenings from 7 to 11 pm. All the daytime tourists leave, another long line forms, and at 7pm the doors open again. The museums do fill up, of course, but things are much less crowded than during the day. This program has been expanded; it now runs from May 3 to July 26, and again from September 6 to October 25. I hope to be there again on a Friday night before too long!

Join me next time for more explorations in the art and history of Europe!

How Brunelleschi Gave Us Perspective

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Filippo Brunelleschi, the genius who figured out how to build the spectacular octagonal dome of the Florence Cathedral, is often credited with inventing linear perspective around 1420. Actually, his great rival Lorenzo Ghiberti would beg to differ. So would the Arab mathemetician known as Alhazen, who lived around 965-1040. A copy of Alhazen’s work on the subject, with notes by Ghiberti, is in the Vatican Library. The ancient Greeks and Romans had the knowledge too, but it was lost in the Middle Ages. So Brunelleschi’s work was really more of a rediscovery.

What exactly is linear perspective? It is the technique of making an image in two dimensions–a flat surface–appear to be in three dimensions, with depth. As a not-very-good, self-taught painter, I’m always looking for ways to make my paintings less bad. Awhile ago, I bought a kit that promised to help me:

Linear Perspective Kit

The kit consists of various frames and grids. If I had the patience to actually work with the kit, I could create more realistic paintings by establishing a vanishing point, a horizon line, and accurate diagonals. While writing about Filippo Brunelleschi, I realized that the illustration on the cover of my kit depicts the master’s famous demonstration of linear perspective. The building shown on the cover is the Baptistery of Florence.

Florence Baptistery

The hexagonal building stands directly across from the Florence Duomo. Brunelleschi stood in the doorway of the still-unfinished cathedral. Using the rediscovered calculations and techniques of perspective, he painted a very accurate picture of the Baptistery. (We could take a photo, but there were no cameras in his day). Then he poked a hole in the canvas and looked through the back of the canvas at a mirror. When he quickly moved the mirror away, the viewer could see how accurate the painting was. Very quickly, every Renaissance painter worth his salt began using the technique. It was part of the new realism that swept the art world after centuries of art that was much more symbolic than realistic.

The Baptistery was constructed sometime between 1059 and 1128. Right up into the 19th century, this was the place every Florentine Catholic was baptized. In about 1400, new doors were needed. The city fathers held a competition for the plum job of creating bronze doors for this very important building. Brunelleschi was 21 at the time; Ghiberti was barely 20. The younger pup won. Ghiberti ended up working on these doors, plus a subsequent set, for pretty much the rest of his life. It took him 20 years to finish the first set of doors and 25 more years for the next set.

Brunelleschi was disappointed; this may have been one reason he turned his talents to architecture and design. Personally, I think he was lucky he lost this competition. It enabled him to enter and win the one for the cathedral dome. Both men became famous and had illustrious, well-paid careers. But today, it is hard to fully appreciate Ghiberti’s work even when standing right in front of the doors. We’ve lost our taste for intricate bronze reliefs. Brunelleschi, on the other hand, got to spend 16 years on a complex project in the open air of Florence, while everyone in the city discussed and admired his work. Today, every visitor can admire the Duomo from countless vantage points in and around the city.

The most famous image of Brunelleschi is a large statue that shows him gazing up at the crowning achievement of his life, the dome of the cathedral.

Photo by Richardfabi, released to public domain

Leonardo da Vinci remarked, “Perspective is the rein and rudder of painting.” Now, maybe I had better get that kit off the shelf and get to work painting.

Join me next time for more explorations into the art and history of Europe!

A Room with a View

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When the movie A Room with a View came out in 1985, I had never been to Italy. Within the first 20 minutes, I made up my mind to get there, especially to Florence and the countryside of Tuscany. That’s what movies can do for us. The story is from E.M. Forster’s 1908 novel of the same name; the chapter titles are charmingly used to name the chapters of the movie. In Britain, The Guardian named this movie one of the 10 best romantic films of all time, and it’s no wonder.

Helena Bonham Carter, playing a somewhat muddled girl named Lucy Honeychurch, has to choose between two equally handsome men: Julian Sands, passionate and unconventional, and Daniel Day Lewis, bookish, inhibited, and full of himself.

Maggie Smith, as her cousin and older chaperon Charlotte Bartlett, is deliciously dithery but finally comes down on the side of true love.

Judy Dench, as a not-very-good lady novelist, writes some immortal prose about a scandalous kiss that takes place in a very real Tuscan meadow.

Daniel Day Lewis, as Cecil Vyse, makes the mistake of mocking the passage at a crucial moment. (The very different movie My Beautiful Laundrette came out on the very same day as this one. It was hard to believe Daniel Day Lewis was the same actor in both of them. His incredible range as an actor put him well on the way to stardom). But I’ve given enough away already. Watch the movie! It’s available streaming on Netflix.

The screenwriter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, won an Oscar for her screenplay. She won another Oscar six years later for Howard’s End, from another E. M. Forster novel. She collaborated for many years with the directing-producing team of James Ivory and Ismail Merchant. She died on April 3 of this year, at age 85. Throughout her life, she also wrote wonderful fiction. Her most recent story, “The Judge’s Will,” was just published in the March 25 issue of The New Yorker.

Florence is not just a location, but a starring character in this movie. And the Tuscan countryside just outside the city is a place where dreams can come true. I did make it to Florence, and to the Tuscany countryside. Both destinations were everything I wished for, and more. Travel gives each of us a personal and lifelong “room with a view,” even after we return home. Movies can give us each a little boost in getting to those views.

Join me next time for more reflections on the art and history of Europe!

Rome Culture Week 2013 Cancelled (but go anyway!)

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Roman Forum

The first time we went to Rome, we were amazed when we stopped at the ticket office of the first museum on our list. Our tickets were free! We had arrived during the Settimana della Cultura, a week in which all city and state owned museums were free. We took full advantage, taking in museums we might otherwise have skipped: the Napoleon family museum, the Corsini Gallery, and the Villa Farnesina, where Raphael entertained his mistress while he created the latest in home decor for his wealthy boss. Best of all, we had the luxury of short, repeated visits to the big, exhausting museums like the Capitoline and the various locations of the National Museum of Rome. Ever since, we have tried to plan a trip around the Settimana. But dates are a closely guarded secret, announced with hardly any lead time.

The reason for the secrecy is that the free week was always meant to benefit locals more than tourists. But this spring, for the first time in 14 years, there is no Settimana at all. Authorities decided that with the current economic crisis, they cannot give up a week of admission fees. To add insult to injury, non-residents have to pay 1 Euro on top of the regular admission price, all the time. This rule was adopted in 2011, the same year the “tourist tax” of 2 to 5 Euros per person per night was imposed on all Roman lodging. The amount depends on the number of stars the hotel claims. Even campsites are taxed, though.

These extra fees seem minor compared to the total cost of a trip to Italy, but they are annoying to the traveler, the ticket seller, and the hotel keeper. The lodging fee has to be paid in cash, separate from the hotel bill. Considering what tourists contribute to Italy’s economy each year, this nickel-and-diming of visitors seems short-sighted.

Italy is expensive to begin with, and travel there can be frustrating. Italian cities and towns are stuffed with priceless art treasures, yet the museums are some of the worst-kept in Europe. Many buildings are crumbling, dusty and dark. Hours change without warning. Admission fees are high. It sometimes seems as though the cultural authorities exploit their treasures but fail to safeguard them.

In spite of all this, I love Italy. The cities and towns themselves, large and small, are free open-air museums of art, architecture and history. The churches contain some of the greatest treasures and are generally free, or they ask for a small donation. Italian people are friendly, kind and proud of their heritage. A bewildered tourist clutching a map on a street corner will soon have a local resident offering to help. Since Italians generally live in small homes, they spend a lot of time in parks, cafes and strolling their cities. Street life is colorful and endlessly fascinating. The food is wonderful. A little research makes a trip affordable (For me, the research is almost as much fun as the trip itself). And the memories are lifelong. Bella Italia will always beckon!

Campo de’ Fiori