Rothko ~ always controversial?

 Okay.  I have seen my share of Rothko works in various museums. I can appreciate them at an emotional level, I guess.  And really, even Rothko stated that that is the essence of what art is and does.  As he communicated to curator Katharine Kuh, who worked at the Art Institute of Chicago, he felt that "paintings should speak directly to the viewers, without the filter of critical interpretation.  'Silence,' he implied, is the most honest form of engagement with art, an idea that mirrors the meditative stillness [of many of his works]." (from a placard at the Strozzi)

Now.... the Palazzo Strozzi, THAT is my kind of place.  I love this palazzo.  It's enormous, looming over the street, almost menacing.  Very 'plunked' from the heavens; so perfectly Renaissance in its design.  And with a light and airy inner courtyard:

The Strozzi were a very wealthy banking family.  And when their palazzo was built, it was truly one impressive palace.  

When the Pitti family wanted to build their family palazzo, they informed the architect that they wanted Palazzo Strozzi to fit in its interior courtyard.  I think that is known as a 'sick burn'.

So the dimensions were noted, and the architect proceeded to design Palazzo Pitti around them.

The Pitti is..... colossal.  And way too much.  Which was why they agreed to sell it to Cosimo I de'Medici, when his wife, Eleanora of Toledo, got tired of the small rooms in Palazzo Vecchio.

Back to Rothko... which I really don't like.  Maybe I'm a schmuck..... I don't really get the impact.

His work is even at San Marco, "in conversation" with Giotto's work in some of the monk's cells:

What can I say?

 

ad locum or in situ?

 Either Latin or Corsican, it means "on site."  Stuff in its place.  Not in a book.  In a location.

For example, in Florence's Loggia dei Lanzi, there are several masterworks in situ. You can look up in awe at two works, in particular.  Cellini's Perseus with the Head of the Medusa:

Or you can be astonished at the detail in Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women.:

Right now, these works remain in the Loggia, though as the art historian I listened to yesterday said, there is discussion on moving them to the Uffizi and putting copies in their place.  Why?  He said, 'badly behaving tourists.'  If you can imagine?  Why are there such swine in the world?

I must say my greatest discovery during this visit to Florence has been the British Institute in Florence.  My visit was timed with a week of lectures, most of which I attended.  These were on Florentine artists.  And it is so satisfying to listen to a scholar talk and then go visit the works he enlightened you on. 

There is no Italian word for 'geek.'  The closest I could find is tipo strano.  "Strange one"... that's me, I guess!  Bello!

Beauty is Truth

 Florence has so many things in abundance.  The art, history, culture... is just immeasurable.  And yet I feel like a large percentage of the tourists who come here experience it on a superficial level.  There are the "must get" selfies.  I've passed by so many doing these.  At the Arno, by the Duomo, in front of Michelangelo's David.  Everyone seems to be having fun, but I can't help think how much is missed by this kind of experience.  The reality is, everyone travels in their own way.  And all those ways are just fine.

But to know the artists, their stories, the political upheavals, the inspiration behind the art and philosophy of Florence. It really extends one's appreciation of the city and the PRIVILEGE it is to be here.

This morning I finally made it to Ognisanti, the Church of All Saints on the banks of the Arno.  

It is gorgeous, of course.  But the main reason to come is to visit the tomb of the Master... Sandro Botticelli.  He is one of the Early Renaissance superstars.  He received scads of commissions.  Developed a unique elongated style and flatness that made his work very appealing.  His work is in the Uffizi, of course.  And who doesn't swoon over Primavera?

He was very pious, and even got sucked into the crazy radicalism of Savonarola.

But ... as we know .... amor vincit omnia. Love conquers all.  And when he caught sight of Simonetta Vespucci, that was it.  Simonetta married into the Vespucci family.  Yes, the one that featured Amerigo Vespucci, Italian navigator that made it to the Americas.  At 16, she married Marco Vespucci, whose father was a distant cousin of Amerigo.  Settling in Florence, she quickly became known as La Bella Simonetta.  Fair skin and hair, noble carriage, gracious manners, gorgeous wardrobe.  She became very popular at court.  She caught the eye of Botticelli, who was so captivated that he spent several years trying to capture her beauty on canvas.  It is said that she was his muse and model for many works:

She died, scholars disagree on the disease that took her out, at the age of 22.  Many scandalous rumors about whether she had had an affair with Giuliano de'Medici had been circling around.  The city of Florence mourned her death.  She was carried around the city in an open coffin to the wails of mourners. 

She was buried at Ognisanti, which was their family church.

When Botticelli died years later, he requested that he be buried at her feet.  Here you can see the circular stone that marks his place at the foot of her marble tombstone (she is buried in the floor):

Of course, this is all very Romantic and who really knows.

But it is stories and myths that make Florence so special.  

 

The transformative power of an Italian bra

 This trip I am immersing myself in the total Italian experience.  Food, of course.  Public transport, yes.  Skincare, I'm in!  Bra, done!  I purchased an Italian bra to see what sort of magic it could perform.  Does it make me feel more appealing, more Italiana?  Smoldering, even.  It's not what I'm used to in terms of fit.  I usually go for the 'minimizer' model.  I would categorize this bra as recreational.  Alas.  Why can't I find a minimizer in this Italian line?  The answer is:

Anyway.

This morning I spent a couple hours at Santa Maria Novella, truly one of my favorite churches/museums in Florence.  Completed in 1470 and distinguished by its unique facade of striped green and white marble, it's Florentine, Leon Battista's masterpiece.  Called Romano-Gothic because of its strange (and exquisite) blending of two very different architectural design components, it seems so small when you are looking at it from the street:

In fact, the facade works to hide the actual nave of the church.  But when you enter.... gasp.  Huge vaulted ceilings, massive 6 foot diameter columns, a vast collection of frescoes, paintings, sculptures, side altars and chapels.  So many masterworks, including Giotto's crucifix:

In the afternoon, I attended a lecture at the British Institute of Florence.  It was a lecture on the life and works of Bronzino, whose real name was Agnolo di Cosimo.  Born, raised, and trained in Florence.  He developed a Mannerist style and was the favored court painter of Cosimo I de'Medici.  He did this well-known portrait of Cosimo I:

And this of his wife, Eleanora of Toledo.  I love her.  She was super intelligent and very savvy about public relations.  She convinced Cosimo to purchase the Palazzo Pitti because she felt the old digs at Palazzo Vecchio were just TOO vecchio (old).  So he did.  Then, she convinced him that it would be best to have a private covered walkway to get from the Uffizi (offices) to the Palazzo Pitti.  This became the Vasari corridor, built on top of the Ponte Vecchio.  

Bronzino painted lush and erotic allegorical works as well:

The art historian put it so well.  Bronzino created "portraits of impenetrable aloofness and material splendor."  I aspire to both of those things.  Especially in my new bra.

Try as you might....

 Try as you might, but you just can't escape this reality.

Why is it that when I'm in Rome, I feel heavy?  I feel elated, but somehow subpar.  The city is so busy, so full of people and noise.  The wonders are endless.  There is just too much to know and/or learn.  The questions you ask your wretched self are as follows:

• What is wrong with me that I cannot walk for 6 hours straight?
• Why couldn't I ever get through Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome?
• What lack of self control makes me want to eat fried rice balls all day?

However....

When you come to Florence, somehow the game has changed.  There are just as many tourists, but there is more sky.  Everyone seems to be trying to look their best.  There is a rosy glow.  A desire to wrap strands of pearls in your hair.

• You feel that you could take up smoking and never get cancer.
• You feel that with just a few adjustments, you too could look like Catherine de'Medici.
• You know that you can spend endlessly and never end up in the workhouse.
• You feel justified for never having finished ANY of Mary Beard's books because they really are annoying. 

Just breathe in this Renaissance gem of a city. But not too deeply as there are some stinky bits.

Sunday doings

 When in Rome on a Sunday, I always attend the 9am mass in the Pauline Chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore.  This is one of my favorite churches in Rome.  It's actually a basilica, though.  It is one of 80 Marian churches in Rome.  The original church was built on this site (the Esquiline hill) in 432 by the order of Pope Sixtus III.  Later, during the Papacy of Pope Liberius, Mary appeared to him in a dream and demanded it be improved to Maggiore status, which it truly IS!

Full of exquisite early mosaics, gilt coffered ceilings, marble wonders, and now this:

  

The tomb of Pope Francis.  Understated, noble, soft, unassuming.  Franciscan restraint, but in marble.

You know, when Pope Francis announced his desire to be buried here, my first thought was, "oh boy, that is going to be a game changer for this church."  A church that was always a delight to go to because not many people were there.  NOW, LINES wrapped around the block to pass through security.

He was loved.  What else is there?

The priest at mass was so great.  A wonderful homily (in Italian) about how Pope Leo is spreading the message of peace, love, joy.  And he insisted we do the same.  He also mentioned that Pope Francis spent much time in this basilica, just walking and praying.  

So, Sunday in Italy actually is about walking.  After lunch, everyone goes for a passeggiata. A long and lazy stroll around.  Trying to escape the crowds, I decided to walk up to the Borghese gardens.  Well, the crowds were there, alas.  But so were the parrots.  Hundreds of them.  They must be mating or nesting?  They were glorious.

Sopra Minerva and Italian skincare

 Thinking about Pope Leo X yesterday made me want to visit his funerary monument at Santa Maria sopra Minerva.  This glorious church is near the Pantheon and somewhat easy to miss without the assistance of Google Maps.  Sopra Minerva is a stunning space and it is named so because it was built over the ruins of an ancient temple to the goddess Isis, erroneously attributed at the time to the goddess Minerva.  Very seldom in Rome to you get to enter a groovy, original Gothic (medieval) space because during the Baroque era, most churches were updated to that style.  But here it is.  Bask in the sumptuous Glory of vaulted ceilings and stary night skies:

Along with the tombs of plenty of famous people and artists, including Fra Angelico, are plenty of masterworks.  Michelangelo's Christ the Redeemer AND the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena:

Afterwards, much wandering around.  I decided to indulge in some Italian skincare products so I went to a shop dedicated to such.  Italian skincare tends to be botanical-based wonders.  This shop was so beautiful.  The shelves obviously organized according to skins types and needs.  Exquisite colored bottles of soft lilac, pinks, cornflower.  Ingredients like chamomile, lavender, rose oil, gillyflower.

I asked a woman for assistance.  She took a quick look at my face and neck and then led me over to a shelf where the bottle colors were a bit more dark, menacing and a bit foreboding.  She began to go over the merits of each product.  Now, my Italian isn't always accurate but I'm pretty sure I heard an ingredient list that included snake venom, bull's testicles, and the juice from a South American plant that has the ability to paralyze small rodents. 

Sold!!!  I bought it, bitches!  And I am very pleased with the results:

Ciao, ragazzi!