Yesterday part of our class went to see the Pitti Palace, where the Medicis made their home. It is an incredibly huge mansion, opulently decorated with carvings and trompe l’oil (that fool the eyes because they look so real) paintings. The ballrooms also were fantastic. Our tour guide said they sometimes do hold parties in them—formal, of course—and that she has attended several. They look like something that belongs in a fairy tale.
One of the many ballrooms in the Pitti Palace
This was by far my favorite gallery visit. We visited the modern section of the Pitti Palace Museum, which only goes up to the early 1900s. There were so many paintings that stopped you in your tracks and pulled you into them; each in their own way. And after this trip I notice sculpture more, having seen several that are moving in a way that paintings cannot be—they have a physical presence, and if done well enough by the artist look like they could come alive at any moment. One such sculpture was “The Dying Abel” by Giovanni Dupre, an extremely dramatic and expressive figure in deep bronze, yet beautiful even for its dark subject.
The Dying Abel, by Dupre
There was another room just full of French and Italian Impressionist paintings, and it was like walking into a room full of light. After so many dark and mysterious paintings these seemed to exult in the joy of life, casting aside mystery and depth in favor of simpler things. In many of the portraits in these Impressionist rooms, the models smiled and looked right at the viewer. One painting I liked in particular was Iridescenze Della Madreperla (Mother of Pearl Irridescences) by Filadelfo Simi. The colors are subtle and the mood is light, and the painter explains the form of the girl with the slightest changes in paint temperature and not too much detail in the brushstrokes.
Mother of Pearl Iridescence, by Simi
Another painter whose work I really enjoyed seeing was Franz Lenbach. His use of shadowy darkness, glowing skin tones and smoky sfumato make you look twice at his portraits. I like the ethereal quality of the light in every one of his paintings.
Franz Lenbach
Franz Lenbach
Franz Lenbach
A portrait painter whose work I was drawn to was Giovanni Boldini. His strokes look light and sure, and every piece of his possesses grace. He painted many of the women in high society during Victorian times. It seems no coincidence that the more you flatter your subject, the more popular you are as a commission painter…nevertheless, all of his paintings are delicate and pretty.
Giovanni Boldini
Giovanni Boldini
The most memorable of all the pieces I saw during this visit was without a doubt Antonio Ciseri’s Ecce Homo. It fills an entire wall, with figures nearly life-size. Ecce Homo are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of John 19:25, after scourging Christ and presenting Him to the crowd—in English, is means “Behold the Man”. Many artists have painted the same scene: Titian, Caravaggio, Bosch, and Tintoretto, to name a few, all of them with the same name. To me, Ciseri’s version of the scene seems the most realistic. The composition is incredibly powerful, as is the subject matter. Anyone entering the room cannot help but stand before this painting in awe.
Ecce Homo by Antonio Ciseri
A few things to notice—how most of the action in the painting is going on in half-light, setting up a dramatic contrast to the bright sky. Also, how nearly everything in the background seems to point to Christ—the slash of light across the creamy buildings, the spirals on the column, and obviously Pilate’s arm. I wish everyone could see this masterpiece in person—it is nearly photographic in quality, and indescribably powerful.
And tomorrow…last weekend in Florence, last day of class and a glimpse of the final version of my portrait!
