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Italy's top 5 Art Treasures
Mine are: David Pieta Primavera Moses (why does he have horns?) Mosaics in St. Marks I cant wait to see the Veiled Christ this fall. |
His astrology sign was Taurus.
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Hi J,
>Moses (why does he have horns?)< It is a misinterpretation of the Hebrew which is accepted as "his face shown", which could also be translated as "rays (of light) came out of his head" and ended up as "he had horns". I also like "The birth of Venus". ((I)) |
PS,
I very much liked "The Veiled Christ". I rank it close to "David" for technical skill and concept. ((I)) |
May we add Bernini's Apollo and Daphne?
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The Sistine Chapel is a masterpiece which I loved, but David won my heart.
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Gozzoli's Procession of the Magi stole my breath
The Pieta (the one in St Peters) stole by admiration My heart belongs to Uccello's Rout of San Romano - don't know why really, there are much better paintings - but hey that's love - you can't explain it - it just happens. Luckliy there are three parts so I can get my fix in London, Paris or Florence |
My list is:
Sophia Loren Anything by Bernini |
Ira,
thanks for the explanation on the rays of light. very interesting. |
The Last Supper and David remain the highlights of our many trips to Italy.
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My personal faves in Italian museums/churches/collections...
-David (natch) -Caravaggio's Conversion of Saint Paul [church of Sta Maria del Popolo, Rome]--or for that matter anything by Caravaggio -the Apollo Belvedere [Vatican]--he's beautiful and I want to kiss him, please -Tintoretto's Last Supper [church of S. Giorgio Maggiore, Venice] -Botticelli's Madonna of the Magnificat [Uffizi]--or for that matter, anything by Botticelli Gosh that was hard to narrow down. ;-) |
DejaVu,
I have never seen -Tintoretto's Last Supper [church of S. Giorgio Maggiore, Venice]. It looks so beautiful. I will check it out when I am there in Sept. It if fun looking up everyone's favorites. Expands my knowledge. |
I'm with wombat! "Walking into" Gozzoli's painting in the tiny chapel of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence is an unforgettable experience!
Also, the glorious Byzantine mosaics in the apse of the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna (of Justinian, Theodora, and more) are dazzling! Round it out with Donatello's <i>David</i>, Michelangelo's <i>David</i>, and Bernini's <i>David</i>, and you have five! (Those aren't really my absolute top five! I'm too wishy-washy to settle on a final five!) |
A question on a lost art treasure that I "remember" from a visit to Florence in my youth. I say "remember" because it is very hazy (yes my youth was a few years ago). I am sure I remember some palace in Florence with incredible tapestries/frescoes which you viewed as you walked downstairs. The closest I have found is Gozzoli's painting – i.e. those are the types of images that I “remember’ but of course there is not the stair experience. Anyone have an idea of what I might have seen – or perhaps it’s just the passage of time and consumption of wine that has befuddled the mind of this wombat.
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Wombat,
Are you thinking of the Palazzo Davanzati? (I've never seen it because it has been "under restoration" for the last 20 years at least.) http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/en...sei/davanzati/ |
Eloise
I can't tell from the website whether that is it or not - but the "youth" to which I referred was comfortably over 20 years ago - will google and see if I can find some other pictures |
How about the top 5 museums?
Top 5 buildings? Top 5 piazzas? Top 5 archeological sites? |
ok scrb.. let's hear um :)
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My personal top treasures:
1.Brunelleschi's cupola of the Duomo, Florence. 2.The Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence. 3. Michaelangelo's David in the Accademia, Florence. 4. The Portinari Tryptich by Hugo Van der Goes (Uffizi), Florence. 5. The Doors of Paradise by Ghiberti, Florence. I would have added the frescoes in the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi before the earthquake. |
JandaO: Tintoretto's Last Supper is to the right of the main altar inside the church of S. Giorgio Maggiore. In its original home, which is usually not the case--so you can really appreciate how Tintoretto geared the composition for the space, especially his use of diagonal perspective.
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It's tough to list just 5, but I'd say mine are:
Michelangelo's David, the Accademia Michelangelo's Pieta, St. Peter's Botticcelli's Birth of Venus, the Uffizi The Sistene Chapel St. Peter's Basilica (cheating, I know) |
There is a statue in Sorrento of St. Francis of Assisi that I will never forget. St. Francis is wearing a light tunic, instead of heavy robes. He is almost dancing as a bird is taking flight from his fingertips. I don't know the artist, I wish that I did, but whoever it is has captured the freedom and joy of being in step with Spirit.
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Ira, Thanks for the "rays of light" explanation.
My favorites (and I haven't seen everything): Bottecelli's Birth of Venus Statue of David Sistine Chapel ceiling Frescoes in the church at San Gimignano Mosaics - Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome All were magnificent |
Oh, yes, and the Pieta. I had seen the masterpiece as a teenager, before it was vandalized in the 70s and before it was behind glass. Artists did an excellent job restoring it, considering that Mary's nose was chipped off. But when I saw it last summer, I couldn't help but view Mary's face as a work of restoration.
Still, it is a stunning work. |
Those of you who are choosing the Sistine Chapel ceiling: Were you able to see it when there weren't 900 other admirers crammed in there with you? It was magnificent, but the crush of the crowd certainly took away from my experience.
Also, when we were there, we could only view the Pieta in St. Peters from pretty far away, due to work on the dome/ceiling above. Hard to feel like I was really seeing it, given the distance. |
Missypie, we were in the Sistene Chapel May 9, at 4:00, and it wasn't crowded at all. I wish I'd remembered to bring binoculars to see the pieces up close.
Also that day, we could walk right up to the Pieta's enclosure without obstruction at St. Peter's. |
You chose a good time to travel! Three weeks later you would have had my experience!
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I visited Rome in early March a few years back and even at mid-day, there weren't many people at all in the Sistine Chapel. I can imagine it gets quite crowded in-season.
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2.The Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence.
Where is this? Santa Maria del Carmine doesn't sound familiar. Must have missed it. 4. The Portinari Tryptich by Hugo Van der Goes (Uffizi), Florence. Don't remember this either. Oh and the Sistine Chappel was packed full when I went last November. |
Thanks all, I am considering a first trip to Italy between Christmas and early Jan. Any idea how the crowds will be? I figure this might be a good time to view the art, and when we can come back to Italy in warmer weather we can "do" the countryside?
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1. Duccio: Maesta, in Siena
2. Piero della Francesca: Resurrection, in Sansepplcro 3. Rapahel: the frescoes, Vatican, Rome 4. Velasquez: portrait of Innocent X, Gal. Doria-Pamphili, Rome 5: ?? By the way, the Veiled Christ is the silliest, campiest piece of fluff imaginable. |
miasmadude
Please tell me more about the Veiled Christ. I have seen it on TV and in guidebooks. It looks fabulous. When did you see it? Why the disappointment? |
scrb, the Brancacci Chapel is on the "other" side of the Arno from where most of the tourist-visited sites are. It was a bit of a walk, but extremely worthwhile. The frescoes are vibrant and astoundingly colorful and the fact that they are so well-preserved is amazing.
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I'm rally happy to see the Brancacci chapel and the San Gimignano frescos on folks lists. They are two of my favorites.
I love the Berninis in Rome and the Caravaggios, too. I've done a sort of tour of both, and it makes for some great viewing. But the Piero della Francesco frescos in Arezzo also go on my list. Gone out of my way to revisit them. The Medici tombs in Florence are also among my favorites. |
JandaO, it is, I admit, purely personal.I am reading a book by Edith Templeton about Italian cities, and she comments, a propros od della Robbia, that great art should make us feel uncomfortable, should not be "sweet" or "cute." I agree;
Piero's Ressurrection, in Sansepolcro, is a perfect example. Here, ther newly risen Christ steps out of his tomb, and you can FEEL his strength, almsot see the flexing of the muscles in his foot on the tomb's edge. The Veiled Christ is nothing like that. It is no more than a very cunning piece of marble-carving; a dead cat under the carved veil would have just as much meaning. Oscar Wilde said you have to have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing. I feel the same, in spades, for the Veiled Christ. |
My favorite is Raphael's "The School of Athens" in the Vatican. It just speaks to me like no ther work I have seen. Of course David is phenomenal.
Baldworth |
Apollo and Daphne, Bernini
David Calling of St. Matthew, Carravaggio |
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Oh, olive oil, you just made my day!
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Caravaggio's calling of Matthew (in Rome)
David Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel in Padua Madonna and Child by Raphael in Pitti Palace Don't know exact name, but the veronese depiction of Last Supper in Accademia in Venice ( dinner at the house of Levi) |
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