This post is a strong recommendation for a compelling exhibition currently at the
Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, namely "
The Springtime of the Renaissance", subtitled
Sculpture and the Arts in Florence 1400-60. It might well have been called "
The impact of Donatello on his compatriots and Western art."
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| Madonna Pazzi |
Every year, the Strozzi hosts a major exhibition and they are invariably of high quality. This year, 2013, the organisers have surpassed themselves with this splendid show, the theme of which is the central role played by sculpture in the development of what we call Renaissance art. The exhibition has been organised by the Bargello together with the Louvre, and their joint pull means that we see major works from museums as far afield as Cleveland together for the first and in some cases probably last time. Just one amazing example among these juxtapositions is Donatello's incredibly modern-looking
Madonna Pazzi, from Berlin, hanging next to a 1450, painted and gilded, stucco copy from the Bardini collection. Other pairings place sculptures by the early Florentine masters next to the Hellenistic and Roman pieces that inspired them, and sculpture, including painted wooden work, next to "sculptured painting" where the painters are clearly attempting capture the three dimensions of sculpture. Even perspective made an early appearance in carved reliefs, as in Donatello’s use of precise central-point perspective when carving in very shallow relief.
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| Cumaean Sibyl by Andrea del Castagno |
During my visit earlier this month, I was surprised at how few people
there were at the exhibition. This is possibly a reflection of the very
slow start to the tourist season this year. In any case, if you have the
flexibility, a visit earlier in the year will mean more opportunity to
enjoy the art without the throng. (I can guarantee that this show will
be packed when it moves to Paris in August.) Furthermore, the absence of
electronic proximity detectors means that you're free to examine
details from an inch away. This can be enlightening, especially when
studying some of the pieces restored specially for this exhibition and
the miniature pieces. One example is the life-sized
St Stephen
carved by Francesco di Valdambrino around 1409, placed next to a
beautiful gothic Madonna carved in Pickardy in about 1270 and a
miniature Parisian ivory Madonna of the same decade.
In last room, we encounter some magnificent portrait busts and medals. Some are old friends, some are easily accessible for the first time. Placed alongside these are classical portrait busts. The Renaissance artists had so completely absorbed the spirit of classical antiquity that sometimes the styles are indistinguishable.
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| Niccolò da Uzzano |
Don't miss this exhibition if you have the chance to see it!
More about La Primavera del Rinascimento.
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Borgo di
Vagli restored mediaeval hamlet in Tuscany
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Borgo di Vagli has been authentically restored as
a Tuscan vacation hamlet. The residences can be bought in the form of
fractional ownerships, making a holiday home in Tuscany possible at
modest cost.
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Fulvio Di Rosa
All content copyright © Fulvio Di Rosa 2013. All rights reserved.
