I did not know the history of this painting and I am a bit stunned 1) by what I just learned, and 2) that I had not learned this at any other point in my life! Yes, for this history alone, I would like to see it in person.
In 1997, I saw the Mona Lisa and was underwhelmed. I had no idea it would be so small. So much hype and no time to simply sit with it (as your recent post discusses). It was then that I realized the last time I had been stunned by beauty was when I was backpacking in Venezuela and looked out over the Brazilian rainforest. And with that realization, I no longer sought out museums. And perhaps this is part of my love for Italy: the natural landscape, the colors of buildings, the light at all times of the day, and yes, the amazing artwork still hanging outside of museums.
My cousin insisted on us visiting the Uffizi in June 2020 --there were WAY too many people there for my comfort -- and, I must admit, seeing Botticelli's La Primavera was damn special. But even at the height of the pandemic, I was allowed maybe 8 minutes to view this. Not even 15. And what is 15? nothing.
On a slightly different note, I worked at a museum in Tulsa in 2019 and asked the Director why there were so few benches, to which she replied, "Oh, they take up a lot of room and we don't want people to use them to rest - we want to keep them moving through the galleries." SMH Very sad. Perhaps churches remain the best place for art for this very reason!
The problem with the Mona Lisa is that it's so far away behind protective barriers (fortunately not when you and I first saw it) and that it desperately needs conservation and no one will touch it for fear of the outcry. Just imagine it with all the hundreds of years of grime removed! But most people are ok with trotting by and saying they've seen it, I guess.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience at the Uffizi, but it's strange that your time to view Primavera was limited because that has never happened to me in all the times I've been there. But then, I avoid the busiest months, and maybe they do usher people through when it's mobbed. That said, it's always fairly crowded, and the Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo rooms particularly.
I totally respect any museum (and there are few of them) that provides seating. The "keep them moving" attitude is so counterintuitive to viewing art. Grrrr.
ah yes, I should clarify: my cousin insisted on paying for a guide, hence my limited time with La Primavera - and that was even with me walking away from her early. Having studied this piece in grad school, I was quite miffed by her commentary and called her out on it. lol.
"..[H]is technique, his innovations, his eccentric brilliance (which drew criticism because he often had trouble finishing what he’d started)." So what you're saying is that Leonardo had ADHD? Wink, wink.
I was once lucky enough to attend a meeting of the Dante Alighieri Society in Seattle, when an Italian woman whose business it was to paint affreschi in people's houses (an art she learned in Italy, ovviamente) came and spoke to the group. She brought a 'cartone', the large, brown paper sketch used to outline the drawing for the affresco. She described how pin pricks were used on the paper to transfer it (much like the technique for pumpkin carving) to the wall. And how you had to partition the design into pieces you could do while the plaster was wet, like a jigsaw puzzle. It was all so fascinating! I need to go see il Cenacolo myself one of these days. Soon.
You know, he probably did. And even if not, whatever was going on in his brain, he was no ordinary guy.
I didn't make it there this time, but the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana has a cartoon (how it's written in English, which just seems wrong!) of Raffaello's School of Athens. Fresco blows my mind; you really had to know what you were doing and work fast.
Actually, his reluctance to finish a work was often due to his technique of painting in many layers. “Just one more . . . one more . . .” 😂 He was not to be rushed!
This is a very good piece, Cheryl, but then, I can't think of one of yours that isn't. But this one seems to have an "off the ground" quality, you in the air being buffeted by certain breezes that blow through our mortal minds, touching on very important questions to we humans, whether we live now or lived way back when. The flaking off of pigments is not just a diminishing process for the work of art, but the making of dust that time will eventually sweep away. It is our fate, no? Geniuses like da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, Shakespeare et al, forestall their ultimate disappearance by producing enduring work, the rest of us, especially now, disappear in a storm of bits and bytes.
Yeah, we're doing it. It was his choice, given that I've seen it twice already and it's easier for me to get back there (here). Thanks for the kind words—welcome to my stream-of-consciousness mode! I think impermanence and the diminishing process (nicely put!) will be on my mind for a while, and probably will make frequent return appearances. It is in fact making me question a whole lotta stuff. Thanks for chiming in!
Thank you Cheryl, I appreciate your musings and your insights. Leonardo is a wonderful enigma, like you I appreciate the genius that was Da Vinci more that any work in particular I once visited the Louvre to, among other things, see the Mona Lisa. We found it behind so many layers of protection that I remember the obstacles more than the painting, tiny little thing, I know it was in there somewhere. This is the first piece of yours that I've read and I look forward to reading more. Thank you.
Welcome, Fred, and thank you for your note! I was lucky enough to see the Mona Lisa before it was put behind its current barriers—a very different experience from my second viewing, which was, as you say, hardly a viewing at all. Over-tourism is so damaging and ends up leading to so many restrictions, mandatory reservations, and so on. I miss spontaneity! Anyway, thanks for being a reader!
This was beautiful. Thank you.
I did not know the history of this painting and I am a bit stunned 1) by what I just learned, and 2) that I had not learned this at any other point in my life! Yes, for this history alone, I would like to see it in person.
In 1997, I saw the Mona Lisa and was underwhelmed. I had no idea it would be so small. So much hype and no time to simply sit with it (as your recent post discusses). It was then that I realized the last time I had been stunned by beauty was when I was backpacking in Venezuela and looked out over the Brazilian rainforest. And with that realization, I no longer sought out museums. And perhaps this is part of my love for Italy: the natural landscape, the colors of buildings, the light at all times of the day, and yes, the amazing artwork still hanging outside of museums.
My cousin insisted on us visiting the Uffizi in June 2020 --there were WAY too many people there for my comfort -- and, I must admit, seeing Botticelli's La Primavera was damn special. But even at the height of the pandemic, I was allowed maybe 8 minutes to view this. Not even 15. And what is 15? nothing.
On a slightly different note, I worked at a museum in Tulsa in 2019 and asked the Director why there were so few benches, to which she replied, "Oh, they take up a lot of room and we don't want people to use them to rest - we want to keep them moving through the galleries." SMH Very sad. Perhaps churches remain the best place for art for this very reason!
The problem with the Mona Lisa is that it's so far away behind protective barriers (fortunately not when you and I first saw it) and that it desperately needs conservation and no one will touch it for fear of the outcry. Just imagine it with all the hundreds of years of grime removed! But most people are ok with trotting by and saying they've seen it, I guess.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience at the Uffizi, but it's strange that your time to view Primavera was limited because that has never happened to me in all the times I've been there. But then, I avoid the busiest months, and maybe they do usher people through when it's mobbed. That said, it's always fairly crowded, and the Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo rooms particularly.
I totally respect any museum (and there are few of them) that provides seating. The "keep them moving" attitude is so counterintuitive to viewing art. Grrrr.
ah yes, I should clarify: my cousin insisted on paying for a guide, hence my limited time with La Primavera - and that was even with me walking away from her early. Having studied this piece in grad school, I was quite miffed by her commentary and called her out on it. lol.
"and we're moving, we're moving, keep it moving folks" ugh :/
Ah, got it. And what was her commentary that miffed you?
can't remember exactly but something very Christian, completely devoid of the marvelous mythological symbolism
Oh, ugh!
"..[H]is technique, his innovations, his eccentric brilliance (which drew criticism because he often had trouble finishing what he’d started)." So what you're saying is that Leonardo had ADHD? Wink, wink.
I was once lucky enough to attend a meeting of the Dante Alighieri Society in Seattle, when an Italian woman whose business it was to paint affreschi in people's houses (an art she learned in Italy, ovviamente) came and spoke to the group. She brought a 'cartone', the large, brown paper sketch used to outline the drawing for the affresco. She described how pin pricks were used on the paper to transfer it (much like the technique for pumpkin carving) to the wall. And how you had to partition the design into pieces you could do while the plaster was wet, like a jigsaw puzzle. It was all so fascinating! I need to go see il Cenacolo myself one of these days. Soon.
You know, he probably did. And even if not, whatever was going on in his brain, he was no ordinary guy.
I didn't make it there this time, but the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana has a cartoon (how it's written in English, which just seems wrong!) of Raffaello's School of Athens. Fresco blows my mind; you really had to know what you were doing and work fast.
Actually, his reluctance to finish a work was often due to his technique of painting in many layers. “Just one more . . . one more . . .” 😂 He was not to be rushed!
what a lovely reflection. i can smell the history; art, life. and death.
Thank you, Felice!
Yeah, the 148 Euro is worth it.
This is a very good piece, Cheryl, but then, I can't think of one of yours that isn't. But this one seems to have an "off the ground" quality, you in the air being buffeted by certain breezes that blow through our mortal minds, touching on very important questions to we humans, whether we live now or lived way back when. The flaking off of pigments is not just a diminishing process for the work of art, but the making of dust that time will eventually sweep away. It is our fate, no? Geniuses like da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, Shakespeare et al, forestall their ultimate disappearance by producing enduring work, the rest of us, especially now, disappear in a storm of bits and bytes.
Yeah, we're doing it. It was his choice, given that I've seen it twice already and it's easier for me to get back there (here). Thanks for the kind words—welcome to my stream-of-consciousness mode! I think impermanence and the diminishing process (nicely put!) will be on my mind for a while, and probably will make frequent return appearances. It is in fact making me question a whole lotta stuff. Thanks for chiming in!
I love reading 'Italicus'. This piece was wonderful. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Kimball!
This article brought me to tears....my deepest sympathies for the loss of your past love....I hope wonderful memories will sustain you.
Thank you, Linda. We were together a very long time ago, but it’s still a shock.
Thank you Cheryl, I appreciate your musings and your insights. Leonardo is a wonderful enigma, like you I appreciate the genius that was Da Vinci more that any work in particular I once visited the Louvre to, among other things, see the Mona Lisa. We found it behind so many layers of protection that I remember the obstacles more than the painting, tiny little thing, I know it was in there somewhere. This is the first piece of yours that I've read and I look forward to reading more. Thank you.
Welcome, Fred, and thank you for your note! I was lucky enough to see the Mona Lisa before it was put behind its current barriers—a very different experience from my second viewing, which was, as you say, hardly a viewing at all. Over-tourism is so damaging and ends up leading to so many restrictions, mandatory reservations, and so on. I miss spontaneity! Anyway, thanks for being a reader!