The Long Awaited Post: The Uffizi! Part I

Ciao I Miei Amici,

I am finally proud to say that this Saturday i went to the beautiful Uffizi Museum. Eversince, my survey to Renaissance art class, I have dreamed of viewing works by the great Italian masters and this weekend that dream became a reality. However, I was unable to view the museum in its entirety since the Uffizi was far larger then I ever imagined.

My tips before going to the museum is do not underestimate its size!  If you are a tourist in Florence give yourself a full day for the Uffizi, if you are abroad like myself do not get down on yourself, there will be plenty of times to make visits to the Uffizi. Also, wear walking shoes and be ready to climb plenty of stairs, its a bit of a trek but it is well worth it! and keep in mind that  there is only one way into the Uffizi and one way out.   Also, if you are as lucky as I am, see if you can go to the museum with a fellow art buff . Viewing art with a fellow art connoisseur really enhances the experience!  I was so fortunate to have my friend and fellow art student with me, he had previously been to the museum and had a great sense of direction. He also is very insightful, we spent hours discussing various paintings and looking at works by the masters and relating them to not only our subjective views but to the artwork as a whole.

I often overlook most church art as overly exuberant  since Giotto, Duccio, Cimabue and Ghirlandio were highly commissioned church artists whose works embodied gilded splendor. Yet, upon entrance into the first room  of the museum, my friend gazed intently at the church works in front of us. We went up close to the works as well as afar. we also commented on the color palate as well as the figurations. I surprisingly enjoyed the church works because although  many of their subject matters were the same their depictions and interpretations on religious subjects varied. It is also fascinating how each artist displayed there own trademark style:  no Madonna and Child were the same. My friend jested how Madonna and Child's must have been all the rage in 15th century Florence and upon hearing the commission by the patron the artist must have cringed and thought to himself "Oh no not another Madonna and Child!"

Duccio's Madonna and Child

 Giotto's Madonna and Child

After some wonderful introspection upon the church works and some stimulated conversation with my friend, my friend and I ventured into the Botticelli Room! Words alone cannot describe the sheer awe that overcame me upon entrance into the room. Literally, I was in visual ecstasy. Across from me was La Primavera, to the left of it was Mars and Venus and to the left of Mars and Venus was the Birth of Venus. I always assumed  Botticelli was a neo-classicist mythological painter. However, Botticelli was also a church painter. I was completely unaware of just how many church works he had created . I apologize my readers for calling myself a devout fan of Botticelli when in reality, I have mainly followed his mythological works. Now, after this eye opening experience and sensory overload of Botticelli, I plan to look into his work as a church artist.  In keeping with my love for Botticelli's mythological works,  i cannot  stress the  magnanimosity of his large scale paintings. Every detail was magnified, and each detail appeared far more clear and concise, than  it would ever look in these pictures.

Botticelli's Birth of Venus

Botticelli's La Primavera

The only downside in viewing these works is how they have been preserved, the colors were far more faded then I imagined and the figures appeared mildly distorted from up close as opposed to far a way . Overall , I was so enthralled with these works that  it was difficult to turn myself away from them to view other pieces within the Uffizi. After the Botticelli room, I casually glanced at works by the  masters on the way to the  exit, However,  my main focus of the day was in viewing the church art and  the Botticellis.

This was just my first time visiting the Uffizi and I promise there will be more write ups to follow. So stay tuned for more postings on the Uffizi, I promise they will not disappoint.

A presto
~Gianna