Frescoes can not be displayed at traveling museum exhibits. They cannot come to where you are. You have to go to where they are. Viewing frescoes is like going on a treasure hunt. Sometimes the most important frescoes turn up in surprising places.
Rediscovering a masterpiece
Earlier this semester, we were asked to write about a rediscovery that we recently experienced. We found this prompt to be parallel to the rediscovery of Masaccio's Trinita. This piece, located in Santa Maria Novella, was rediscovered in the 1900s, after being covered by an altar up until then. While looking at the fresco, we imagined the shock and awe the workers must have experienced when they rediscovered this work. The fresco was bland and had faded colors, but the artwork was beautiful. Like most of the buildings and frescoes we have seen, the piece was so different than how we perceived it. Some commented about how small and minor the piece seemed; but we noticed the piece seemed to be so different close up than far away. Santa Maria Novella is breathtaking when you walk in, and Trinita appeared to be minor compared to the massiveness of the church.
There appears to be two donors in the outer borders of the fresco, although these figures have never been firmly identified. Many of us found the common practice of including the artist’s portrait or a portrait of the patron in the artwork to be strange and conceited, yet wise. While learning about history, we throw around names all the time, but actually seeing the image of that person in a well-known fresco or sculpture paints a picture in our brains of who that person was and how important he or she was at the time. By doing this, he or she is leaving a stronger impact in history and is more likely to be remembered, not only by name, but by face as well.
-Becky and Patrick
There appears to be two donors in the outer borders of the fresco, although these figures have never been firmly identified. Many of us found the common practice of including the artist’s portrait or a portrait of the patron in the artwork to be strange and conceited, yet wise. While learning about history, we throw around names all the time, but actually seeing the image of that person in a well-known fresco or sculpture paints a picture in our brains of who that person was and how important he or she was at the time. By doing this, he or she is leaving a stronger impact in history and is more likely to be remembered, not only by name, but by face as well.
-Becky and Patrick
A comparison of Frescoes
Frescoes are a perfect example of something I needed to see in person in order to fully understand. I had heard of frescoes before and had them described to me, but I found it difficult to come up with a mental image of what they really looked like. Our trip to Florence was awesome because we saw so many frescoes in a number of different contexts. Some of them were far away, like the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which showed the impact they can have from afar. Others, like the Capella dei Magi were close enough that we could see the paint strokes on the plaster walls. This was awesome because it gave me the information I needed in order to fill in gaps in my understanding of the method of painting. One thing I noticed as a down-side of frescoes versus canvas paintings. was that, over time, it is inevitable that plaster will crack. The cool thing about frescoes, though, is that they basically are just like super fancy wall paint; instead of using a paint roller and covering everything in one color in a couple of hours, entire walls were covered with meticulously designed murals. One example of a place where we got to see frescoes from far away and up close was the Duomo. The entire ceiling of the dome is frescoed, and we got to see it from the ground first. Then, later that day we climbed to the top of the dome and were able to walk around the dome at eye level with the frescoes. This was awesome because it showed us the same piece of art from two completely different perspectives. That is something you definitely cannot do without traveling around the world to see it first-hand.
- Hannah
- Hannah
Creating Frescoes
I also found the frescoes interesting because the idea of painting directly into wet plaster is something I had never heard of before. I have taken numerous art classes all throughout high school, but all of them failed to describe and discuss frescoes; however, fresco painting has been around for a very long time. Examples of the technique date back to at least 1500 BC, but the use of the medium became very prominent in the medieval and Renaissance periods. "The area to be painted was first covered with an under layer of plaster named the arriccio. Often the artists would sketch their compositions on this under layer in a red pigment called sinopia. The artist could not make changes in the composition of the painting and had only the drying time of the plaster in which to complete his work (about 8 or 9 hours). Because of the drying time only enough intonaco was applied for a single days work. If mistakes were made the entire days layer of plaster would have to be removed. The giornata is the name given to a single days work and in fresco paintings the dividing lines between differing days work can very often be seen. These seems between the layers of plaster were often hidden by an application of Secco fresco" (www.Italian-Renaissance-art.com). One can truly see the striking amazement of each stroke when spectating closely. Understanding the depths an artist must reach when creating art is vital, such as the frescoes inside the Duomo, but this understanding can truly only be achieved when seen up close and in real life. The internet is fantastic for searching the world of information; however, the internet fails and will continue to fail at creating a true, realistic experience of being in the present and standing in front of artwork hundreds of years old.
-Kaitlyn
-Kaitlyn
The Capella dei Magi
Procession of the Magi
The Procession of the Magi in the Medici Chapel is beautiful in photographs and images all over the internet, many of which we viewed in class. I thought that it was beautiful then, but when I was able to see it in person, I was awestruck. The bright and vivid colors practically jump off the wall at you and are so obviously different from all frescoes created before it. Most previous frescoes were in dull, flat colors that created a picture of a bible story simply for the sake of giving God glory. This piece is much different. It does give an image of a bible story, but when you look closer at the faces, you can pick out many various Medici men. This fresco has a double meaning that is much more obvious in the small space that it takes up. What is even more amazing is how much detail is crowded into the small chapel. Every square inch of all four walls were frescoed to look absolutely beautiful. The impact of the images almost knock you away with their beauty, which is only intensified because it is a tiny space. The Medici wanted those who saw the fresco to know that they were rich, powerful and in charge. It was very easy to feel the same way viewing it in the twenty-first century long after they have been gone.
-Tailor
-Tailor