What is so special about seeing a canvas work in real life compared to the pictures in our textbooks or online? Why were these canvas works created? What do they tell us?
Canvas Works
A painting on canvas is what usually comes to mind at the word "art." It also seemed to me that looking at a picture of a painting would suffice. But I was wrong, Seeing a painting up close is incredibly different from looking at it in a textbook or lecture notes. The colors are richer, the brush strokes are evident, and there is the awe-factor of being so close to something potentially worth millions of dollars. Frescoes are impressive for the speed at which they were created. Architecture has size on its side. Music appeals to everyone differently. But painting on canvas is the most versatile art in my opinion, and seeing a huge array of paintings in person was an incredible experience. Walking through the various museums, we were able to see the progression of painting techniques, such as perspective, shadowing, and the different styles, such as Mannerism and Baroque.
-Thomas
-Thomas
Painting in then and now
Beginning with the Medici patronage, painting on canvases was and is still a huge part of the culture in Italy. Just walking throughout the markets and streets of both Florence and Rome you can see hundreds of art vendors displaying and selling their works, which symbolizes the importance of and pride in the city's talent. The Birth of Venus by Botticelli was one of the most famous canvas works patronized during the ruling of Lorenzo de Medici. In looking at pictures of this piece, it is easy to miss the great detail and precision of the characters and the landscape. Up close, this world-renowned canvas is full of detail, symbolism, and meaning that Botticelli was portraying. The same detail is used in modern Italian canvas works, especially when portraying the landscape of the Tuscan areas. Another strong painting is Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation. He studied the wings of birds and the rolled sleeves of models to portray the scene as realistically as possible. New techniques with color and emotion were being discovered and have influenced artworks from that point onto modern times. Leonardo's studies provoked an interest in humanism and anatomy that were researched and discovered by other artists and scientists alike. Thus, canvas works from the past have influenced modern art through the values of humanism, technique, colors, and anatomy.
-Kayla & Connie
-Kayla & Connie
History Through Canvas works/Canvas Works through history
While statues are beautiful, what made the canvas art works outstanding to me was their capability to relate the history of Florence by use of pictures. In the Uffizi and other galleries, I saw paintings of the Loggia and Piazza della Signoria in various stages of completion. By looking at what was included in the paintings, a sort of timeline of Florence could be assembled which fascinated me because I could tell at what point in time the particular artist had gazed upon the piazza - in one painting there was only the David statue standing in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, in the next under the loggia it was accompanied by the Rape of the Sabine Women among others, and the Uffizi was being constructed. One other painting of this particular location that I thought particularly interesting because of its historical content was the one to the left, depicting Savonarola being burned at the stake. This painting is historically important because it illustrates the spot where Savonarola was burned, which when in Florence we could actually stand on. It shows how the artist saw the scene, with the Duomo sitting completed in the background and the Palazzo Vecchio, where Savonarola was imprisoned. When examining this painting along with others of the Piazza della Signoria, a viewer can determine the approximate time when Savonarola was executed - right before Michelangelo's David was completed at the turn of the century, and well before the construction of the Uffizi began. Seems pretty cool to me!
-Juliette
-Juliette