Donde Esta La Biblioteca? Otra Vez

The Italian name for Florence is way cooler to say than our nerdy English version. Firenze (pronunciation above) has the same ‘stuck in Epcot Center’ crowd found in Siena along with a large population of study abroad kids sprinkled on top. What it lacks in charm, it makes for with art. Surrounding Brunelleschi’s famous dome-within-a-dome, the architectural marvel that kicked off the Renaissance, is an all-star cast of high Renaissance* masterpieces by all four Ninja Turtles (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael.)

Lauren planned ahead and got us reservations to the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia, so we skipped the unbelievably long lines and saw works like Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. When faced with so much art coming at you from all directions, it’s hard not to become numb to the extraordinary significance of what you’re looking at. After the 50th Virgin Mary and baby Jesus fresco, they started to remind me of characters in a 16th century Geiko commercial.

In order to counteract the effects of this kind of over exposure, Lauren and I read parts of the scholarly “A Very Short Introduction to Renaissance Art” we picked up in Edinburgh. That gave us a good lens through which to view all of the altarpieces, easel paintings and sculptures we came across in these two important museums. Being able to focus on the subtleties helped keep things as entertaining as they should be, Christ after Christ after Christ.

One tidbit that I found especially interesting was that before art was revered for its aesthetic qualities and creative expression, it was first and foremost a tool used for religious goals. Big shots would go to an artistic guild looking to commission a painting of their favorite biblical tale (usually somehow including themselves.) The interesting part is that they didn’t buy these huge, elaborate works of art because they would look great in their brand new living room, but rather to put up in a church and pay for a priest to hold mass in front of them for years after their death – thus ensuring the salvation of their souls. That’s why until the high Renaissance* the emphasis was on finding a craftsman who could get the job done instead of a creative and original artist. Superstars like Michelangelo changed all that by shifting the attention towards the artists’ themselves.

Florence and the worldwide humanist revolution it brought to bear is to thank for much of our modern way of life. If it wasn’t for the upheaval of the Renaissance I probably would’ve spent the last four years banging rocks together instead of reading Plato, Socrates, and Chalmers. It was cool to visit a town that has had so much influence on the world. Near the end of our time, however, we were ready to say goodbye to the vegetarian restaurant we ate at each night and escape the crowds towards a town that claims far less global significance – Lucca.

*a note about the difference between plain old “Renaissance” and “high Renaissance.”

I’ve gathered that it is somewhat like the distinction between a “teenager” and a “high school teenager.” At thirteen you’re technically a teenager, but far from the beard shavin’, pickup drivin’, party animal teenagers of the senior class. Similarly, “Renaissance” could describe the early stuff that hasn’t shed the gawky glasses and braces of the Middle Ages, while “high Renaissance” can only mean Leonardo and the other Homecoming kings who drove the cheerleaders crazy and smoked pot behind the bleachers.

My apologies to anyone who actually knows stuff about art and is probably vomiting right now.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 4:40 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.