The Oratory of Gonfalone: a secret place in Rome

Just off the beaten track of the touristy Rome is the Oratory of Gonfalone, one of the many secret places of the eternal city, today used for music concert .

This place is informally called the "Sistine Chapel of the Mannerism". In fact, the entire walls are decorated with a frescoes cycle representing the 'Passion of Christ' by leading artists of the Roam Mannerism, including Federico Zuccari, who was the only one who dated his fresco.

Federico Zuccari

The Flagellation (1573) 

The cycle is divided into twelve episodes, starting with the Entry into Jerusalem, to carry one with the different episodes of the Passion of Christ, to finally end up with the Resurrection. The scenes are framed by an architectural framework formed by twisted columns, which, according to an ancient legend, came from the Temple of Solomon. 

The decoration itself was conducted between 1569 and 1576, when Alessandro Farnese was the Cardinal protector of the oratory. Started under the direction of Jacopo Zanguidi, nicknamed Bertoja, the decoration was executed by several artists, including Federico Zuccari, who executed the theatrical Flagellation in 1573. 

The story takes place from the bottom of the right wall at the bottom of the left wall, according to a path from right to left, which corresponds to the natural movement of the reading.

Entry into Jerusalem by Bertoja

It follows on the same wall ....

Last Supper by Livio Agresti from Forli

The next panel is the...

Agony in the Garden by Domenico da Modena

Domenico da Modena could be perhaps identified with Domenico Carnevali, who was the first restorer of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, immediately after the death of Michelangelo.

It follows the Capture of Christ by Marcantonio dal Forno and then the last panel of this wall...

Christ in front of Caiaphas by Raffaellino Motta

The cycle proceeds with the Flagellation by Federico Zuccari, dated 1573 and surmounted by a prophet and a Sybil  always of Zuccari, flanked by the allegorical figure of the Charity. From the panel of Zuccari the point of view of the frescoes changes, according to an idea probably elaborated by Marco Pino da Siena (di sotto in su').

Flagellation by Federico Zuccari and Crowning of thorns by Cesare Nebbia

The work proceeds on the new wall with the execution of the Ecce Homo by Caesar Nebbia and the Slope of the Calvary by Livio Agresti. Then it's the turn of the Resurrection, the most damaged artwork. 

Resurrection by Guidonio Guelfi(??)

The last two panels are...

The Deposition of the Cross, perhaps work of a follower of Daniel da Volterra, identifiable as Giacomo Rocca.

 Resurrection of Christ by Marco Pino, most probably dated to 1572.

                                  

The Oratory was restored between 1999 and 2000 and my dad was involved in this operation and my thesis was based on this, so I would recommend a visit there if you go to Rome!

NOTE: All these photos were taken while I was studying and some of them were used for my presentation.

Caravaggio and Bernini: a painter and a sculptor

Caravaggio and Bernini: a painter and a sculptor
Around the beginning of the 17th century a revolution in art occurred, both in painting and sculpture. It was driven by two Italian artists, Gianlorenzo Bernini, a sculptor, and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, a painter of outstanding and subtle skill.

These talented artists are linked together not in the famous Renaissance period of European art, but in the later 17th century Baroque period. Bernini and Caravaggio's art focuses on the drama and the centrality of the human body rather than the human experience.  

In this stimulating presentation, art historian Simona Albanese analyses the key works of these two artists who from that period onwards dramatically changed the way  we look at art.

Caravaggio.....

Caravaggio, Boy with a basket of fruit, circa 1593
Galleria Borghese
Rome

Calvesi (p. 25, 1998) describes this work as 'extraordinary because of the naturalist sensitivity with which the silent life of te magic fruit is evoked because of the masterly use of penombra which grades the positioning of the leaves in space and because of the exquisite intensity of the colour references from the matt black of the youth's hair and eyes to the glossier black of the grapes from the whites touched by grey to the toned-down greens and the various ranges of red'. 

Do you want to talk a bit more of Caravaggio? 

An Italian Art workshop will be at New Farm State School on August 6th and 13th.

An Italian Art morning talk will be at ILC on August 27th.

If you need more info, just get in touch!

Gianlorenzo Bernini : a master of the Baroque - Italian Art at New Farm State School

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the greatest interpreter of Baroque style. He was an architect, a painter, a stage designer and a comedy writer but above all he was a very great sculptor. His artistic training was completed in Rome, where he worked all his life as official artist of the Popes and for the most significant noble families in Rome.

His artistic production was exceptionally immense and varied, the fruit of a theatrically oriented fusion of architecture, sculpture and painting. His most renowned sculptures include the Apollo and Daphne (1622-24) housed in the Gallery of the Villa Borghese in Rome, and the Ecstasy of St. Theresa (1644-51) in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

For over fifty years Bernini was engaged in the task of enlarging and decorating the Basilica of St. Peter’s, for which he created the square with the colonnaded wings (1657-65), the Baldacchino, or Canopy, (1624-33), the Chair of St. Peter (1656-66) and the tombs of two different Popes.

He adorned Rome’s most important squares with monumental fountains, including the very beautiful Fountain of the Four Rivers (1648-51) in Piazza Navona.

Do you want to know more about him? Come to the Italian Art workshop at New Farm State School on August 6th and 13th.

Contact Nancy today at nfsscommunityed@live.com.au

Italian Art - 2 day workshop

Italian Art - short workshop in Brisbane

Art is in my blood! I love to talk about art and share with others my passion for Italian art, culture and language. This is the reason why I have decided to introduce a short two day workshop of Italian Art at New Farm State School.

I look forward to seeing you there!

It's going to be great!

A presto,
Simona

Be sure to enrol soon to avoid disappointment!

Art awareness: appreciation, understanding and SMALL COFFEE CHAT

How much do you love art? What is your appreciation for the Baroque? 

What do you love about Rome and Italy? 

Small coffee chat in Brisbane!

August: holiday time

During the month of August many people go on holiday in the Northern hemisphere, because it is very hot!

Nevertheless there are people who still live in the city and love to appreciate art and interesting things, therefore even this here the Ministery of Cultural Heritage has decided to keep open many museums and sites during August 15th, a holiday day!

Here some of the most beautiful places you can visit on that day!

Chieti, National Archeological Museum

Isernia, Museum

Forte di Gavi

Castle of Racconigi

Naples, Villa Floridiana

Ravenna, Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe

Trieste, Historical Museum of Miramare Castle

Rome, Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia

Genoa, Palazzo Reale

Bari, Castello Svevo

Aosta, Forte di Bard

Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera

Perugia, National Gallery of Umbria

 Have a wonderful time, wherever you are in Italy!

A presto!

The Crucifixion by Perugino in Borgo Pinti

Pietro Perugino, The Crucifixion, 1493-96
Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi,
Florence

Borgo Pinti is one of the main streets of Florence which takes you to the historical centre. On this street there is the complex of Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi, founded in 1257, and dedicated to the Florentine Carmelitane.

In the Charter House of this complex, Perugino (c.1446/50-1523), an Umbrian painter of the Renaissance period, active between Umbria, Tuscany and Rome, frescoed the theme of the Crucifixion.

The decoration is a triptych and takes up a whole wall, divided by the ceiling vaults and the painted architectural arch elements. The harmonious and luminous scenery contributes to decreasing the emphasis of the drama represented by the scene, that reflects the typical serene and meditative attitude of the artist.

During the summer it is hard to have access to the complex, because the main entrance it is through the local school, which is currently closed for holiday.

An earlier version of the same subject it is visible in the National Gallery of Art in the United States.

If you are curious and you want to know more about it here the link:

The Crucifixion with the Virgin by Perugino

A presto!

Arezzo: a little niche off the beaten track to visit Piero della Francesca's cycle

Arezzo is a small fascinating town in Tuscany, only 80 km from Florence, a wonderful day trip if you want to see a different scenery. In fact the town still preserve intact its medieval appearance despite the addition of later constructions.

Several artists such as Giorgio Vasari, famous for the "Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects" (Italian version) and Piero della Francesca worked here. 

Piero della Francesca (1415-1492) was born in Borgo San Sepolcro, in Umbria, where he spent much of his life. He worked in Urbino, Monterchi, San Sepolcro and in Arezzo, where he produced the Legend of the True Cross in the church of San Francesco, considered as one of the most controversy and interesting Renaissance artwork. Admired by his contemporaries as a mathematician and geometer, as well as painter, today his works are admired for their serene humanism and use of geometric forms, particularly in foreshortening and perspective.

Completed in 1466, the Legend of the True Cross, is considered to be Piero della Francesca's greatest masterpiece and narrative medieval story about the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The dominant theme of the cycle is the thiumph of the cross which, since Adam's death, has been guiding man to salvation. The fresco occupy three levels on the side wall and the eastern wall, surrounding a large window.

To complete his work, Piero della Francesca did not follow a chronological order, preferring to concentrate himself in the creation of symmetrical correspondences between the various scenes. The story narrated in twelve main episodes represented in the various scenes composing the cycle, begins with the Death of Adam in the lunette of the right wall and concludes with the Exultation of the True Cross in the lunette on the left wall and the Annunciation at the bottom left of the center wall. 

Here below a scheme of the narrative sequence:

So, if you have got time, and you want to leave Florence for the day during your next holiday, go and visit Piero della Francesca's artwork in Arezzo.

A presto!

The Duke and the painter

Piero della Francesca, Federico da Montefeltro

Federico da Montefeltro's portrait in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is part of the Urbino Diptych executed by Piero della Francesca between 1465 and 1472.

Federico ruled the small, hilly territory in the Marche region. He became duke in 1444, after the murder of his half-brother Oddantonio. He married Battista Sforza, the lady represented on the other side of the Diptych. Federico was a military commander and a man opened to the humanistic culture. In fact, the ducal palace of Urbino became the new architectural model and a cosmopolitan centre for the most recent redevelopments in the art. 

His face was disfigured after he suffered a wound that altered his appearance, therefore since then he was always depicted in strict profile, showing his good side.

The painter who executed the work was Piero della Francesca (1416/17-1492), the best known of the second generation of humanist painters. He provided a new approach to painting: a close link between art and geometry, as well as between poetical expression and mathematical rules. He worked across Italy, from Rome, to Rimini, to Ferrara, to then starting the execution of the Story of the True Cross in 1452 in the Church of San Francesco, Arezzo. Later in the 1460's he started to work for the court of Duke Federico da Montefeltro, executing even this interesting artwork.

Piero became the new artist, the personality to have in the court. In fact, he produced so many masterpieces, so loved and appreciated by art lovers!

The Tale of Love and Psyche: The myth in art from antiquity to Canova

Perin del Vaga, Love and Psyche, 1545-46
Castel Sant'Angelo

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage has decided to celebrate with an exhibition the story of Cupid and Psyche in the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, at the end of the restoration of the frieze of Perin del Vaga painted by the artist between 1545 and 1546 in the apartments of Paul III.

The tale is dedicated to one of antiquity’s most fascinating legend, as told by Apuleius in his celebrated The Golden Ass. It can also be compared to the most famous poem (n. 85) of the Latin poet Catullus:

Odi et amo. Qua re id faciam, fortasse requiris.

Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior (Latin text).

Odio e amo. Forse mi chiedi come io faccia.

Non lo so, ma sento che cio' accade, e ne sono tormentato (Italian text).

Hate and love. Perhaps you ask me how I do.

I do not know, but I feel that this is happening and I am tormented (English text).

The touching love story between Cupid and Psyche has inspired artists through the ages. 

The most famous examples are: 

Raphael’s frescoes in the home of Agostino Chigi, the famous loggia in Villa Farnesina, 

Giulio Romano’s equally famous frescoes in Mantua’s Palazzo Te

 Canova’s renowned sculptures are also among the great works of art inspired by the legend.

The tale itself is quite well known – it tells the turbulent story of Cupid and Psyche, and the young girl’s ordeals at the hands of Venus before she was finally able to marry her beloved – and can be interpreted in many different ways: as a symbol of troubled love in antiquity, or as the triumph of marriage during the Renaissance. The Baroque era emphasized the dramatic and theatrical aspects of the legend, and between the 18th and 19th centuries, it became an emblem of wistful love, and was often associated to the themes of abandonment and sleep.

The exhibition will run until June 10, 2012 at Castel Sant'Angelo.

Don't miss this occasion!

Correggio at the NGV and at the Galleria Borghese

Correggio, Madonna and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist at the NGV

Last year the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne has unveiled one of the most expansive artworks of the entire collection. In fact, when I went to Melbourne to present a lecture at the Johnstone Collection, I have seen this painting on display for the first time in my life.

The painting is considered executed by Antonio Allegri, more commonly know as Correggio, a well re-known northern Italian artist. Influenced by Mantegna's work in Mantua, Correggio's major artworks were executed in Parma. 

His work can be compared to the Danae, always by Correggio at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. This painting, commissioned by Frederick II Gonzaga as a present for Charles V, is considered one of his masterpieces. The episode is extrapolated by the Loves of Jupiter  by Ovid's Metamorphes.

Correggio, Danae at the Galleria Borghese

Now what do you see in this painting? Are there similarities?

A presto!

Simona

Il Banchetto di Cleopatra

The Banquet of Cleopatra by Tiepolo at the NGV (part.)
image by Simona 

   

It is the work which for excellence represent the good life, the passion for beautiful things and the joy for life!!! The Banquet of Cleopatra by Tiepolo at the National Gallery of Victoria is there for everyone....so next time you are in Melbourne go, enjoy and admire this work, as many other beautiful artworks in the gallery!!

Connect with Italy - there at the NGV!!!

A presto!!

I LOVE YOU ITALIA!!!

A new course at New Farm State School !!