I love art. I love it in a very pauper-who-loves-art kind of way. I can’t do art and I can’t afford to own anyone famous, but I surround myself with pieces that make me feel something wonderful no matter their price or origin. I have never had an affinity for ancient art – art based on religion or ancient stick drawings have never been my go-to. This probably makes me an uncultured bogan, but if art is subjective then it stands to reason that every subject is not going to be to everyone’s liking. This is what makes art so wonderful.
(For those not familiar with Australian slang, Urban dictionary has kindly provided a definition of the word as follows: “Also known as ferals or trailer trash, bogans are usually people of low socio-economic status, that live in cheap housing and drive old Holdens and Fords. They swear, are often unemployed and spend their dole on beer and rollies.”)
The Ducal Palace of Urbino houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We wandered through room after room showcasing art, tapestries and the most intricate carved wood paneling. Of all the beautiful pieces, it was the richly toned and detailed wood paneling that caught my attention. To create such detail in tiny pieces of interlocking timber in a time when everything was done by hand and eye is extraordinary. Urbino is a beautiful fortress town and they also serve a pretty good tourist pizza.😊
I am afraid to admit that the majority of the art here (and in Europe in general) leaves me a little underwhelmed otherwise. It may be the fact that I don’t have an affinity with Christianity that makes room after room of images interpreted from the bible just a little bit ho hum.
When I say I am not a fan of ancient or Christian art, I make an exception for the Cattedrale di Santa Maria in Parma. It is an ugly duckling of a building from the outside, but the frescos covering walls and ceiling inside are spectacular.
I stood, in awe, of the beauty of the architecture. We wandered for what seemed like a long while, but to be honest, I could have sat on the floor and simply gazed around me for days.
It is particularly wonderful because the outside of the Cathedral is quite plain. The cupola featuring the Assumption of the Virgin Mary to heaven, surrounded by a whirling tangle of cupids and clouds is completely breathtaking.
Now, modern art is more my style and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice is a magnificent collection of European and American modern art. Crammed into the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice, Peggy Guggenheim’s former home is jammed full of amazing art. A small Picasso is almost lost amongst a line of other pieces in the corridor, Dali is represented as well as one room resplendent with five splendid Jackson Pollock pieces. To top this amazing experience, wander out onto the deck on the Grand Canal for the view, and take a closer look at the bronze sculpture of “The Angel in the City” which features a very, very happy man on a horse. I say that modern art is more my style, but a blank, white canvas framed and hanging on a wall makes me wonder what the hell the artist was thinking, even if that artist is now a famous someone.
The Ufizzi Gallery in Florence is home to Italian Renaissance art, featuring works by such masters as Botticelli, Titian, Michelangelo and da Vinci. It is, of course, a must-see. There is no explanation required. This is not the sort of art we have the chance to see in Australia very often, so for us it was an absolutely must-see. I am a little embarrassed to admit that one of the great memories of the Ufizzi Gallery for me, was the fantastic view of the river and the Ponte Vecchio from the second floor windows. I’m a simple girl at heart, I guess.
Naples boasts the most unique and magnificent statue of the Veiled Christ. The statue is a surreal rendering of Christ in marble. It is wonderful, amazing and absolutely beautiful and lies in all its glory at the Museo Cappella Sansevero. It is almost as though you could reach over and lift the sheer cloth from the body of Christ. Whether you identify as Christian or not, you cannot help but be moved by the skill and imagination of the creator of this piece.
It is surrounded by a selection of marble statues that hold their own in this room and are magnificent in their own right. If you go down to the crypt, there is a very odd display of the anatomy of Adam and Eve, human skeletons showcasing the viscera and arterial systems of the human body. A little unexpected but nevertheless the story and history behind these skeletons is amazing and well worth a look-see.
As usual, trying to find the Museo was a fun experience where signage is limited. I truly believe that the locals begging for coins outside the Museo have removed all signage so you have to pay them to receive directions, which works very well incidentally.
In Bologna, we had the opportunity to catch the Warhol & Friends Exhibition at Piazzo Albergati. Nearly 150 original pieces of work from Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francesco Clemente, Keith Haring, Julian Schnable and Jeff Koons. The stories of Andy and friends in New York in the 80’s, their lives, passions and pleasures gave fascinating insight into the“why” of this iconic art. The art itself, of course, is amazing. These are pieces that we are all familiar with but still have to be seen in person. The portrait of Liza Minnelli, though, is one I wasn’t familiar with and for me, was one of the highlights of the exhibition.
The murals of Dozza, were my kind of art and made wandering within the walls of the fortress area of the town an absolute marvel. Dozza is known as one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and the it is truly beautiful. The biennial Exhibition of the Painted Wall invites Italian artists to visit Dozza and paint murals on the city walls. We spent hours wandering the cobbled streets marvelling at the original and often fanciful pieces that make the city a splendid place to visit.
I have more photos of the walls of Dozza than I do of the Ufizzi Gallery, which says much about my current level of art culture. There are art-lovers around the world who gasp at the idea that anyone can love murals painted on walls by locals as much as they can love Da Vinci, Botticelli and Picasso. Any art that makes you feel wonder at the skill and imagination of the artist is worthwhile, no matter the artist, medium, subject or canvas. Even the pieces where I tilt my head and squint my eyes to try to make sense of it are wonderful. And yes, even the blank pieces of white (or black) canvas in a frame makes memorable art, if only for all the wrong reasons.
