My Florence highlight was the San Marco Museum. This is the monastery where Fra Angelica frescoed all of the monks cells. We went along early in the morning, it was pretty much empty and it was absolutely beautiful. Fra Angelica's paintings are almost minimalist - he eradicates all that showy off perspective and just cuts to the chase. When I went upstairs to where the cells are situated the first painting that greeted me (Annunciation - pictured below) was completely familiar. This is something that often happens when I visit the great art galleries of the world and it is because the painting is featured in a book called History of Painting which was published in 1961. This book belonged to my mum and when I was growing up I spent hours looking at it and subsequently I know all of the paintings in it (but don't necessarily know who they are by). I now have 'the book' in my possession - it is falling to pieces and really not that remarkable - but looking at it is an amazingly evocative experience.
2 comments:
looks lovely and great pictures. There's something about books we looked at over and over again as children. (I like the fly posters, even they seem more stylish then here) Thank you for sharing x
We spent last summer in Florence and never cease to be amazed by the city and its art work. We saw San Marco on one of our first visits many moons ago and were similarly blown away by the work. Couple of highlights last year were firstly an evening visit to Palazzo Vecchio where the rooms and painting are all evocatively lit by floodlight and secondly a trip round the cathedral museum 'opera di Santa Maria del Fiore' where Michelangelo origianlly carved David. A great and inspirational city.
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