THE BRERA MADONNA - A PAINTING FOR CHRISTMAS

It's been a while since my last post but the readership of my blog, now almost five years old, has been increasing in 2018 so thank you to all of those who follow it. It brings me great pleasure to know that people round the world are taking a look at what I write and I'm still fascinated to think that someone in Azerbijan is a regular reader - such is the power of the internet.

I've got in to the habit of choosing a painting for Christmas from Italian collections and this year I've chosen one from a gallery in Milan.

THE PINACOTECA DI BRERA OF MILAN
Home of the Brera Madonna

I haven't actually seen it in situ but it's by one of my favourite Italian artists - Piero della Francesca - whose work I've looked at many times in the National Gallery in London and in the wonderful Tuscan city of Arezzo where he painted the fresco cycle which many consider to be his masterpiece - "The Legend of the True Cross" in the church of San Francesco. As you might expect my chosen picture by him for this posting is a celebration of the birth of Christ - not a nativity this time,  but a scene where the Virgin and child are surrounded by angels, saints and an intriguing character whose home I went to visit in Italy earlier in the year.

In my own country - the Christian meaning of Christmas seems to disappear ever more beneath the bloated consumerfest that is has become. I dislike this aspect of it increasingly as I approach my senior years and each time it comes round I swear I will give up TV from early November so I can avoid the ghastly waterfall of tasteless Christmas advertising that flows every night from the screen in the corner of the living room. So far I haven't been able to uphold this lofty aim, but I do find myself feeling for those with limited resources who are brainwashed in to the notion that the  Christmas enjoyment factor is proportionally related to the amount of money spent on it. The more stuff that is acquired - the better Christmas will be is the underlying message.  I hope you're not thinking by now that this outpouring of grumpiness is just me being "Bah Humbug" to coin that wonderful Dickension expression. I have to confess though that I feel better for getting all this off my chest.

I would also have to say, regarding my choice of Christmas painting, that I'm not a particularly religous person in the conventional sense, but I do have to admit that the Christian calendar and the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas - does bring back special memories from my earlier life. Playing the part of one of the three Kings in my primary school's version of the nativity, singing in the church choir at my local Parish Church and the seasonal bell-ringing I did with a team at the same church when I was in my late teenage years, all give me a warm feeling when I think of them. My associations with the church of England play on my love of and need for ritual - but what's wrong with that I ask? My partner Jon says my memory is far too graphic but I think it's good to be able to reflect on memories in one's later years and to think about the cyle of life generally too. What better way to do that than to think about the birth of a young child with a very special future before him at this special time of year.

We've spent several Christmases in Italy since my Mum passed away in 2011 and every time we go at that time of year I find myself being impressed with the way communities there still take it seriously. The presepe - Christmas nativities - some of them "live events" - are something to behold. As I write this post I'm thinking back now to the one we went to in Monteleone d' Orvieto in Umbria three years ago where the whole village seemed to take part and the latest new born baby starred in the role of the baby Jesus Christ. Well - sadly we won't be in Monteleone this time round as we have a trip to warmer climes coming up. I'm apprehensive about this as I'm not sure Christmas will seem the same down under -  but never mind - I shall take pleasure in my special Christmas memories from times gone by and enjoy having another look at my chosen painting from Italy which I'm going to describe to you now.

THE BRERA MADONNA c1472

Painted between 1472 and 1474 my picture is called the Brera Madonna or Brera Altarpiece. It can be seen in the Pinacoteca di Brera of Milan - the main public art gallery in the city. It was evidently placed there by Napoleon. It has been restored and cleaned in recent years and this has revealed, beneath the accumulated dirt and varnish, a host of detail.

The work is a "sacra conversazione" - a sacred conversation - with the Virgin enthroned with the sleeping baby Jesus on her lap set against the background of a Renaissance classical church. She is surrounded by a host of angels and saints. On the left are John the Baptist, Bernadino of Siena and Jerome and on the right Francis, Peter and Andrew.

The kneeling figure in armour bottom right is Federico III de Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, the commissioner of the painting. The duke is always depicted facing left as he lost an eye and part of his nose in a tournament. He is thought to have commissioned the picture to celebrate the birth of his son, Guidobaldo born in 1472. The presence of John the Baptist could relate to the fact he was patron saint of his wife Battista Sforza. Jerome was the protector of humanists so given Federico's renowned interests in this field his presence was an obvious choice for the patron. Francis was included as it's thought the painting was originally to be placed in the Franciscan church of San Donato degli Osservanti - where Federico would eventually be buried.

Della Francesca was a master geometrician and author of a learned text on the rules of mathematical persPective - techniques used by painters to create the reality of depth in a painting. Such expertise with scale and proportion used to create balance and harmony in his pictures makes them visually powerful. What also makes them additionally attractive is his use of colour massing against paler areas to achieve further unity in the composition. We can see all of those devices used here.

Evidently Della Francesca worked very slowly which is an issue he must have had to contend with when faced with painting frescos but with a panel painting, as we have here, this would not have been so much of a problem.

As in this example, Della Francesca's pictures are very detailed - something that would have appealed to the Duke. It was a reflection of his fascination with Flemish oil painting, a shared interest among the patrons of the period.

Some of the details worth looking at here are: the baby Jesus wearing a necklace of deep red coral beads, a colour signifying blood and a symbol of life and death. Secondly, notice in the apse semi-dome a very peculiar object suspended from a thread attched to the ceiling. It lies at the very centre of the composition. It is in fact an ostrich egg. The shell was a symbol of the new Venus (a reference to Mary over whose oval shaped head it is directly suspended) and eternal beauty. According to other thoughts - the egg is a reference to the miracle of the Virgin birth and the egg of course is a symbol of Creation - another clear reference to the birth of Jesus and to Guidobaldo's birth. The ostrich was also one of the heraldic symbols of the Montefeltro family.

FEDERICO DE MONTEFELTRO, DUKE OF URBINO &
HIS WIFE BATTISTA SFORZA

So this is a picture well worth spending a bit of time on. It's beautiful to look at, symbolic and full of references to the patron and his interests. This Duke of Urbino was Lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke from 1474) until his death. His life and interests are best reflected in the Grand Ducal Palace in Urbino which I visited in May.

THE GRAND DUCAL PALACE IN URBINO
HOME OF FEDERICO DA MONTEFELTRO - DUKE OF URBINO

It was here that he created a splendid library, probably the largest in Italy outside the Vatican and his studiolo, which is wonderful, can still be seen there now. Situated to the east of the Appenines it's not on the the main tourist routes, but this in my opinion, improves the visitor experience. It's an absolutely "must see" experience for anyone interested in the history and arts of this period.

A TRIP BACK IN TIME TO MEDIEVAL SIENA AT THE TIME OF THE BLACK DEATH - A DEBUT NOVEL!!

Browsing through the shelves of the ship's library on a recent Baltic cruise I came across a newish first novel by an American author called Melodie Winawer and the title immediately attracted my attention - it was called "The Scribe of Siena". Reading through the synopsis of the story I knew I had to read it and I thought I'd write a brief review for this blog.

Beatrice is a brilliant young neurosurgeon working in a busy Manhattan hospital, absorbed in her work and with little time for a social life outside and it's intriguing to soon discover she's no ordinary surgeon as she has an extraordinary capacity to feel and experience the thoughts and emotions of some of her patients. She literally seems to get inside their heads and this seems to contribute greatly to her work.

Her brother Ben, a medieval historian, lives in Siena and regular correspondence with him tells of his absorbing interest in researching the effects of the Black Death in the city in the 14th century. One day she receives a letter from her brother's Italian solicitor telling of his untimely death from a heart condition and at the same time telling her she has inherited his Sienese home and all its contents. The letter urgently asks her to make arrangements to visit his office in the city and sign all the appropriate papers to take over his property.

Taking time out from her busy schedule she flies to Siena and takes possession of his home in one of Siena's ancient contrada. Going though her brother's things she discovers his research notes and learns more of what he was working on and his interest in a particular in a 14th century Sienese artist called Gabriele. Intrigued by his work further research reveals images of the artist's work including a 14th century fresco painting in which she's startled to discover a female figure with her own face. As her mind swirls with this discovery she's suddeny and mysteriously transported back in time to the city on the eve of the arrival of the Black Death.

The story unfolds and revolves round the relationship between Beatrice and Gabriele in a whirlwind of events leading up to the arrival of the terrible plague which would have a particularly devastating effect on Siena - far worse than in nearby Florence. Much of the story takes place in and around the vicinity of the Ospedale de Santa Maria della Scala opposite Siena's great Duomo and I found this particularly interesting given I've already written about this famous building in this blog.

I don't want to give away too much of the narrative - suffice to say that it's a fascinating tale which interfaces the hazy line between past and present and completely absorbs the reader in 14th century Siena. The novel is thoroughly researched in terms of historical events and even down to the nuances of costume and behaviour in this most medieval of Italian cities Add to that a powerful layer of art history and the intriguing context is almost complete for the development of an engaging plot. Written with confidence and imagination Winawer's novel is a diverting page turning love story and thrilling mystery with broad appeal and its set in the time perios when the ravages of the Black Death would wipe out a third or more of Europe's population.

Winawer herself is a physician-scientist and professor of neurology at Columbia University in New York with degrees from New York University, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania in biological psychology, medicine and epidemiology. She lives in New York with her family. As I mentioned at the beginning - this is her debut novel. For those of you who enjoy Italian medieval history and art and like a good story to boot this is a book you will surely enjoy.

Ciao
Ian

A SISTINE CHAPEL SIDE SHOW - GIMMICK OR WAS IT WORTH THE EFFORT?

The weather here in Umbria has been pretty lousy this last ten days to the extent we decided to take off to Rome for a couple of days on Monday. We'd heard from a friend that there was a new show in town that everyone was talking about called "Michelangelo - Secrets of the Sistine Chapel" so before we set off, with no preconceptions or expectations. we booked a couple of tickets online for the English version of the show which was being shown at the Auditorio Conciliazione near the Vatican, on the evening of our arrival. This is a personal review of the experience!

We arrived at the venue, which we'd never been to before, half an hour before the 8pm show was due to begin. The building, inaugurated in 1950 as a multifunctional space for musical, cultural and artistic events, was obviously huge and we were amongst the earliest there. We presented our printed out e tickets to the smartly uniformed staff and Jon's scanned correctly, but mine didn't so it was a journey to the box office for assistance. Now this is Italy so there was a further excruciating ten minutes whilst bits of paper were perused, boxes ticked and computer screens stared at before finally a new ticket was issued. We were  on our way!

The auditorium reminded me of the Prince Edward Theatre in London but on a grander scale. It was huge, austere, black and lined with banked rows of seats upholstered in red. The screen on the stage was illuminated with what you can see in the illustration below. I grumbled at the width of the seats - pefect for small Italian frames, but no good for the likes of big chaps like me and Jon. It was interesting watching people arrive, an odd mixture of  couples, groups of friends, families and even the odd catholic priest or two. Needless to say - they were still arriving at the start time so it was another ten minutes before things got going.

The show began fairly ordinarily with some film footage of Rome working backwards from now until finally, using computer generated images, the early 16th century was reached. We could see the new St Peter's Basilica being constructed and the exterior of the Sistine Chapel built for Pope Sixtus IV between 1473 and 1481. Next the gauze screen on which the footage was projected slid back and we were confronted with what looked like pillars of rock from Stonehenge all set against an ethereal grey background of swirling mist. The sequence ended with the appearance of a huge white block of marble and suddenly a live figure of the young artist Michelangelo. In a short soliloquy designed to explore his artistic sensibility in relation to carving the stone we were invited to think about the genius required to produce a masterpiece in marble. Suddenly, yes you've guessed it, the block turned into a hologram figure of the life sized "David" he sculpted in Florence in 1503.

You've probably got the idea now of how this presentation unfolded. Every trick in the computer generated and dramatic book was milked to develop the multisensory experience - digital film, stereophonic sound, dramatic lighting, injected smells and with a small group of actors - soliloquy, dialogue, mime and dance. Not only that, the whole of the auditorium was used - the stage area of course, the expansive walls, the huge ceiling and not forgetting the seating area itself. Several times a fully robed Pope and a bedraggled looking Michelangelo came amongst us.

I'm not going to describe every aspect of the production. Suffice to say that the show concentrated on the commissioning of Michelangelo to paint the Sistine ceiling by Pope Julius II in 1508, and uitmately his execution of it. Emphasis was put on the painting of the panels down the centre of the ceiling telling nine stories from the book of Genesis, the Creation of Adam and Eve, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood. The latter wa particularly memorable with a group of dancers, centre stage, fighting the effects of howling winds and lashing waves. Very dramatic indeed. Also particularly memorable was a scene projected on to both walls of a procession of fully robed Cardinals gathering for a Conclave in the Chapel. This came with beautiful choral chanting and the smell of incense to boot.

The final part of the presentation dealt with the commissioning of Michelangelo thirty years later to paint "The Last Judgment" on the wall above the altar in the chapel which was completed between 1535 and 1541 when he was 67. There was another opus magnum part of the presentation here as sound, light and imagery were used to reveal the artist struggling mentally with the epic scale of the work.

The whole thing lasted about an hour and the big question is - was it a worthwhile experience?  Well for me, despite the memorable moments, it was a bit contrived and gimmicky and Sistine Chapel secrets there were none. It was a bit like a video arcade game crossed with a Disney movie with some real human drama thrown in. Dramatic yes; a multi-sensory experience - definitely; clever - without a doubt. I couldn't help feeling however that in this day and age, where many from the younger generations are brought up on video games, virtual reality and tablet experiences and where they read less and less, that everything entertainment wise has to be sensational to attract attention. The film industry knows this well. Am I being a harsh judge in that respect? I think not but would welcome other opinions on the issues involved here. The following day, to supplement the experience, I returned to the Sistine Chapel after many years to see the frescoes and it has to be said that if I hadn't seen them before or known little of their history - then the presentation would have provided an adequate if superficial background preliminary to the viewing. My friend in Umbria, keen to know what I'd thought of it when we returned to Umbria, made exactly the same  point.

A worst case scenario perhaps would be someone visiting Rome, going to the presentation and then not bothering with the real thing! I hope that doesn't happen!

This was an expensive production and obviously involved huge investment and sponsorship. At 28 euros per person you will have to judge yourself whether its a worthwhile punt. Though I have my reservations - I was glad that I had gone!

Ciao and keep buggering on.

Ian

BRING YOUR HANDKERCHIEF FOR THIS ONE! - MICHELANGELO'S "PIETA"

THE PIETA

Michelangelo Buonarotti

Marble, 1499-1500.

Easter is almost upon us and its a while since I've posted on my Italian blog site. It seems appropriate therefore to say a few words about one of my all time favourite pieces of sculpture which has an Easter theme related to the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. Many artists have chosen to tackle the difficult subject of the deposition part of the story - the time when Christ, following his death, is taken down from the cross and given up to his family and friends. Many of these works show Christ surrounded by Mary, Mary Magdelen and some of his disciples, but the one I have chosen to look at here is a much more intimate affair depicting Christ in the arms of his mother, Mary.

Walk in to St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and the first chapel on the right hand side is the setting for this magnificent work of art. Michelangelo's task was to produce a piece of sculpture for the tomb of the French Cardinal - Jean Bilheres de Lagraulas in Old St Peter's and it was completed by the artist in c1500, making it one of his earliest works to be executed in Rome. It was brought to the New St Peter's in 1519. 

The sculpture depicts the lifeless body of the dead Christ lying across his mothers knees. She looks down on him with bended head and supports the weight of his body with her arms. The first time I saw this work I found it incredibly moving and beautiful. The two figures - one dead and one alive are captured in this hard, lifeless stone in the most amazing way and I think this is to do with the fact that every aspect of the piece feels credible and "real". The youthfulness of the Virgin, the overwhelming sense of sadness in her expression, the lifelessness of the dead weight of Christ's body in his mother's arms, the folding of drapery round her knees, the sense that both human forms seem so real. It's a sublime piece. 

There is something about sculpture that is totally different from the other fine arts and I think this must be to do with its three-dimensionality. It's this that takes it a step further than the depiction of forms and images on flat surfaces and makes it appealing to the eye. I am always totally in awe of a sculptor's ability, when working with stone or marble, to take a square block of material and remove material using steel tools to reveal the conception in his/her mind's eye. How can something so complex, tragic and at the same time beautiful be produced in this way without a mistake being made which spoils the end result? In my humble opinion Michelangelo, is the supreme artist in this respect and its not surprising that many thought his work was directly inspired and executed by him through the hand of God himself. In 1550 Georgio Vasari in "Lives of the Artists" wrote of it and said "It is a mircale that a rock, which before was without form, can take on such perfection that even nature sometimes struggles to create in the flesh". 

Across Mary's chest is a ribbon which bears the carved inscription "MICHAEL ANGELUS BONAROTUS, FLORENT, FACIEBA(T) - Michelangelo of Florence made this! It's the only time the artist ever signed one of his pieces of sculpture. He must have been incredibly proud of the end result. 

TEH VIRGIN'S HEAD BEFORE & AFTER RESTORATION

In 1972 a Hungarian man entered the basilica and vandalised the statue with twelve hammer blows causing huge damage. Some believed the statue should remain unrestored but the Vatican eventually decided to restore the statue in such a way that the results of the intervention would not be visible to the naked eye of viewers. It now has in front of it a sheet of bullet-proof glass. This does affect the viewing experience today but it still shouldn't be missed. Put it on your Roman bucket list if you haven't yet seen it. It will be in my mind''s eye on Good Friday. 

ORVIETO - UP TOP AND DOWN THE STAIRS

In Umbria, away from the high mountains of the Appenines, there are hundreds of ancient towns and villages which sit on top of hills or ridges established there in times gone by when defence was important; they are a defining characteristics of much of the region. There is no finer example than the city of Orvieto in the south western part of the province - one of my favourite places for a trip out when we are staying in Umbria. It perches on top of a sheer sided cliff and when travelling south on the A1 motorway from Castigleone I'm always keen to pick out the 325m high flat plateau on which the city sits and spot the outline of its spectacular gothic cathedral - they are the signs that tell me we are nearly at our destination!

ORIVIETO SITS ON TOP OF A MASSIVE TUFA PLATEAU

To take the journey by car from the modern part of the town at the foot of the cliff is to follow a road which winds up the side of the cliff, It takes only a few minutes and the views of the valley below become increasingly dramatic as the altitude increases. At the top there's a large car park from which its possible to walk in to town. An alternative route for those arriving by bus or train is a funicular railway which has a starting point close to the railway station entrance.

A VIEW OF THE VALLEY FROM A WALL JUST OFF CATHEDRAL SQUARE
IN ORVIETO

There are layers of human history to be discovered in the old part of town on top of the plateau and these go all the way back to the Etruscan period several hundred years before the birth of Christ. The Etruscan name for the city was Velzna and the Romans converted this to Urbs Vetus (old city) and its this root which eventually evolved in to the familiar name of Orvieto. The city's peak came in the medieval period when it became a significant commercial centre with hinterlands extending northwards and to the coast. In the middle of the 15th century it became a refuge and home from home for the papacy and 32 popes are known to have stayed here. Pope Leo XIII called its magnificent cathedral "the Golden Lily of Italian cathedrals" commenting that on the day of judgement it would float to heaven carried by its own beauty, High praise indeed. It's a must see sight but its not what I want to concentrate on here - more about it in another post.

THE FACADE OF THE MAGNIFICENT GOTHIC
CATHEDRAL IN THE UMBRIAN CITY OF ORVIETO

The volcanic origins of the plateau on which the old city and cathedral sit is a reminder of the geological instability that characterises much of this central part of Italy. Remnants of old volcanoes are everywhere and earthquakes are commonplace to the people of Umbria. This huge plateau is a vestigial chunk in fact of four volcanoes and consists largely of a softish rock called TUFA. Erosion of this has contributed to mineral rich soils in the valleys below and its these that have led to Orvieto's reputation as a  major area for the cultivation of vines and the production of excellent wines which are known the world over.

The softish nature of the tufa from the earliest times made the excavation of underground cave systems possible and today there are over 1300 hundred of them beneath the city - many of them starting life as Etruscan wells. During the medieval period a number of these were further exploited and developed for building stone and the resultant caves were used for raising pigeons, keeping wine in, storing olive oil and even for safety when the well being of the city was threatened, During bombing raids in World War II the inhabitants of Orvieto sought shelter in the cave systems in the tufa. Today the cave networks are accessible to the public and opposite the cathedral there is a ticket bureau offering visitors tours, in different languages, of these underground labyrinths. I have to confess to not having tried these for I find myself feeling a bit claustrophobic in confined spaces like these, but each year thousands of visitors follow the guides down in to the caverns and come back with wonderful tales of their experiences, including ones telling of amazing views of the valleys below from natural windows in the rock where the tunnels run parallel with the cliff wall.

PART OF THE UNDERGROUND CAVE SYSTEM BEANEATH THE CENTRE
OF THE OLD PART OF ORVIETO. 

But our reason for travelling to Orvieto in late December 2017 was to see one specific underground feature which I'd read about in several books about Umbria and this time I wasn't going to let my fear of underground spaces spoil my attempt to see it. It's near the car park in the Piazza Cahen at the top of the hill - just a short walk from it down a path next to the terminus of the funicalar railway  and its so discreetly placed we have missed it on previous visits to the city.

THE ENTRANCE TO THE POZZO SAN PATRIZIO PERCHED ON A LEDGE
OF THE TUFA OUTCROP - ORVIETO. 

The structure I'm talking about is a 16th century well called the POZZO SAN PATRIZIO and the entrance is housed in a circular building with a shallow conical roof. It was designed by Antonio da Sangello the Younger for Pope Clement VII who had arrived in Orvieto disguised as a greengrocer after the Sack of Rome by Imperial troops of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1527. Fearing an attack by Imperial troops the Pope was keen to see a well dug which would guarantee the water supply of his new household and the town. Work on the well began in 1529 and it took 10 years to complete and it is an amzing piece of design and engineering, being both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

DESIGN FOR THE POZZO SAN PATRIZIO BY
ANTONIO DA SANGELLO THE YOUNGER - 1529

It consists of a vertical shaft just over 40 feet wide and getting on for 200 feet deep - the top half constructed from dug out tufa and the bottom section brick lined. Adjacent to the shaft are two circular staircases constructed in the form of a double helix (it's design resembles the molecular form of DNA in fact) which never intersect. These provided pathways for donkeys to descend to the water level and to return to the surface carrying panniers of water. The staircases are illuminated by 72 window piercings in the wall of the shaft which was an ingenious solution avoiding the need for artificial lighting. I know what your thinking now - did I make it to the bottom and back via the alternative staircase? Well - the mind was willing but the flesh was weak and I was put off by the sign at the entrance which said the journey was not for the feeble, the claustrophic or for those with a dodgy heart. So - I descended about 60 or 70 feet and looked down at the water level through one of the windows and then returned to the surface on the same stairs I'd gone down on. Despite not making it to the bottom I wouldn't have missed seeing it for anything. It was quite simply remarkable.

MY VIEW OF THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL FROM THE
DOWNWARD STAIRCASE
POZZO SAN PATRIZIO - ORVIETO

Oh and there's another interesting little footnote to add to the story. The well is famous throughout Italy and there's an anecdote that goes along the lines of "people who are tight with their money have pockets as deep as the Pozzo di San Patrizio". I also forgot to mention that the well was originally named because of its supposed similarity to the Irish cave where Saint Patrick died. I don't know whether that is true or not. What I do know is that this wonderful construction is not to be missed if you ever visit Orvieto. It's open every day (shorter hours in Winter) and there are discounts for the over 60's. It's free to go down but you pay 3 euros 50 to come back up!! We paid 7 euros for the two of us - a bit of a bargain I thought!