SIMULACRA : ARCA LUMIS

Created in 1268, The Piazza della Signoria is the historical hub and civic center of Florence, home of the Loggia dei Lanzi, the Palazzo Vecchio (the podesta’s headquarter’s with its crenellated tower, now a museum), the Uffizi galleries, and many famous sculptures. In 1497 Girolamo Savonarola and his followers initiated the Bonfire of the Vanities, where they burned books, dresses, musical instruments, gambling tables, pornography, mirrors, and cosmetics; Sandro Botticelli was convinced to roast a large body of his paintings, and ostensibly never painted again. One year later, Savonarola was tortured, hanged and likewise roasted in front of the fountain of Neptune (a fitting punishment for depriving us of Botticelli’s genius), but not before he could utter the following rebuke: “Thy sins, O Florence, are the cause of these stripes. But now repent, offer prayers, become united. I have wearied myself all the days of my life to make known to thee the truths of the faith, and of holy living; and I have had nothing but tribulations, derision, and reproach.” Is it any wonder that the square was used to film “Hannibal”?

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Perhaps the most famous landmark in Florence, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (commonly known as The Duomo) took 170 years to complete, created by the best architects and artisans of the era. Begun by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296, the many-faceted cathedral was taken over by Giotto (who began the Campinile, later finished by Francesco Talenti, and is given credit for designing the facade), then completed by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini, Alberto Arnoldi, Giovanni d’Ambrogio, Neri di Fioravante, Orcagna, and finally, Filippo Brunelleschi (who completed the dome and cupola). The dome was the first octagonal design in history, weighing 37,000 tons and containing over 4 million bricks. My favorite anecdote, which I learned from the tour:

At the base of the dome, just above the drum, Baccio d’Agnolo began adding a balcony in 1507. One of the eight sides was finished by 1515, when someone asked Michelangelo — whose artistic opinion was by this time taken as cardinal law — what he thought of it. The master reportedly scoffed, “It looks like a cricket cage.” Work was immediately halted, and to this day the other seven sides remain rough brick.

Across the street, the Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery of St John) is believed to be the oldest building in Florence, home of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s infamous doors; while these are adequate copies, the originals now reside at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. The 21-year-old Ghiberti claimed he had won the competition for the North doors, even though Brunelleschi shared the honor with him; his prideful competitor left for Rome, allowing Ghiberti to make the doors himself, which then took 21 years to finish. In 1425, the now famous sculptor began a commission on the East doors with the same technique (”rilievo schiacciato” or “flattened relief”), which took 27 years to complete. Michelangelo rightfully proclaimed them the Gates of Paradise. Dante was baptised at the Battistero and was rumored to have broken one of the lower baptismal fonts to rescue a drowning child.

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Like the Gates of Paradise, the original David was moved to a safer indoor location; this was after a bench thrown from the Palazzo Vecchio had broken off his left arm. The Galleria dell’Accademia is equally famous for housing Michelangelo’s unfinished slave series (which I was unable to adequately photograph, due to the low light). From Wikipedia:

Rossellino’s contract was terminated, soon thereafter, and the block of marble originally from a quarry in Carrara, a town in the Apuan Alps in northern Italy, remained neglected for twenty-five years, all the while exposed to the elements in the yard of the cathedral workshop. The rain and wind weathered it down to a smaller size than was originally planned. This was of great concern to the Operai authorities, as such a large piece of marble was both costly, and represented a large amount of labor and difficulty in its transportation to Florence. In 1500, an inventory of the cathedral workshops described the piece as, “a certain figure of marble called David, badly blocked out and supine.” A year later, documents showed that the Operai were determined to find an artist who could take this large piece of marble and turn it into a finished work of art. They ordered the block of stone, which they called The Giant, “raised on its feet” so that a master experienced in this kind of work might examine it and express an opinion. Though Leonardo da Vinci and others were consulted, it was young Michelangelo, only twenty-six years old, who convinced the Operai that he deserved the commission. On August 16, 1501, Michelangelo was given the official contract to undertake this challenging new task. He began carving the statue early in the morning on Monday, September 13, a month after he was awarded the contract. He would work on the massive biblical hero for a little more than three years

The Bargello houses many famous sculptures, yet none more amazing than Donatello’s David. Unlike Michelangelo’s oddly serene contrapposto pose anticipating the fight with Goliath, this sculpture depicts the aftermath: his haughty swagger suggests he has a bit more sugar in his tank, made all the more apparent by his oversized sword, over-articulated genitals, and the tantalizing feather resting on his thigh. The last David shown here is from Verrocchio, and is also located in the Bargello. While expertly crafted, it lacks the originality and splendor of the previous two. It is is worth mentioning that the model was rumored to have been a handsome pupil in his workshop…Leonardo Da Vinci.

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