Jenna, Florence and the Istituto Europeo

We interviewed Jenna, a student at the Istituto Europeo. Jenna is a young and promising opera singer who tells us in this video about her amazing experience in Florence.

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Portraiture and drawing in Florence

Portraiture and drawing in Florence - Italy 

Are you interested in Renaissance art?
Do you love portraiture? Do you love Florence and Italy?
Have you always wanted to paint portraits but you put it off
because you thought you needed more time?

The time has finally arrived!
Come to Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, join our workshop .
We will study the classic portrait composition (Leonardo, Raffaello, Tiziano),
how to obtain a realistic representation of the face and
the essentials of anatomy that allow a full understanding of how to draw a head.

Visits to Florentine museums to admire those paintings you have always heard of
but never had the chance to see "in the flesh".

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Italy Tuscany Culture Summer Tour 2016

Period: From 1th April 2016 to 30th October 2016.
Duration: 12days (11nights)
Purpose: Allow students to experience the world-famous cultural monuments province of Tuscany, a long historical background, living next to a 2000 years old town of San Gimignano near Florence, visiting wineries, wine rural experience, manufacturing olive oil and Italian cooking lesson, visit the world-famous ancient towns: Pisa, Florence, Siena and Lucca.

Arrival airport: PISA or FLORENCE, Italy
To bring: leisure clothing, sports shoe and swimming suit
Cost: USD 3800 / person, including 11 nights stay in winery farm (only double rooms available), breakfast, lunch (simple meal) and dinner, airport pick up, daily program, activities, transportation, 9 hours Italian lesson (in cooperation with Istituto Europeo Florence) and English, Chinese and German tour guide. By request also Art and Music lesson are available.

Flight ticket to Italy, all entrance tickets for museums and recreation area, insurances, meals and drinks besides 3 main meals per day are not including in the price.

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Visible listening: Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino Art Exhibition in Florence

Palazzo Strozzi offers everyone a chance to shape their own encounter with art

Author: Gayane Simonyan

Palazzo Strozzi is hosting a major exhibition entitled “Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino. Diverging Paths of Mannerism from 8 March to 20 July 2014. The exhibition is devoted to the work of Pontormo and of Rosso Fiorentino, the two painters: original and unconventional adepts of the new way of interpreting art in that season of the Italian Cinquecento which Giorgio Vasari called the 'modern manner'.

Born in the same year- 1494- just kilometers apart (one just outside Empoli and the other in Florence) and trained in the workshops of the same renowned Florentine masters, Pontormo and Rosso came to be referred to by 20th century scholarship as the twins of the “modern manner” or of “Mannerism”.

Pontormo: Portrait of Cosimo the Elder 1518-9; oil on panel;
87 x 67 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi.  Cosimo de' Medici sits on a throne bearing his name.
A young bay tree, with one branch cut and another bearing leaves, has a scroll wrapped around it with the motto "uno avulso non deficit alter" meaning "when one is plucked away another shall not be wanting", alluding to the renewal of the Medici Family. The picture may have been commissioned, before his death in 1519, by Cosimo's descendant Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, whose arms were a branch blossoming anew.

Both trained under Andrea del Sarto while maintaining a strongly independent approach and enormous freedom of expression. Pontormo, always a favourite with the Medici, was a painter open to stylistic variety and to a renewal of the traditional approach to composition. Rosso Fiorentino, on the other hand, was more tightly bound to tradition, yet at the same time he was fully capable of flights of originality and innovation, influenced also by Cabalistic literature and esoteric works.

This exhibition opted for a broad and multifaceted overview of the two great painters' masterpieces, according priority to the formal splendour and lofty poetry of Pontormo and of Rosso Fiorentino so that the exhibition appeals in its clarity not only to the specialists in this field but also to a wider audience thanks to themed sections set out in chronological order.

Rosso Fiorentino: Madonna and Child with four Saints 1518; oil on panel;
172 x 141.5 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizzi.
Leonardo Buonafede, master of the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova, commissioned this altarpiece from Rosso to comply with the last wishes of Catalan widow who left the hospital a legacy.
Intended for a chapel in Ognissanti, Buonafede rejected it because, as Vasari tells us, he thought "all those saints were devils". Rosso left the panel unfinished and it was completed , possibly by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, in a rather slapdash manner: notice Mary's hands on the Christ Child's four eyes.

This is a more or less unique event that brought together for the very first time a selection of masterpieces by the two artists in Italian and foreign collections, many of them specially restored for the occasion.

The exhibition consists of 10 rooms from 4 to 15 pictures in each. There’s also a reading room for those who want to gain a bit more information about the exhibition and the painters.

Starting from the first room you can find the best pieces of the two painters. Specialising in Italian painting from 14th to sixteenth century, the Moretti gallery is honoured to have made possible the restoration of the Visitation by Pontormo.

Pontormo: The Penitent St. Jerome c. 1529- 30; oil on panel; 105 x 80 cm. Hanover,
Niedersächsisches Forstplanungsamt Hannover.

This unfinished painting, like the Madonna and Child, is generally dated to 1529–30 on account of the affinity of both with the Ten Thousand Martyrs that Vasari tells us was painted during the siege. 

Restoration and scientific exams have added to our knowledge of Pontormo’s creative process: using chequering, he would produce a cartoon based on his final drawing, then trace the silhouettes on the panel’s thin layer of priming using a pointed metal chisel. 

The first aim of the exhibition is to attempt to clarify the ideology inclination of the two and their ensuring expressive choices, perhaps taking advantage of the circumstances to prompt renewed caution towards the use of pithy labels that never aid either reflection or dissemination.

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Istituto Europeo Study Abroad Art Program, Florence – Interview with Ashkon Farhangi

Sculpture by Ashkon                                                              Self portrait by Ashkon

Nationality: USA

In Florence for 4 weeks to study painting, sculpture and Italian with Istituto Europeo

Speaks English, Spanish, Farsi, (and a little bit of Italian)

Loves cereal

Hates getting up early

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m 18 years old and I’m from San Francisco, California. I have a younger brother who is 15. I have just finished high school so I don’t have an occupation yet. Painting and sculpture are my hobbies (I like art in general). I also play tennis and soccer. I’m Persian but I’ve lived in the USA for my whole life.

2. What made you want to come to Florence to study art?

Specifically Florence because it’s a beautiful city (I hadn’t been before, but it’s what I’d heard). Two of my cousins did their study abroad semesters over here and they recommended it. Before coming here, I spent three months in China studying kung fu.

3. How does Florence compare to China?

Florence as a place is definitely very different to China. China was dirty, the air was hard to breathe; very modern, a lot of skyscrapers. Sometimes monotonous because it all looks the same (you can be anywhere in the city and not know where you are).  Obviously in China they speak Chinese. I found people in China somewhat nicer than here in Florence. Maybe because there weren’t many foreigners, so they were eager to talk to me and the people I was with.

4. How has your experience in Florence met your expectations?

I guess it has actually; but the one thing I wish was different about Florence was if there were more trees – it seems very dry here. I also thought it would be more expensive to eat and go out here; but I’ve found it quite cheap. And a lot of places have student discounts, which I’ve used extensively.

5. Tell us about the art work you have made while you’ve been here (the materials, the process, difficulty, the teacher, etc.)

I built terracotta sculptures; I moulded them. One of them took two weeks, and the self-portrait took one week. I used classic sculpting tools; wooden knives and metal sculpting tools. I didn’t like my self portrait at all, so I feel like it’s still not finished. It’s hard to sculpt yourself (I was looking in a mirror). I hadn’t realised how inaccurate my image of myself was until I started sculpting. My teacher was a really nice guy; he was very straight and honest; he told me when my work was good or bad – he didn’t embellish or worry about my feelings. I liked that though – it made my work a lot better. This was my first time really sculpting. I think I have gotten better at it since the beginning.

6. What is your favourite thing about Florence?

The architecture is so pretty. I’ve studied a lot of architecture, so whenever I go someplace new, I am very aware of the buildings around me. The style here is very different than the style in the USA. I like the way they use colours more extensively and in a different way than in the USA.

7. What is your least favourite thing about Florence?

I don’t really have any complaints although the internet isn’t great here. Something that surprised me also was when you walk into a store, the sales people don’t respond to you the way they do in the USA. In the USA sales people fall over themselves to sell you stuff, but here it’s sort of like it’s not worth it to them to act differently than they normally would to sell something. It’s nice in some ways but also frustrating in other ways.

8. What do you miss most from home?

I guess I miss my family and friends. But I told everyone from home I’d be away for a month and that I’d try not to contact them during that time. Because I was going away for such a short time, I wanted to be present here in Florence; knowing full well I’d see everybody soon enough.

9. What are your plans after Florence?

I have an internship in San Fransisco at a small company that is developing an iPhone/iPad app. I’ll be there for two months before starting university. I haven’t decided what I’m studying yet, but I’m interested in math and economics.

10. What advice would you give to other young people thinking about studying abroad/in Florence?

Definitely do it. As far as having places to study abroad go, I think Florence would be the best because it’s full of college students. The whole city is student-friendly with the discounts and stuff. It’s small enough that you don’t need a car, and it’s super pretty here too. But I heard it sucks in winter. I definitely met a lot of people at Istituto Europeo and made some friends. Istituto Europeo was a very supportive place, like they set up my apartment and made it easy for me to move here, and any time I needed directions or anything I was able to get help from the staff at Istituto Europeo.

11. If someone was visiting Florence for just one day, what would you recommend they do/see?

I’m not really the kind of person who likes to see the big touristy things, and since I was only here for four weeks I didn’t get to see any of the museums – I’m going to try to see some in the next few days before I leave though. So there’s not any one place in the city that I’d say was my favourite. That said though, the Ponte Vecchio is pretty cool.

Palazzo Pitti parla giapponese e invita a conoscere il Paese del sol levante. In mostra l’arte e la cultura del Giappone nell’incontro con l’Occidente

Linee, colori e suggestioni racchiuse in 500 opere che raccontano la ‘terra di incanti’ dell’Estremo Oriente, lungo un percorso di mille e 200 metri di superficie espositiva. Così a Firenze, a Palazzo Pitti dal 3 aprile al primo luglio 2012, si celebra il Giappone. Nella reggia fiorentina che nel 1585 ospitò i primi ambasciatori giapponesi mai arrivati in Italia, la manifestazione ‘Giappone, terra d’incanti’, suddivisa in tre mostre dai titoli differenti, illustra l’arte e la cultura nipponica. Vediamo di seguito più nel dettaglio le tre parti dell’esposizione.

Di Linea e di Colore. Il Giappone, le sue arti e l'incontro con l'Occidente

Al piano terreno di Palazzo Pitti, nell’antico quartiere estivo dei granduchi, oggi Museo degli Argenti, le luci sono puntate sull’arte giapponese dal XIV al XIX secolo, epoca in cui il Giappone era il paese degli shogun e dei samurai. Questa parte della manifestazione espone raffinate realizzazioni artistiche e artigianali, dalle armi alle armature dei noti guerrieri, ai dipinti realizzati su paraventi dorati o su rotoli, destinati ai templi buddhisti e shintoisti o alle abitazioni. Non mancano opere che gli shogun dedicarono alla celebre Cerimonia del tè, kimono dagli straordinari tessuti, maschere e costumi variopinti per il teatro.

Alcune sale sono dedicate l'Ukiyo, il ‘mondo fluttuante’, una cultura parallela legata ai mercanti del periodo Edo (1615-1868), amatori della bellezza e dell’eleganza che predilessero artisti come il grande Hokusai, presente in mostra con lo straordinario capolavoro ‘Cinque dame’, rotolo verticale conservato nel Museo Hosomi di Kyoto.

Una parte di questa mostra è inoltre riservata all'incontro tra la cultura giapponese e quella europea e italiana, attraverso l'esposizione di manufatti giapponesi di tipo Nanban, che  letteralmente significa ‘barbari del Sud’, così come i giapponesi definivano gli europei tra il XVI e il XVII secolo.

L'eleganza della memoria. Le arti decorative nel moderno Giappone

La Sala Bianca, in Galleria Palatina al primo piano di Palazzo Pitti, ospita invece opere dei più famosi artisti giapponesi del Novecento, in particolare della seconda metà del secolo, quasi tutti nominati dal governo giapponese ‘tesori nazionali viventi’, il riconoscimento che fin dal 1950 viene assegnato per preservare tecniche e abilità artistiche.

Innovativi per concezione e per design, i lavori e i manufatti esposti esprimono stretti legami con la tradizione artistica classica del Giappone, sia per quanto riguarda le tecniche che i materiali: splendidi kimono, eleganti contenitori rivestiti della celeberrima lacca giapponese, ceramiche di elevata qualità, metalli dalle eleganti patine, notevoli e originali intrecci di bambù.

Giapponismo. Suggestioni dell’Estremo Oriente dai Macchiaioli agli anni Trenta

La terza mostra, dal suggestivo titolo ‘giapponismo’ si snoda nei locali della Galleria d’arte moderna e illustra la profonda influenza che la cultura nipponica ebbe sull’arte italiana tra la metà dell’Ottocento e i primi decenni del Novecento. Il Giappone era infatti rimasto isolato dal resto del mondo per oltre due secoli, aprendosi soltanto verso il 1860.

Da allora, grazie alla presenza di padiglioni giapponesi alle Esposizioni universali e alla permanenza di europei e statunitensi nel Paese del sol levante, l’interesse degli occidentali per le arti e la cultura del Giappone crebbe e si diffuse velocemente, diventando in certi casi una sorta di mania. Pensiamo per esempio all’arredamento, all’oggettistica e all’artigianato, dai ventagli ai kimono, ai paraventi. E, in campo strettamente artistico e pittorico, alle xilografie policrome di maestri come Utamaro, Hokusai e Hiroshige, ai quali si ispirarono anche i grandi delle avanguardie europee come Whistler, Manet, Degas, Vang Gogh, Gauguin e Monet.

Molti importanti artisti italiani accolsero e coltivarono il ‘giapponismo’, che influenzò musicisti come Puccini e Mascagni e pittori quali De Nittis, i macchiaioli toscani Fattori, Signorini e D'Ancona e altri esponenti dell’arte italiana di tutte le regioni: Tranquillo Cremona, Vittore Grubicy, De Pisis, Cambellotti, Michetti, Balla, Boldini, Cavaglieri. Non ultime, le maggiori manifatture del tempo, come la Richard Ginori, le vetrerie di Murano e le ceramiche di Galileo Chini. In mostra sono presenti opere di tutti questi artisti, affiancati da preziosi oggetti giapponesi. Un confronto e un incontro da non perdere.

Titolo della manifestazione: Giappone, Terra di incanti

Luogo: Palazzo Pitti, piazza dei Pitti, Firenze

Periodo: dal 3 aprile al 1° luglio 2012

Orario: Galleria Palatina e Galleria d’arte moderna, martedì – domenica: 8.15 – 18.50, chiuso il  lunedì

Museo degli Argenti, lunedì – domenica: aprile e maggio 8.15 – 18.00;  giugno e luglio  8.15 – 18.50, chiuso primo e ultimo lunedì del mese

Prezzo: Biglietto della mostra, che consente l’ingresso anche alle collezioni stabili dei musei di Palazzo Pitti che l’accolgono, oltre al Giardino di Boboli, con validità 3 giorni

intero: € 18.00

ridotto: € 9.00 (per i cittadini dell’U.E. tra i 18 ed i 25 anni)

gratuità per i cittadini dell’U.E. sotto i 18 e sopra i 65 anni

Info e prenotazioni: Firenze Musei 055.290383 -  firenzemusei@operalaboratori.com - www.unannoadarte.it