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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Pregnant Madonna and other wonders on the art Trail (a virtual blog)
In Anghiari, pop. 5,866, a commune and town in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy
our base of operation for this trip...
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The bells go all the time in the medieval town of Anghiari, and they seem to be hopelessly misaligned, occurring at 20 past or 5 of the hour...I feel as if I am in a kind of Tuscan Brigadoon, and will awaken to find people milling about in medieval dress...
...but this is typical
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The Trail I am on follows the life and works of Piero della Francesca (c.1415-1492), who painted in these hidden medieval towns. It was formerly traversed by Brits with sturdy shoes and walking sticks...Siamo Americani, we tell the locals who inquire, Siete Inglese? Francese?
the problem in Anghiari...
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the remedy in Anghiari...
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The towns mayor tells us, in Italian, that unlike much of Tuscany, Anghiari refuses to ship their piccolini out of town to school so as to accommodate more tourists...Bravo, Anghiari, ti vogliamo bene!
Here is what I found along the way...
map of the trail
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We are told by our instructor, Professore Mario Carniani, that Piero della Francesca searches for a message from God through nature. He aims to reopen the gates of heaven through his art. He echoes his contemporary, Masaccios, great triumph in Florences Santa Maria del Carmine, circa 1428.
Brancacci chapel
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In Monterchi Pop. 1,844.
Monte Santa Maria Tiberina.
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The Madonna del Parto by Piero della Francesca (the pregnant madonna)
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This is a fresco that has been moved. Formerly it covered a wall in the Chapel of Santa Maria di Momentana and was rediscovered (in very bad condition) in the last century.
Uh, how do you move a fresco? Heres how http://janessmartartblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/how-centuries-old-fresco-is-removed.html
(betcha didnt know that, did you?)
The artists mother was from Monterchi and perhaps this work is for her. It portrays a teenaged girl with transcendent wisdom. We cannot help commenting on her pose: a young pregnant woman in her 8th or 9th month, her left hand supporting her aching back...but her eyes...notice that one is focused down on her belly and the other level with us. She knows her baby is the savior of the world.
The angels on either side are mirror images, but the face on the right is less diffused. Piero knew that a standing figure is never perfectly still and moves slightly...
A miraculous childbirth is foretold here in the parting of the curtains and her dress. The artist is telling us that this is the announcement of a new day for mankind...
To be continued...Monday, in Sansepolcro for the best picture in the world:
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,737 posts)Your pictures indeed tell a story, and it's glorious. Beautifully done!
They remind me of the little medieval town that we saw last summer, whose name escapes me. "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed in it, however.
The pregnant Madonna is just wonderful. Thank you for all the details that I would have otherwise missed.
Yes! To be continued, please.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Last edited Sat May 24, 2014, 09:31 AM - Edit history (1)
Glad you like this. Many of my photos did not turn out at all...I had a major disaster with my rudimentary cell phone camera, so had to supplement with some Google images...
I'll resume Monday with the visit to Sansepulchro for two of Piero's works, then on to Arezzo for another two, which I hope to post here on Tuesday...
shenmue
(38,506 posts)I hope someday I am able to overcome my fear of planes, get a passport, get out there and see some stuff.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)coming down with a cold...I left Anghiari by minibus at 6:30 am on a Monday and walked into my house in CT at 2 am Tuesday...that's just too long...
For some reason, I'm not afraid of flying. The stats are pretty much in my favor so I don't worry too much. Besides, you are flying in such big planes internationally you kinda don't realize it...get some low dose Ambien and take half of one before you leave so you can sleep overnight on the way over. Have a good paperback or a tablet so you can read a lot on the way back...
I must say, this trip was very different from my other trips...this remote area of Tuscany and its medieval feel really made me step back in time...and this was my 5th trip to Italy alone...
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Besides, I thought she adopted.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Piero had his own way with "faces." Interesting artist...stay tuned for more next Monday and Tuesday...who knows, you might learn somethin'...
malaise
(269,219 posts)Hope you enjoyed the trip.
Edit - I saw that you are back home.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)More art on Monday and Tuesday, if you can stand it...
malaise
(269,219 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)malaise
(269,219 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)Always a pleasant way to spend ones time here at DU.
Thank you ever so much.
R&K
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)A little time in Tuscany, not to mention world class art, won't kill anybody, will it?
longship
(40,416 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)damn work firewall is blocking the pics.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)oh, well. When you do get them, please tell me what you think. I was really a little scared to post these, thinking nobody would be interested in seeing them, but I am glad to see I have some support...
I have two more days of posting about this adventure...four of Piero's works...I feel penetrated by the spirit of Piero's time...it's odd...I've never had a feeling about a place in my travels like this one...really unique...
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I enjoy your art posts a lot.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)to keeps tabs on users? I feel I miss out on some of your threads.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)I thought about PMing some folks to give them a heads up on an upcoming art thread of mine, but I felt that was presumptuous. However, I could let you know if you'd like...you can look for the second and third parts of this blog next Monday and Tuesday, probably around 4:30 EDT here in GD. I'm cooking up another one on artists very different from this one for maybe the following week. Doing my research now. Hopefully, that one will appear the following Friday...