Sunday at the Uffizi

Today I took my second trip to the Uffizi museum of art. It's a really wonderful collection and i'm glad that i have to time to revisit it and take my time with the work there. My first visit was a bit rushed seeing as it was about 40 minutes before they closed up for the evening, but i made it through the first wing on that trip. so this time i breezed through the annunciations, crucifixes, and madonnas that almost the entire wing is made up of and explored the second wing fairly thoroughly.

The history in that building is simply amazing... looking at these works that were created between 1200-1600 strikes me with awe... realizing how many people dedicated their lives to creating these paintings, how much control the church had over what was created, and the amazing quality of some of the pieces. I was surprised at how dark some of the original paintings actually are, specifically the Sacrifice of Isaac and Rembrandt's self portrait. they were both much darker than the images i found online, the were still mesmerizing though.

The art was amazing, but so were the people at the museum. I sat and watched the people walking by for a good 30 or 40 minutes. i shared a bench with 11 strangers... i just stayed and watched and they cycled through. I chatted with a lady who was visiting with her husband, they are celebrating their 25 year anniversary by taking a bike tour down the coast between Pisa and Rome.... amazing. watching the onlookers was quite interesting, but my favorite person was one of the guards who was sitting in one of the smaller rooms. he was amazing.

he must have been late 60's early 70's. his pants were too short, and the hems were just frayed edges of the fabric. he wasn't wearing socks and his shoes were scuffed and tattered. his Uffizi uniform jacket was a few sizes too large. he had thinning salt and pepper hair, more pepper than salt. and an amazing mustache. he had a stack of newspapers next to him, one in hand, and i couldn't tell if he was actually reading it or just doodling in the margins. he was so aloof. the other guards look bored or chat with each other or have a book or watch the patrons, but he was alone in his own world. he looked so tired. i sat and watched him, he would yawn and rub his eyes with aged work worn fingers. take off his glasses and glance about looking as if he wondered if he could go home yet. he was so self contained, so ambiguous, so self assured. i loved watching him, he was so interesting. of all the masterpieces i saw today, i wish most i could have taken a picture of him... he was an enigma. i loved finding him.

aside from the guards, Here's some of what i saw today.... they don't allow photography inside the museum so i got these all off the internet.

Botticelli,

Birth of Venus:

Allegory of Spring

Da Vinci,

Annunciation:

Francesca,

Duke and Duchess of Urbino:

Michelangelo,

Holy Family:

Raphael,

Madonna of the Goldfinch:

Titian,

Venus of Urbino:

Parmigianino,

Venus with the Long Neck:

Caravaggio,

Abraham Sacrificing Isaac

Medusa

Artemisia,

Judith Beheading Holofernes:

Rembrandt,

Self Portrait:

It was amazing to see these pieces is real life. having studied them in my art history classes in school it was fulfilling to finally see them in person. the difference between the energy and emotion in the work is amazing. it's also a little mind blowing how certain paintings will stand out in a room. the artists given Master status definitely have a more powerful presence in their work, i'm excited to go back and revisit these and study them some more. I'm so honored to be able to experience this place and these beautiful works of art.