Today, December 12, 2018 Angelina and I walked to the Academia Gallery of Florence to see the ¨David¨ which is gigantic. I know the story of David and Goliath, and once you view the sheer size of this sculpture by Michelangelo your bets would be on David for sure. I admire the entire statue, but appreciate the anatomy of the veins in his hands, neck and arms. The sling became apparent to me only on the second go around, and is downplayed in comparison with the total effect. It is an important statue to art and was the first colossal nude during the Renaissance since antiquity. I am all for celebrating the human body, and this work is to revere a biblical hero. I am so fortunate to have seen the original this time! The ¨Annunciation¨ by Allori in the 8-9 row of pictures, I was interested in the significance of the flowers. The lilies held by the angel represent chastity and virginity, the blue cornflower is Paradise, fields of grain symbolize Christ, jasmine are dedicated to the Madonna (grace and elegance), broom is significant of Christ´s incarnation, the tulip symbolic of the search for Divine love and Mary´s suffering at the loss of Jesus. Nature and our connection with heaven and earth are expressed in this painting. The sculpture room had a video about the process of casting sculptures and although some were plaster casts, it is also an art in and of itself. I found originals as well and my favorites are shown here, mostly females and the one with two children is depicting a teacher. Of course, I loved the boy with his dog. Not to be missed, when in Florence this museum is a must.-Mona
Isn´t is so inspiring what artists can do with one block of marble or canvas? We went to the Academia Museum today and saw so many great works of art! The David was so flawless and awesome to see. Although my favorite thing to see there was the Boy Playing with the Dog. I liked it because it reminds me of my sweet dog Otto. It is really impressive what the back story of the art is. You can learn so much from just one painting! -Angelina
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