Michelangelo, the father and master of all the arts, died in Rome on February 18th, 1564, at the age of 89. He lived in Rome for thirty straight years, without ever coming back to Florence, his city. For Cosimo de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, this was a big sorrow. He tried in any way to convince the most famous artist ever to come back, including naming him first director of the Art of Drawings Academy, founded in 1563, but in the end, the reason why Michelangelo decided not to come back is … [Read more...] about Michelangelo tomb – Santa Croce
Attractions
Michelangelo Apollo David – Bargello Museum
There is an abundant literature for any work by Michelangelo Buonarroti, but one of them still remains a mystery, since we don't even know what it represents. It's Michelangelo Apollo David, and unfinished work on display at the Bargello Museum. … [Read more...] about Michelangelo Apollo David – Bargello Museum
Michelangelo Brutus – Bargello Museum
Michelangelo Brutus is a bust made by the great artist in Rome in 1539-40, visible today in Florence at the Bargello Museum. Like most of the works by Michelangelo, Brutus is a symbolic work: depicting the man who killed Julius Cesar, the first Roman Emperor after centuries of Republican government, Michelangelo wants to represent a symbol of freedom and rebellion against tyrants, comparing the story of Julius Cesar and Brutus with what was just happening in Florence Italy. In Dante's Inferno, … [Read more...] about Michelangelo Brutus – Bargello Museum
Pitti Tondo – A painting in marble
The Pitti Tondo is a bas-relief sculpture by Michelangelo at the Bargello Museum in Florence Italy, depicting Madonna and child plus John the Baptist. Made in the same period as Michelangelo's David, the sculpture is a typical "desco da parto", the traditional gift made to new mothers in Renaissance Florence to celebrate a birth. … [Read more...] about Pitti Tondo – A painting in marble
Botticelli Calumny of Apelles – Uffizi Gallery
Botticelli Calumny of Apelles is a famous painting on display at the Uffizi Gallery, executed by Sandro Botticelli in 1495. Like many of the early paintings by Botticelli, this is an allegory: a great tool to communicate a hidden message, meant to be understood only by people with a high level of culture. Botticelli is considered one of the absolute masters of painting. Together with some of his illustrious colleagues, he was lucky enough to be born and spend much of his life in the right place … [Read more...] about Botticelli Calumny of Apelles – Uffizi Gallery
Piero della Francesca – Duke and Duchess of Urbino
Going through the rooms of the Uffizi Gallery, it takes a while to find the first painting that doesn't represent a religious subject. Exactly in the center of room 8, stands Piero Della Francesca Duke and Duchess of Urbino, a double portrait depicting Federigo da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza. The half-face portraits were made in 1467-70 and are a great example of the new realism introduced in Renaissance arts. … [Read more...] about Piero della Francesca – Duke and Duchess of Urbino