Art as an invitation

Art as an invitation

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Wed 06 Sep 2017 9:07 AM

Autumn 2017 at the Uffizi means a new exhibition in the Sala del Camino. Titled “Drawings by Luca Giordano and Taddeo Mazzi for two important monastic complexes”, the show impresses upon visitors just how closely bound Florence’s foremost art gallery is to its surroundings.


Luca Giordano, Sant’Andrea Corsini presented by the
Virgin Mary is welcomed into the celestial glory by the
Very Holy Trinity (Glory of Sant’Andrea Corsini), 1682

Two of the Uffizi’s most important art acquisitions in the last two years are on proud display in this show: preparatory sketches by Luca Giordano and Taddeo Mazzi that led to frescoes and canvases in monastic complexes in Florence and its outlying areas.

In the exhibition’s press release, director of the Uffizi Galleries Eike Schmidt explained the reasons for the show: “The first of the two exhibitions opening this September and pointing the spotlight on the Uffizi’s new acquisitions is focused on two “marks”, “thoughts” or “models”, one belonging to the late seventeenth century, the other to the early eighteenth century, namely the most characteristic period for this genre’s collecting fortune. It is not a coincidence as these works exemplify one of the crucial aspects of the connection between the museum and the territory. Being part of the creative process in the artist’s studio and the development thinking about the finished work, like the preparatory drawings collected by Giorgio Vasari in its legendary Libro, the sketch closely connects with art in the city and its environs, art that cannot be moved (like a cupola’s frescoes) or should not be relocated (like an altarpiece painted with the intention of architectural and decorative unity).”

Luca Giordano’s drawings relate to the fresco cycle found in the Corsini chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine church, while Taddeo Mazzi’s sketches connect with an altarpiece designed for the Antella chapel belonging to the Monte Senario monastery, near Vaglia, north of Florence.

The message is clear: now you’ve seen the Uffizi, leave the building and set your artistic compass to less magnetic but equally magnificent sights.

Gli Uffizi e il territorio. Bozzetti di Luca Giordano e Taddeo Mazzi per due grandi complessi monastici
Sala del Camino, Uffizi
Until October 15
Open Tuesday-Sunday 8.15am-6:50pm
Website

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