The first moment I fell in love with Firenze it came with the acknowledgment that I was placing my feet on the very same cobblestones that some of the greats like Michelangelo, da Vinci, Galileo, Dante, did. The magnitude of that realization never escapes me, because also in that moment I felt as if I'd been there before; had already made my imprint on these tiny blocks of stone. Patrizia Fiorentina, if you will. Truth be told, friends can attest to the fact that after a few glasses of wine I've been known to admit that I was Michelangelo's lover back in the day. His favorite in fact! But this is a story for another time.
What I really want to share today is how blessed we are in NYC to have a once-in-a- lifetime exhibition (mostra) currently showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Michelangelo: Divine Draftsmen & Designer. Selected from 50 public & private collections in the U.S and Europe, this exhibition celebrates my man's genius as a supreme draftsman & designer, and consists of 133 of his drawings, 3 of his marble sculptures, his earliest painting & so much more.
Open until February 12, 2018 - Treat yourself & go see this!
My love for this man grows each time I have the great fortune to be in his genius. And for that reason I went back for a second visit this week. Although I loved everything in the collection, it was this fragment of a large charcoal mural that lured me back. I had to stand in front of it once again, and marvel at the prospect that I may be standing in the same spot Michelangelo did, as he randomly sketched on the wall of his ancestral villa in Settignano.
Mural Fragment of a Male Nude: detached from its original location this is the only surviving monumental drawing of his early period, 1501-5. Vasari wrote in 1550 that the artist had a habit of randomly drawing on "paper & walls' in his youth.
I try to wrap my mind around his process. As a writer I know the method (and sometimes agony) of staring at a blank page. As I compare my building of words to his building of works of art to form un disegno, I am overwhelmed with emotion at the vastness of his brilliance. For example:
"These vigorous studies were probably for the famous outstretched arm of God the Father in the Creation of Adam fresco."
One last thing before I go, if you've seen the facade of the Basilica di San Lorenzo in Firenze, you might be intrigued (like me) by M's early sketches, which never came to fruition.
Rumor has it that Michelangelo started working on plans to design the façade. However, he was commissioned by Pope Leo X to paint the Sistine Chapel. Although, it's also said that the project was shelved because of budgetary reasons, Michelangelo wishing to use white Carrara marble rather than inexpensive marble. We know how he loved that white Carrara. Hello David!
I'm certain this won't be the last you'll hear of my love for Michelangelo. I mean, we've been doing this dance for centuries so there's a lot to cover. In the meantime, if you're in NYC, I welcome you to surround yourself in my man M's genius. The exhibition is open until February 12th. For more info click here. Buon divertimento & Big Love, PatriciaG
Leather portrait circa 1600 by Federico Zuccaro. Portrayed in the guise of M's own creation: his pose & dress emulating those of his sculpture of Moses on the tomb of Pope Julius II in San Pietro Vincoli, Roma.
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