"Bacchus", ca. 1597, by Caravaggio (Uffizi Gallery)
Please Note: This program has a rescheduled date (originally July 23, 2016.)
The oldest museum collection in the world—and one of the most popular—also is pre-eminent in the quality of the works it contains, boasting some of the greatest masterpieces of the Florentine Renaissance. There are galleries with more works of art than the Uffizi (which holds around 1,800), but no other can claim that every one of its paintings is worth looking at. And none so eloquently tells the story of a particular city, its ruling family, and a specific and profoundly important era of art history.
Join Italian Renaissance art historian and popular Smithsonian Associates study leader Elaine Ruffolo for a fascinating day devoted to this beloved museum. In a series of lavishly illustrated talks, she examines a myriad of aspects of the Uffizi, from its roots in the patronage of the Medici family, the history of its collection, its innovative architecture, and an in-depth examination of highlights of its remarkable collection of paintings.
9:30–10:45 a.m. The Medici and the History of the Uffizi
The greatest banking family in history re-created Florence as their own opulent Renaissance court, and the Uffizi was an integral part of the Medici’s expression of power and prestige. The Medici dukes selected Giorgio Vasari, an architect, painter, writer, and artist in the true spirit of his time, to fulfil their vision of a public temple of art. Trace the history of the Uffizi, its architecture, its various collections, as well as the famous passageway known as the Vasari Corridor.
11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. The Renaissance Begins
The Uffizi’s art offers a key to understanding the major principles and concepts of the Early Renaissance. Follow its development by viewing great paintings of the Madonna by Cimabue and Giotto; religious panel paintings by Simoni Martini, Lorenzo Monaco and Gentile da Fabriano; and secular works by Paolo Uccello, Piero della Franceca, and Masaccio.
12:15–1:30 p.m. Lunch (participants enjoy a lunch of Tuscan-style specialties)
1:30–2:45 p.m. The Golden Age of Florence
Florence at the end of the 15th century enjoyed an unprecedented period of artistic achievement under the guidance of Lorenzo the Magnificent and the patronage of wealthy merchants. It was an international city filled with scholars, humanists, writers, and artists. This golden age would not last, and Florence would plunge into unrest and political change by 1492. This fascinating period is reflected in works by Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.
3–4:15 p.m. From the High Renaissance to the Counter Reformation
By the mid-16th century, Florence became a duchy under an absolute ruler, Cosimo I. Art became an expression of power for the Medici popes and dukes, and was used as a tool to reflect and bolster their interests. Magnificent works by Raphael, Andrea del Sarto, Bronzino, and Caravaggio illustrate the majestic art of the High Renaissance, Mannerism, and the Baroque.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
