2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
The Accademia Gallery of Florence is an art museum in Italy, best known for Michelangelo's "David" sculpture, exhibited in the Prisoner's Hall. Here are collected other famous statues of the master, as well as a large collection of works by other sculptors and paintings by Italian painters of 1300-1600. This is one of the largest Florentine expositions. During 2016, 1,461,185 tourists visited the gallery, making it the second most visited art museum in Florence after the Uffizi.
Address of the Accademia Gallery of Florence: 58–60 via Ricasoli. The building is adjacent to the Academy of Fine Arts, but they are different institutions despite their common name.
History
The first European Academy of Art and Drawing was founded in Florence on January 13, 1563 by Cosimo I de Medici with the assistance of his court architect Giorgio Vasari, as well as the painter AgnoloBronzino, sculptor and architect Bartolomeo Ammanati. The institution was originally called the "Academy and Company of the Art of Painting" and was not only an educational institution, but also a kind of guild for all working artists in the city. A group was organized responsible for the activities of the institution and the teaching of students, which included: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Lazzaro Donati, Francesco da Sangallo, Agnolo Bronzino, Benvenuto Cellini, Giorgio Vasari, Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giambologna. The original location of the Academy is the basilica of the monastery of Santissima Annunziata.
The other Grand Duke of Tuscany, Pietro Leopoldo, united in 1784 all schools of drawing into one institution in Florence, the Academy of Fine Arts. The gallery of paintings and sculptures, the department of academics and the educational institution were placed in a former monastery on Via Ricasoli, in rooms where the masterpieces remain today. The composition of the academy also included art restoration and the Florentine Musical Institute, which since 1849 was withdrawn from the Academy and formed as the conservatory of Florence.
In 1873, the institution was divided into two separate centers: a training and academic college, called the Academy of Drawing Arts, and a gallery where the works of great masters are presented for viewing.
Hall of the Colossus
Acquaintance with the exposition of the Accademia Gallery in Florence begins in the Hall of the Colossus, the name of which remains after the models of huge statues shown here in the 19th centuryDioscuri from Piazza Monte Cavallo. Currently, the central space of the room is occupied by a plaster model made by Giambologna for his stunning marble sculpture The Rape of the Sabine Women (1583).
On the four walls of the hall there are a large number of wooden panels with tempera paintings by outstanding masters of the 15th - early 16th centuries, such as Perugino, Filippino Lippi, Pontormo, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Bronzino. Two exhibits from the most important works of the exposition are located near the entrance, on the right. A rectangular wooden panel from 1450, measuring 88.5x303 cm, skillfully painted in tempera, represents the front of a wedding chest (Cassone Adimari), which once belonged to the Adimari family. The picturesque genre scene reproduces a wedding feast in Renaissance Florence with images of streets, monuments (Baptistery on the left), precious brocade garments, testifying to the we alth and customs of noble families of that period.
To the left of Cassone Adimari is the second priceless treasure of the hall - "Madonna of the Sea", created by Sandro Botticelli. The work owes its name to the seascape, which is dimly visible in the background. The charm of this work lies in the golden elements that emphasize the dark blue color, as well as in the symbolism that the details of the picture contain. The pomegranate in the hand of the baby Jesus indicates the passion of Christ. The star shining at the left breast of the Madonna is called "Stella Maris", which translates as "Star of the Sea". In the transcription of the Hebrew name Miriam (Mary)there is also a consonance with the Italian word mare (sea).
Exposure of musical instruments
One wing of the Florence Accademia Gallery contains a collection of forty instruments belonging to the once Grand Dukes of Florence and the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory. Here you can see the first piano created by Bartolomeo Cristofori for the Medici, a collection of harpsichords, violins, cellos and wind instruments. The pearl of the collection is the "Medici violin" made of red spruce and maple wood, created by Antonio Stradivari.
Hall of Prisoners
The most famous section of the gallery showing Michelangelo's unfinished Slaves, a series of statues now in various European museums. It was an unfinished design for the tomb of Julius II. Replicas of sculptures in the gallery of the Florence Academy of Arts are arranged along the corridor and form a growing crescendo of emotions towards the feet of "David", displayed on a special Tribune under the illumination of a glass dome.
Next to the "David" is a series of paintings by Alessandro Allori, a delightful example of a peculiar lexicon formed through plants. The key to reading the hidden message is to be found in the symbolism of flowers among the triumph of botanical species such as tulips, daisies, lilies, citrus fruits, forget-me-nots and others.
In the old hospital wing of the former monastery, now called the Gipsoteca Bartolini, you can see the magnificent plaster work of Lorenzo Bartolini, one ofthe greatest sculptors and brilliant professors of the 19th century Academy.
David
For sculptors of all time, this masterpiece of the Florence Academy of Arts Gallery is considered the standard for its ideal composition, texture transfer, proportions, emotional expressiveness. Michelangelo unsurpassedly displayed, in the seemingly relaxed pose of a young man, internal tension and concentration. His sling is thrown over his shoulder, the stone is in his hand, his gaze is fixed on the opponent and measures the distance. He prepares to make his fatal throw at Goliath. Not a single sculpture has been copied in such numbers as "David", for parks, gardens, squares, outstanding museums around the world. But only the original creates the impression of a frozen life in stone, a hidden energy in immobility, which sculptors have always sought to convey at all times.
In 1466, a multi-ton marble block was delivered to Florence a hundred kilometers from the quarries of Carrara. The five-meter statue of David was supposed to be the third large-sized sculpture of twelve depicting Old Testament characters commissioned by the guild of wool merchants. All twelve sculptures were supposed to be installed around the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The sculptor Agostino, after him Rossellino, tried to start work. The first refused, barely starting the bottom of the "David", the contract was broken with the other. The block remained in the open, undergoing destruction, until 1501, when the curators of the cathedral signed a contract with a 26-year-old ambitiousarchitect Michelangelo Buonarroti. A month later, the sculptor began to work on which he worked for two years. In January 1504, during the final works, a group of the leading artists of Florence visited the workshop to evaluate the work of Michelangelo. All members of the commission, among whom were da Vinci and Botticelli, were shocked by the perfection that appeared before them in the form of a marble David. Impeccable forms, perfect execution and emotional state, conveyed in an incomprehensible way by the master, also amaze visitors to the gallery of the academy in Florence today.
Hall of Gothic painting of the XIII-XIV century
The last section of the ground floor museum is devoted to the Gothic works of Italy and Florence. The Accademia Gallery presents a priceless collection of gold altarpieces, crucifixes, icons of Giotto and his followers such as Bernardo Daddi and Orcagna. Many works came here from Florentine churches and monasteries. After recent restorations, the bright colors of the picturesque panels will help to learn more about the peculiarities of the clothes and hairstyles of the Florentine inhabitants of the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance.
Art of the late 14th century
After inspecting the last room, most visitors leave the museum. But there are also rooms on the top floor that will certainly be interesting. They are less crowded and are called Giovanni da Milano & Late 14th century (Giovanni da Milano and the end of the 14th century). Here you can learn how carefully and painstakingly the altars were created, starting fromthe choice of poplar, from which the boards were then made, as well as the further preparation process before applying the painting layer with tempera. The video will introduce you to the amazing technique of egg tempera and show how the image was created layer by layer on a wooden altar, first carefully covered with gold leaf. The ancient method of painting with natural pigments mixed with egg yolk remains effective today. It is used in Florence in the art workshops of restorers.
Additional information
The Florence Accademia Gallery is open from 8:15 to 18:50. Mondays, New Year's Eve, Christmas holidays and the First of May are days off for all museums in Florence, including the Accademia Gallery.
The cost of tickets, including a visit to the exposition of Musical Instruments, is 6.50 euros, and 4.50 euros (1 euro is about 75 rubles) you will have to pay extra if you want to see the exhibition “Lorenzo Bartolini. Sculptor of beautiful nature. There is a reduced price for tickets, but it is valid for citizens of Italy, as well as EU countries. Tickets can be ordered at the box office for the next day of sightseeing or online. This way you can avoid the tedious queue to one of the most visited museums in Florence. Please note that shooting with photo and video equipment is prohibited.
According to many tourists, the Academy is undoubtedly becomingthe most enjoyable place at the end of the day. The museum offers later hours to visit during the summer and can then be explored while calmly reflecting on the value of art in the era of Michelangelo and the skillful Florentine artisans, talented enlightened minds and creative patience.
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