Our first visit to Florence and it did not disappoint. The cathedral (see 1st photo) and baptistry (2nd photo) are very impressive. When you think that the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, is about twice the size of the surrounding buildings, then you get a sense of how immense the cathedral in Florence must have seemed when it was built, as it must have dwarfed even some of the large churches which existed at the time. The outside stonework and decoration are excellent examples of design and craftsmanship and the internal sculptures are examples of artistry of a very high quality. You have to remind yourself sometimes that the sculptures you see in Florence (e.g. photo 3) are the work of a sculptor with a small hammer and chisel. One of the exhibitions we went to see in Florence was Italian Art in the 1930s. It was a fascinating show of different kinds of art at that time – some were reminiscent of the medieval frescoes, others were similar to classic paintings, and some represented the Fascist movement in Italy, with strong, sharp lines showing a powerful image.
Back home and on the bike, cycling up towards Traprain Law, a grey squirrel appeared at the side of the road. It was well away from any trees, so may just have been in the hedgerow. It looked back at me, ran ahead, stopped and looked back again. As I threatened to catch up with it – I cycled harder – it looked back again and then disappeared into the hedge. I heard a strange sound – what does a squirrel’s laugh sound like?
Florence sculpture
January 10, 2013 at 6:37 am |
I really consider this particular article , “Florence, Italian
art in the 1930s and cheeky squirrel James Herring’s Weekly Blog”, very entertaining plus the post was in fact a great read. Thanks for your time-Pansy