BUILDING FLORENCE, ITALY'S CATHEDRAL - IL DUOMO DI FIRENZE

For my NON-FICTION BOOK CLUB, we read ROSS KING's, "BRUNELLESCHI'S DOME". FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI designed and built the DOME and its LANTERN (the structure on top of the Dome) of the FLORENCE CATHEDRAL.

Naturally, I got to thinking back to when I visited FLORENCE and couldn't stand back far enough to capture the CATHEDRAL and its DOME all together in one photo. It's so MASSIVE! HOW on earth did someone figure out how to build something so spectacular??!! After reading this book, with the building of it fully described, I'm still wondering and shaking my head..... 

I was in FLORENCE two times and both times the DUOMO was closed, so I have never been inside. I  just might have to add this to my "60 THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN MY 60'S" LIST, right?!

I feel compelled to share a few interesting facts that this book revealed to me:

• In 1339, one of the streets was lowered so that the CATHEDRAL'S height would appear even more impressive
•  (1377 - 1446)  FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI

• In 1418 (age 41) a competition was announced in FLORENCE paying about 2 yrs of wages to the winner for a model for the DOME of the CATHEDRAL
• Each day the workers had to climb HUNDREDS of steps before they even began their day's work on the DOME
• The DOME itself is 376 ft high
• It's height AND span, has never been surpassed
• There are NO external buttresses to keep it from collapsing in on itself
• 404 ft. - the tallest spire of Salisbury Cathedral in England
• 511 ft. - the two towers of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany

• FILIPPO never married (nor did the artists DONATELLO, MASACCIO, LEONARDO DaVINCI and MICHELANGELO).
• Artists such as BRUNELLESCHI, MICHELANGELO and GIOTTO didn't care about their clothing and often didn't change their "DOGSKIN BREECHES" for MONTHS.  (Seriously???  DOGSKIN?!!!)

• FILIPPO was arrested and thrown in prison for 2 weeks in 1434 (age 57) 
• For failing to pay his annual dues to the Masons Guild
• A nominal amount, about equal to a laborer's pay for 1-day of work
• Speculation that his imprisonment was due to jealousy/politics
• In 1436 Florence celebrated the completion of the DOME after 16 years and 2 weeks of construction

• Most DOMES from the Renaissance on, featured a "LANTERN" on top
• In 1436 BRUNELLESCHI began work on a model, as per the city's newest "competition"
• By the end of the year, FILIPPO'S model was chosen as the winner
• BRUNELLESCHI died in 1446
• Only 1 month after the LANTERN'S first brick was laid
• He was buried in the Cathedral's crypt - with only one other person
• His modest tomb was discovered by archeologists in 1972

• After FILIPPO'S death, in 1475, his friend PAOLO TOSCANELLI climbed the hundreds of steps and placed a bronze plaque on the LANTERN. 
• It reflects onto the floor of the Cathedral and acts as a SUNDIAL
• This instrument was important to the history of ASTRONOMY
• During the mid-1400's CELESTIAL NAVIGATION began for sailors

• In 1540, long after BRUNELLESCHI'S death, MICHELANGELO was named as the "architect in chief" for ST. PETER'S in ROME
•  He and 2 assistants traveled to FLORENCE to inspect the methods of construction of BRUNELLESCHI'S Dome
• MICHELANGELO claimed that he could equal his DOME but never surpass it
• MICHELANGELO'S body was smuggled from Rome to Florence 25 days after he died and it was thought to be a MIRACLE that his body showed no signs of decay.

JOAN

PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR AND HIS SON JEAN

This is one of my all-time favorite RENOIR paintings, on loan to THE BARNES MUSEUM from THE MUSEE D'ORSAY in Paris.

PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR is a famous and well-loved IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER and our PHILADELPHIA BARNES MUSEUM has the single largest collection in the world!!

The BARNES has put together a VERY special and interesting EXHIBITION called "RENOIR: FATHER AND SON / PAINTING AND CINEMA", which will run until SEPTEMBER 3rd.

The paintings in this exhibit are on loan from THE LOUVRE, THE MUSEE D'ORSAY and L'ORANGERIE in PARIS because per BARNES'S will, paintings in the museum are not permitted to be moved from their particular spot on the walls. 

PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR and his wife, ALINE (20 yrs his junior - painting of her above) had 3 sons - PIERRE (actor), JEAN (filmmaker) and CLAUDE (ceramic artist).  PIERRE was born 5 years before they were married. 

Some of #3 son, CLAUDE'S POTTERY and a painting of him at work, as a young adult, are included in this exhibit.

RENOIR mostly enjoyed painting his middle son, red-headed JEAN as a young boy. He insisted that JEAN'S hair be left LONG, because of the way light reflected on it, which he LOVED to paint. 

Until this exhibit, I had always thought that this child in RENOIR'S paintings was a little girl.......

RENOIR also enjoyed painting dark-haired GABRIELLE, the children's NANNY, mostly with his red-headed son JEAN.

RENOIR is well-known for his paintings of ROBUST WOMEN. The play of light on the skin and the shadows of its folds fascinated and challenged him.

The IMPRESSIONIST artist, HENRI MATISSE sent a 17-year-old, red-haired girl, ANDREE HEUSCHLING to RENOIR to model for him. She became one of his favorite models. (Later on, when she was in film, she changed her name to "CATHERINE HESSLING").  

Notice that the HEADS are quite small in the painting below - totally out of proportion to their bodies. This is another trait of some of RENOIR'S work.

The Docent told us that he painted his models MORE ROBUST than might have been accurate. Remember, he was an IMPRESSIONIST painter, so it's merely his "IMPRESSION" and "anything goes".

In real life, his model, ANDREE wasn't ROBUST at all.......

To see her "ROBUST" BODY in RENOIR'S paintings, then to see her SLIM BODY in the films of JEAN, sent my mind on a different path of "wonder". 

That RENOIR'S son JEAN married ANDREE was a bit alarming to me at first, but JEAN was around her in his father's studio daily and simply fell in love with her. JEAN married ANDREE in 1920, a year after his father's death.

RENOIR'S painting of his son, JEAN later hung in JEAN'S home.  Notice the DETAIL of RENOIR'S brush strokes in my close-up.

What I most liked about this EXHIBITION is that it TOOK ME SURPRISE. To see the comparison of AUGUSTE RENOIR and his son JEAN'S parallel talents is fascinating. 

The Exhibit runs until SEPTEMBER 3rd, so you have plenty of time to buy your tickets and see it in person.  

JOAN