Art in Florence

Needless to say, there’s a lot of art here, of dramatically varying quality. There’s a million bad prints of the Duomo, and all the other sights. It can get a bit much- and I’d like to have a visual memory besides photos of the place, but I didn’t want to buy one of these 10-a-penny numbers.

But, I was walking home from the Pitti Palace, and saw an artist’s shop with some interesting pieces in the window. The artist was working on an oil painting at the time, but when I asked for his card, he stopped to show me his work and tell me about it. He showed me his printing press, how he makes the cotton paper, talked about the symbolism of his work, how he feels about Florence. He uses gold leaf in some of his work – re-inventing the use of ancient techniques, and re-visualising Florence. .He paints wind, using clothes pins as a metaphor. He uses a variety of media – oils, delicate etchings and bold woodcut prints. Such a pleasant man – he didn’t seem to mind in the least when I dropped one of his prints on the floor. My print (a woodcut –the bold style should work well in my living room, plus they’re actually affordable) is of Santo Spirito church, just down the street from my flat, and I’m pretty sure I know just where it’ll go. It’s being framed by a gentleman just down the street. My artist came with me to find him and interrupt his conversation in the street to open up his shop and to help me choose my frame. I’m picking it up tomorrow, and let’s hope I can get it home safely.