Art History Alive

arthisto September 4th, 2009

Taking a break

AHA is developing a wonderful new itinerary for 2011, Lake Como and Northern Tuscany.  The design is a good one, blending lakeside lounging with a Swiss Alp backdrop, and cobblestone hilltowns, art, history, and culture.  Nice combo.

Art History Alive, that would be my husband Jim and myself, will spend three weeks in Italy, this fall, on what we like to call a research and development trip.  We love this part of the job!

Research and development are really key to AHA.  We never take guests to a place that we are not completely familiar with.  To accomplish this, about one year in advance, we design a new itinerary, do tons of research, and then take it on the road.  (Oh well, somebodys’ gotta do it.)  Because the area is often new to us, we are in new and different hotels, trying as many restaurants as possible, driving the roads, and wandering the alleyways.  We search out and visit the artwork we’ve researched, logging miles and shortcuts, and finding the smoothest routes from A to B, B to C, etc., all the while taking copious notes.  Those notes, our leg work and taste buds eventually develop into a new itinerary for our guests.

Two of the hotels, in which we have chosen to stay this time, are Hotel Imperiale, on the lake, and La Bandita, in Tuscany.  However, we have others that we will be visiting, while in both areas.  All of this so that we can offer a new Italian itinerary that will take guests to a gorgeous part of Italy, where they will sleep in a place that has its own historical significance, and where they can trust they will enjoy the most delicious food the area has to offer. In an effort to leave nothing to chance, we will have tried them all, well, . . . not all.

By the time we return home to California, we will have a new trip developed, and have, after all, spent three weeks together in some of our favorite places.

• Cremona – Home to several original Stradivari violins
• Florence – To see Cimabue’s Crucifix
• Proceno – To visit our lovely friends and their castle
• Roma – Our favorite city and more wonderful friends
• Sorrento – Because we can
• Herculaneum – A seaside town and buried treasure, that did not survive the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD

I will look forward to posting on our travel discoveries when I return.  Until then, I am off to buy some elastic waisted slacks.

Chow, oops, I mean Ciao.

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arthisto July 17th, 2009

Florence, Italy, 1966:  Whatever happened to the water soaked, mud encrusted crucifix by Cimabue, c. 1288? You remember, the one that was found floating in the flood waters of Florence, with its painting washed away?  Where is that crucifix? In a previous post, A Dilemma For the Ages: What Would You Do?, we discussed the devastating flood that ravaged Florence, and her art, and we followed the plight of just one piece, although there were thousands.  In this post you will read of how the dilemma was resolved.

However, if you would like to refresh your memory, I have included a brief background, and the tremendous dilemma that faced the art historians and restorers in that gloomy November, and for the next forty years.

The Background:

Florence, Italy – Firenze, Italia

The Crocifsso before the flood.

In 1566, a fourteen foot tall wooden crucifix, built and painted by Cimabue, c. 1288, is removed from above the high alter, where it has been suspended high above the floor of the Basilica of Santa Croce since its creation. The gigantic crucifix is carefully moved to the refectory of the Basilica, where it is hung low on a wall, and where it remained for the next 400 years.

The neighborhood around the Basilica and the church are the lowest areas of Florence and were therefore hardest hit by the great flood of 1966. The water and mud levels reached well over 20 feet.

Rescue workers found Cimabue’s crucifix immersed in the water surrounded by tiny floating flecks of paint. Using tea strainers they were able to collect about 100 of these, none larger than 1/16 of an inch in size, in hopes of one day reapplying them to the cross. Sadly, that was never accomplished.

The Dilemma:

What was left of the crucifix when the waters receded, was the original cross, that had been constructed by the artist, swollen to four times its normal size and waterlogged to about 1,000 pounds. Two thirds of the Christ painted on the cross had washed away in the flood waters.

• Should the art restorers attempt to repaint and fill in the areas destroyed by the water? Should they try to bring Christ’s image back to Cimabue’s original creation? If so, does it remain an original Cimabue? No matter how meticulously brush stokes are copied and colors matched, isn’t it still an imitation? Should a disclaimer follow it for the rest of its existence?

• Should they slowly and carefully dry the crucifix and leave it as they found it, the way an archeologist digs up an ancient vase and displays it as is, an “authentic remnant”? But what does this have to do with art? “Isn’t it the beauty and transcendent value in these works that are supposed to make them worth looking at in the first place”? Or, should we look at it in the same way a body receives a wound that leaves a scar? Isn’t it all part of the life span of the piece of art?

• Is the crucifix in such terrible repair that it should simply be removed and put away? Almost immediately the mold and mildew became visible in the widened damp cracks in the wood. Perhaps it should be let go like a person that is dying? Perhaps this was simply the death of this piece of art?

• And what about the cross itself? Some see the art applied to the cross, while others give reverence to the cross itself, decorated or not. For many believers, since 1288, Cimabue’s crucifix, not the painting on it, has been a tangible symbol of a deep commitment of faith. With Cimabue in particular, art historians knew that the rationale for his art was not aesthetic, but devotional. Further, because he created the cross himself, isn’t it art in and of itself?

The following excerpt from Dark Water will explain the what and why of the final solution:

“Cesar Brandi, was perhaps the first person to attempt a theory – a set of first principals – that might govern a more sensitive restauro, (restoration) and in particular the problem of the “gap,” lacunae or heavily

Crosifisso after restoration.

damaged spots in an artwork in which part of the image had been lost.  The gap both was and was not a part of the work: in one sense, it was a deficiency, a loss, but in another sense it became part of the artwork in the way that a scar does a body, a piece of its history if not of its original essence.  To fill a gap was to falsify that history, but to leave it untreated was to falsify the work’s soul, the artist’s intent, the life of its meaning.

Brandi’s solution was a kind of neutral inpainting, designed neither to hide not to highlight the gap, called tratteggio, “hatching,” the infilling of gaps with lines or cross-hatching in neutral tones based on the color of the intact surrounding painted surface.  From a distance, the eye would fill in what was missing, but close up the gaps would still be subtly but clearly gaps.  The integrity of both art and history would be respected.”

Further, this solution resolved the problem of the cross itself, as a Christian icon:  “In fact the rationale for most of the art of Cimabue’s and Giotto’s time had not been aesthtic but liturgical, didactic, or devotional.  . . . . . A crucifix or Madonna was, in the mind of Cimabue, Duccio, or Giotto, above all an aid to prayer and worship.”

Exactly ten years after the flood, in 1976, and with great celebration, Cimabue’s cross was reinstated in the Museum of the Opera of the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence.  It, along with its story, is now included on the Art History Alive itineraries for that beautiful and fascinating city.

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arthisto July 10th, 2009

We have space available on this tour, but you will need to move quickly.  Rooms are being booked, train reservation are being made, and emails are flying.  If you would like to be a part of this small group that will see Italy the AHA way, just fill out the application and hit the submit button, or contact me directly at 831.475.3807 or aha@arthistoryalive.com.

Naturally, I am so looking forward to this trip to Tuscany with its hilltowns and castles, and then the beauty of Sorrento and Positano hanging on the cliffs above the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. What a gorgeous combination. Four days of enjoying hearty Tuscan cuisine and wines while exploring ancient Etruscan towns as well as beautiful Renaissance jewel-like hilltowns. Then off to the Southern Riviera of Italy, the Amalfi Coast. Here, just south of Naples, there is an entirely different feeling, food, wine, and history.

A more detailed description of the trip is below.  Enjoy!

TUSCANY AND THE AMALFI COAST
SEPTEMBER 16–24, 2009
9 DAYS GROUP SIZE: 6
PRICE PER PERSON $5,000.00

After arriving in Rome and having our first cappuccino in Italy together, we will gather into our spacious, panoramic-windowed van and travel toward the tiny hill town of Proceno, in southern Tuscany. However, on our way, we will drive up a hill to soaring Orvieto for a delicious lunch and the first of many an awe inspiring wander. No one actually knows the age of Orvieto, however we do know that around 750 B.C. the Etruscans thrived here, inheriting it from their Iron and Bronze Age ancestors. How exciting it is to visit a city that has survived for thousands of years, with its bustle interrupted only once, in the 14th century, by the Black Plague. We will meander at our own pace through Orvieto’s crown jewel, her Cathedral, with its brightly colored mosaic facade. Built over a mere 300 years, it holds precious art that I love to visit and share. So, within two hours of landing in Italy you will be immersed in its ancient beauty, and this will just be the beginning.

Forty minutes deeper into beautiful Tuscany and we will arrive at Castello di Proceno. This castle/fortress was built in the 11th century and has been creatively redesigned into several beautiful apartments. This is my favorite landing spot in all of Tuscany. Once we check in and relax a bit, we will take a walk around town so that you can get your bearings. It isn’t difficult as it is tiny, but the views, in all directions are dreamlike, no, actually they are “calendar-like”. I will introduce you to Pucci and Giovanni, the owners of the castle, Roberto the grocer, where you can buy anything from locally made salami, to bedroom slippers, and Gianfranco, of Trattoria da Gianfranco. The castle will be our home for the next four days as we explore more picturesque hilltowns and savor some of the most delicious food and wine you will have ever tasted.

On the list of must sees, in these first four days, are the cathedral of Sovana, that took so long to build that it actually spans two architectural periods. So, as we sit in the back of the church you will see that two of its three aisles are Romanesque and the third is Gothic. Amazing! The hilltown hamlet of Pienza that was, luckily for us, caught in a time warp. During the first half of the 1400’s, Pope Pius II, responsible for the revitalization and redesigning of his beloved hometown, was called away to raise troops for a crusade to the Holy Land. He left a Papal Bull, in beautiful Latin, that stated nothing should be touched until his return. Unfortunately, in 1465 he died while away, and Pienza dutifully has left everything just as it was. Because of this, a visit to Pienza gives us a real-time snapshot of Tuscan life in the 1400’s. Pienza was miraculously spared during World War II bombing raids, however the machine gun holes in the exterior side wall of the cathedral are a reminder of what happened here when both Germans and Americans took turns occupying Pienza and the surrounding towns. This is a fascinating area with lots to explore, learn and taste. Brunellos come from here as does a most delicious soft, not salty, pecorino cheese.

And who can be in this area and not visit the most haunting of all hilltowns, Civita di Bagnoregio? Not me! Civita sits a top a rock spur, built entirely of rock taken from the spur, it appears to be something organic that simply grew out of the mountain. However, because of earthquakes over the centuries much of the spur and city have dropped away, leaving Civita sitting like a diamond nestled in a round solitaire setting. There is one approach to the city, a walking bridge that spans the gorge that encircles Civita. Often, in the morning, the city is engulfed in clouds or fog and it appears that the bridge leads to no where. Sometimes the fog fills just the gorge with Civita above as if floating in the sky. This is like nothing else you would have seen up to this point, and you will remember it always. Comfortable walking shoes, a camera, and a hefty appetite are a must for Civita da Bagnoregio.

Eventually, we will have to say goodbye to our castle and Tuscany, and head south to Rome where we will jump a fast train and travel further south to the dramatic Amalfi Coast. This is the land of old lemon trees, heavy with the fruit that will lend itself to that delicious, yellow, after dinner concoction, limoncello. The land of soft buffalo milk mozzarella, and fresh fish. While here we will divide our time between Sorrento and Positano. Even though they are only separated by a one hour drive, they are so beautiful and unique unto themselves, that I want you to experience both. Sorrento is built high above the Mediterranean on a flat plateau, where you can walk to the edge and look straight down into the warm, see-through water. Positano is built in a cove and its villas, hotels, shops and restaurants look like pastel building blocks tumbled down a hill. Here, overlooking the aqua waters of the Mediterranean, where centuries ago pirates marauded, we will wander, shop, visit Pompeii, Capri, and maybe even Amalfi, mostly by sea. With all the fresh seafood and crispy white wines you can take in, you will ask yourself, “Can it get any better than this?” Nope!

Which will be your favorite? Cobblestoned Tuscany, with its full o’flavor red wines and where you met the locals and stayed in a castle, or the warm seafront terraces and fishing villages of the Amalfi Coast? These will be ongoing comparisons that may never have a definitive conclusion. As for me, after 20 years of loving these places, I could say it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but it’s not, it’s cobblestones and lemons.
Physical level:  Strenuous

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arthisto June 19th, 2009

OK, off the top of my head; I love Paris, I love Paris, I love Paris!!!! In such a pretty city, packed with art, history, and dripping with that magical sidewalk cafe culture, we girls had a fantastic time. These girls have traveled with me to Italy in the past, longed to experience Paris, and plan to visit Rome and Tuscany with AHA in 2010. Great ladies, great travelers, and fun friends.

Together we visited the Louvre, where we sat rather spellbound staring at Winged Victory. Uncovered on a Greek Island in 1863, carved in 210 B.C., she is magnificent for all of her movement. She stands as though she is the figurehead on a ship, wind whipped and spray swept. With her damp clothes clinging and her enormous wings out stretched, she stood on a cliff side patio, high above the crashing waves in Greece, commemorating a great navel battle. Amazingly, just off to the left of where she stands, in a glass box, is her hand and finger, discovered a century later, 1950, in TURKEY!

After visiting some of the most important works in a museum together, we would split up to pursue our individual interests. Art is oh, so personal. In this manner we visited the Musee d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Sainte-Chapelle. We lunched on crepes on the Ile Sainte Louie, as well as in the Michelin two star restaurant, Helen Darozze. Unbelievable! While in Paris we tasted fish, chicken, beef, pidgeon, the most delicate vegetables and mild goat cheese, the best french fries on the globe, and always, always ordered dessert.

Our visit to Versailles was staggering. About twelve miles outside of Paris, the improvements to the exterior of this massive palace are blinding, literally. The chateau has been cleaned, painted and the brightest gold has been reapplied liberally. Now, especially on a sunny day, you see just what staggered visitors approaching the chateau to have an audience with the king. Louie XIV was ever so clever. He was convinced that if he could build a palace that would shock and awe, the word would spread and he would be revered above all others. It worked perfectly, and he made Paris the cultural heartbeat of Europe. He ruled for 72 years, from 1643 to 1715, and his court determined, for the rest of the world, what was good taste in food, fashion, hair, table manners, dance, theater, art and kissing. Because of the recent filming of Sofia Coppola’s, “Marie Antoinette”, on site at the chateau, Versailles’s interior looked beautiful as well. Again, much the way it must have looked when Louie XIV, the infamous Sun King, called Versailles home. We were having such a wonderful time wandering around this amazing site, that the time started to slip away too quickly. We had arrived at the chateau in a car with a driver and had set a time for the return trip to Paris, but I could see that we were pressed. Because it is important to me that we never be rushed, I let our lovely driver, Max, go back into Paris without us. We grabbed a train when we were filled to the brim with Versailles, and not a moment sooner. Can’t wait to go back. The photo to the left is but one small corner of the chateau, and yet the opulence and colors are evident.

Giverny, what can you say about Giverny? Claude Monet’s home for some 43 years, surrounded by his dramatic and beloved gardens, is where we spent our last afternoon. It was a drizzly, gray day, which bummed us out at the start, but evolved into a great opportunity. Perfect lighting for picture taking, and, where as typically there are hundreds of like minded folks, from around the world quietly wandering the gardens, because of the drizzle, we had them to ourselves! Of all my many visits to Giverny, this one was the most intimate. The photo I brought home of Monet’s famous Japanese Bridge with no one on it, is proof. Usually that is an impossible photo to get. Gorgeous. I absolutely LOVE wandering through his home! It is as he left it, sitting room, bedrooms, and dining room, all decorated with his 300 original Japanese block prints. But my favorite room is his kitchen. Monet enjoyed cooking and loved to entertain. His interior color choices are blindingly bold, very striking, and there was no off white for him. The house is warm, very lively, with each room looking out into the garden, of course.

All in all, Paris is a fabulous city. In fact, on my way to Italy this fall, to escort the AHA Tuscany and Amalfi Coast trip, I will stop in Paris for three more days. Just can’t get enough.

I will make this same Paris in Springtime trip available again in 2010, and I would love to have you along.

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arthisto May 27th, 2009

I am off tomorrow, Thursday, May 28, 2009 for a few days in NYC before heading over to Paris. I will arrive a day ahead of my very excited clients, to be sure that all is in order. Even though I have visited Paris several times, I am as excited as they. You see, I have the advantage of knowing exactly what is in store for them. Those of you who have traveled to Paris with me, know also. Along with the precious art and history, is the amazing Paris sidewalk culture, which I will immerse them in beginning their first morning. Cafe au lait at Cafe Flore, the well known, Left Bank meeting place of the literati of Paris for decades, is just the start. Coffee here is an experience and will afford us a few moments to shed our flight memories, and realize that we are indeed in Paris!

Because this group is all girls, the beautiful French department stores, Printemps, and Galleries Lafayette are a part of our itinerary, right after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. It is all Paris.

I have received these notes as our planning went forward, the excitement is evident, and I thought you might enjoy them:

“I am looking so forward to this!! We have had a very cold dark winter..ice!!! The economy has made it all so more depressing but I agree with you…life is fleeting and I’m going to save to travel!!!!!!”

AND

“Hi Cynthia – I am so looking forward to this trip to Paris in June. All the sights that I wanted to see, especially Giverny.”

AND

“Hi Cynthia – Thank you for all the information, I can hardly wait to get to Paris. The itinerary looks great, and for myself, I know I will want to visit the Louvre twice.”

Well, we don’t have to wait any longer and of course we can visit the Louvre twice! It’s our vacation so whatever I can do to make it perfect, I will!

I am planning to make this “Paris in Springtime” tour available in 2010, as it is a favorite of mine. So why don’t you start planning toward it right now? I would love to have any of you along, but remember, I only take about six folks at a time.

I will have lots to share when I return, and don’t forget that Tuscany and The Amalfi Coast is coming up in September. Ahhh, Tuscany during the harvest . . . . but wait, I can’t do that now, my head is in Paris. One beautiful place at a time.

For now,

Au revoir

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arthisto April 30th, 2009

By the time you read this post, some very excited AHA alumni and I will be about one month away from our Springtime arrival in Paris!

Our tickets are bought, our car and driver reserved, and as I write, Monet’s garden is just beginning to show off. The azaleas, tulips, and the wisteria on his Japanese Bridge, are beginning to pop in Giverney. All the shades of pink and purple that you can imagine, and some that you can’t! Ooh la la!

I am now in the final stage of checking and double checking our reservations in that beautiful city. So, if you have ever wanted to experience “The City of Light”, in a very up close and personal way, come and do Paris with us! We still have space in our little group of like-minded friends-to-be, and we would love to have you along. Simply contact me, (soon) and the more the merrier. Air prices have not been this low in a decade, I have never flown to Europe for so little!

Keep this in mind for the Art History Alive trip to Tuscany and Amalfi coming up in September.

Below is our itinerary for six days in, under, and around Paris, and at the very bottom are some suggestions for pre-reading and watching. These are great whether you are going or not, but if you are traveling with AHA, these will whet your appetite and front-load your knowledge and appreciation for what you are about to experience. This is a part of the uniqueness of Art History Alive. I will encourage you to be in that “Paris state of mind” before we ever leave home. Ready, set, go!

PARIS IN SPRINGTIME
JUNE 3 – 9, 2009
7 DAYS GROUP SIZE: 6-8
PRICE PER PERSON $3,700.00
I love Paris in its prettiest season, springtime. Of course we will spend a week exploring this gorgeous city; its museums, shops, and bistros, but pictured here is Claude Monet’s garden in the season in which we will visit. Who of you have stood in front of a Monet painting, of his beloved garden, and wondered if it was as beautiful as he saw it? On this trip we will stand in his garden and you will see for yourselves. For those of you, like me, who have been to this marvelous place before, together we will spend a few leisurely hours wandering not only his enormous garden, but his home as well. Left as it was, it appears that he has just stepped out to pick some herbs to be incorporated into the family dinner. The dining room table is set, fresh flowers abound, and all is ready for a family gathering. Here in this beautiful and gracious home, Monet thrived from 1883 until the time of his death in 1926. I never, never tire of Giverny.
While in Paris, our home will be a tiny, very French hotel on the Left Bank, where I have been staying for years. I am well acquainted with the neighborhood and its restaurants and really look forward to showing you around. The Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and on and on and on.

Below is a sampling of how I like to spend my days in Paris. Why not join me? Apply to travel to Paris and let’s start planning.

Physical Level: Moderate

DAY 1

Arrive Paris and check into our hotel, Calais des Pais, in the late morning. This day will begin in the center of historic Paris with a visit of Notre Dame Cathedral and the pristine Gothic chapel of St. Chapelle. We will enjoy a relaxed evening with a delicious dinner within walking distance of our hotel.

DAY 2
A slow morning with breakfast at the famous Café Flore. We will travel to the outskirts of Paris to visit the Palace of Versailles, and its beautiful gardens. Then onto Monet’s beloved home and garden in Giverny. Another easy evening.

DAY 3
This morning we will explore the Musee de Cluny. This museum holds the foremost collection of medieval art in the world within a renaissance mansion, built over the ruins of a huge Roman bath. Extraordinary! Free afternoon wandering the streets of Paris.

DAY 4
In the morning, we will visit the Musee d’Orsay with its collection of paintings and sculpture beginning in the late 1800’s. Monet, Renoir, VanGogh, and Latrec are all here. In the afternoon, we will enjoy the Eiffel Tower, its magnificent views of Paris, dinner, and a night time boat ride on the Seine.

DAY 5
This will be a free morning. At midday we will meet for lunch in the famous Tuillerie Gardens of the Louvre Palace. After lunch we will visit this most famous museum. We will enjoy the museum’s highlights including, of course, DaVinci’s, Mona Lisa. Following this experience of inside art immersion, we will go outside on to Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution, and walk the beautiful Boulevard Champs-Elysees.

DAY 6
Today we will have another lazy morning and then decide how we would like to spend our last day in Paris. We might want to travel to Chateau Vincennes, a leisurely day trip, we might decide to split up with some returning for a second dose of a favorite museum and others doing some shopping. No matter what we choose to do, we will all be in Paris together for our final evening, that might just call for some Champagne.

DAY 7
Travel back to the United States or elsewhere. I am going on to Rome, care to join me?

Shopping and rest time are built into this itinerary, and all is done at a leisurely pace.

Suggested movies: Charade, the 1963 romantic thriller, and Amelie, the 2001 romance. Both will give you a strong sense and beautiful views of where we will be walking.

Suggested book: Capturing Paris: A Novel By Katharine Davis. “A delicious world where life’s important moments happen around the dinner table.”

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arthisto April 17th, 2009

In this time of financial crunch and belt tightening, we entrepreneurs have to get creative. This is why, when I learned that some 360 men and women would gather on April 16, 2009, for the Annual Women In Leadership Banquet, in San Jose, California, I put on my thinking cap. Hm m m m m?

This is a gathering of the most professional women in the area and they are coming to hear the former CEO of eBay and recent entrant into the California Gubernatorial race 2010, Meg Whitman. Meg is a powerhouse and, needless to say, highly respected for her leadership. This annual affair also honors a select few outstanding young women of the community for their accomplishments. I decided that I wanted to sponsor this event by donating one of the few raffle prizes to be presented at the end of the evening. This was an opportunity to market Art History Alive to my target audience, and the type of women I like to travel with, as well as support a positive and powerful event.

I decided to design a California itinerary especially for this event that I could give away. The WIL Gold Rush Wines and Yosemite tour is a four day getaway. The prize included a beautiful piece of Brightman luggage, leopard print and all, as well as a bottle of delicious Hatcher Grenache Rose from the Sierra Nevada Foothills. The tour itself includes wine tasting in the Sierra Foothills, a two hour spa treatment, and two days in Yosemite, staying at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel. A prize designed with professional women in mind, and a trip that will pamper the body and refresh the soul.

The marketing power was that the three raffle prizes would be introduced, described and presented by San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Pat Dando. Pat is a highly respected, dedicated leader and advocate in both the Silicon Valley business and political arenas. She went above and beyond in her suspense building description of the AHA prize, and I was so pleased to see and hear that the audience loved it.

I had hoped to make an impression, for AHA, through my donation, but it made much more of a splash than I’d imagined. As Pat Dando described the trip, a very noticeable cooing could be heard from the audience, then just before she read out the winning number you could have heard a pin drop. The lucky winner, Marty Wohlwend, of Lockheed Martin, jumped out of her chair with a shriek of joy. Later, after photos, still shaking, we met and chatted, and amazingly Marty was an Art History major! She was beyond excited and we talked of what fun we will have on our trip.

This will stimulate some fun travel! When these women, and their companies, think about travel, I know that they will recall Art History Alive, and that is the prize I am after.

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arthisto March 26th, 2009

Having recently read and reviewed Robert Clark’s, Dark Water, and happily moved on to my next book, I found that I could not shake the images and anxiety he had described in his pages? Images of Florence’s art floating in filthy water or stuck in a tar like mud, while distinguished curators and librarians openly wept. Why now, forty-three years later, was I feeling such angst over these events? Empathy? Grieving? I went back to the book, and focusing on the fate of just one piece of art, Cimabue’s Crocifisso c. 1288, I began rereading.

Then I thought that it might be challenging and fun for you to wrangle with this conundrum a bit, to weigh the options and try to determine what you would have done. But remember, the devastating flood of 1966 created a dilemma for the ages, and the art historians and restorers were acutely aware that whatever they decided to do, or not do, with the drowned cross, would impact what future generations saw, and perhaps even felt, when viewing this piece of art. What would Cimabue have them do? But there is no time to ponder this enormous responsibility. For us this is a brainteaser that we could ponder for days. But in November 1966, when the decisions were made on how, or if, Florence’s art could be saved, they were made in a race against time. Every hour of every day that the Florentines considered what to do, fast growing mold and mildew were taking hold of these priceless antiquities.

The Background:

Florence, Italy – Firenze, Italia

In 1566, a fourteen foot tall wooden crucifix, built and painted by Cimabue, c. 1288, is removed from above the high alter, where it has been suspended high above the floor of the Basilica of Santa Croce since its creation. The gigantic crucifix is carefully moved to the refectory of the Basilica, where it is hung low on a wall, and where it remained for the next 400 years.

The neighborhood around the Basilica and the church are the lowest areas of Florence and were therefore hardest hit by the great flood of 1966. The water and mud levels reached well over 20 feet.

Rescue workers found Cimabue’s crucifix immersed in the water surrounded by tiny floating flecks of paint. Using tea strainers they were able to collect about 100 of these, none larger than 1/16 of an inch in size, in hopes of one day reapplying them to the cross. Sadly, that was never accomplished.

The Dilemma:

What was left of the crucifix, when the waters receded, was the original cross, that had been constructed by the artist, swollen to four times its normal size and waterlogged to about 1,000 pounds. Two thirds of the Christ painted on the cross had washed away in the flood waters.

• Should the art restorers attempt to repaint and fill in the areas destroyed by the water? Should they try to bring Christ’s image back to Cimabue’s original creation? If so, does it remain an original Cimabue? No matter how meticulously brush stokes are copied and colors matched, isn’t it still an imitation? Should a disclaimer follow it for the rest of its existence?
• Should they slowly and carefully dry the crucifix and leave it as they found it, the way an archeologist digs up an ancient vase and displays it as is, an “authentic remnant”? But what does this have to do with art? “Isn’t it the beauty and transcendent value in these works that are supposed to make them worth looking at in the first place”? Or, should we look at it in the same way a body receives a wound that leaves a scar? Isn’t it all part of the life span of the piece of art?
• Is the crucifix in such terrible repair that it should simply be removed and put away? Almost immediately the mold and mildew became visible in the widened damp cracks in the wood. Perhaps it should be let go like a person that is dying? Perhaps this was simply the death of this piece of art?
• And what about the cross itself? Some see the art applied to the cross, while others give reverence to the cross itself, decorated or not. For many believers, since 1288, Cimabue’s crucifix, not the painting on it, has been a tangible symbol of a deep commitment of faith. With Cimabue in particular, art historians knew that the rationale for his art was not aesthetic, but devotional. Further, because he created the cross himself, isn’t it art in and of itself?

The situation begs the question, “What would Cimabue have us do”? There was no easy answer.

Each of these possibilities were considered carefully and hotly debated. Art is very, very personal and therefore such decisions can become extremely emotional. The only thing that the historians and restorers had in common was the heart sick feeling that they carried with them everyday following the flood. As the water slowly receded and the tons of mud were hauled away, something had to be done. But what?

Which road would you have chosen? Repaint, display as is, or let it go? And why would you have chosen that alternative? You can write your comments and thoughts at the bottom of this post. Finally, a resolution was decided on and carried out. I think it was brilliant, however, it remains controversial to this very day. In an upcoming post, I will include a description of the resolution, respond to your comments and post a recent photo of the Crocifisso. If you find this incident as fascinating as I do, I recommend that you pick up a copy of Dark Water, by Robert Clark. Since reading this book, I can’t wait to be in Florence again! Art History Alive will be traveling to Rome and Florence on June 11 – 19, 2009. Why don’t you join me as we see Florence in the new light of this knowledge and with heightened appreciation of her art? Recently added to this itinerary, for obvious reasons, will be a visit to the Cimabue’s Cocifisso!!

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