|
|
|
Release Date: February 26, 2002
Passion for Art and Science Merge in "The Flowering of Florence:
Botanical Art for the Medici" on View at the National Gallery of
Art
March 3 - May 27, 2002
Washington, DC -- The Medici family's passion for the arts and fascination
with the natural sciences, from the 15th century to the end of the dynasty
in the 18th century, is beautifully illustrated in The Flowering of
Florence: Botanical Art for the Medici, at the National Gallery of
Art's East Building, March 3 through May 27, 2002. Sixty-eight exquisite
examples of botanical art, many never before shown in the United States,
include paintings, works on vellum and paper, pietre dure (mosaics
of semiprecious stones), manuscripts, printed books, and sumptuous textiles.
The exhibition focuses on the work of three remarkable artists in Florence
who dedicated themselves to depicting nature--Jacopo Ligozzi (1547-1626),
Giovanna Garzoni (1600-1670), and Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729).
"The masterly technique of these remarkable artists, combined with freshness
and originality of style, has had a lasting influence on the art of naturalistic
painting," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art.
"We are indebted to the institutions and collectors, most based in Italy,
who generously lent works of art to the exhibition."
The Exhibition
Early Nature Studies: The exhibition begins with an introductory
section on nature studies from the late 1400s and early 1500s. Plants
abound in mid-15th-century art, but portrayals were generally idealized
and often conveyed allegorical or symbolic meanings. Domenico Veneziano's
(c. 1410-1461) Madonna and Child, c. 1445, depicts a rosebush with
red and white blossoms symbolizing the Christ Child's future sacrifice
and Mary's purity. Other works show the continued development of botanical
illustration in the later 15th century, including Leonardo da Vinci's
(1452-1519) pen-and-ink drawing, Studies of Flowers, c. 1483, and
Perugino's (c. 1450-1523) The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John,
Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene, c. 1482-1484.
Jacopo Ligozzi: The second grand duke of Tuscany, Francesco I
(1541-1587), invited Jacopo Ligozzi (1547-1626) to join his court. Seventeen
of Ligozzi's works are displayed, the largest number ever seen outside
of Italy. Among them are the first known drawing of a pineapple from South
America, the American Century Plant newly brought from Mexico,
and Mourning Iris and Spanish Iris. Also included is a masterpiece
of botanical and zoological art, Ligozzi's Fig Branch with Exotic Finches,
which shows a common fig branch on which are perched three exotic birds.
Giusto Utens Lunettes: Flemish artist Giusto Utens (mid-16th
century -1609) was commissioned by Cosimo di Medici's son, the third grand
duke Ferdinando I (1549-1649), to depict the Medici villas in a series
of fourteen large lunettes. This unique collection of paintings, created
between 1598 and 1599, provides a good sense of what the villas and their
surrounding gardens must have looked like during the 16th century. Three
lunettes, The Belvedere with Palazzo Pitti, Villa L'Ambrogiana,
and Villa Poggio, can be seen in the exhibition.
Daniel Froeschl: Ferdinando I had a passion for gardens and sent
botanists on expeditions throughout Europe. He commissioned artists to
illustrate the plants in his care, which he collected in large florilegia.
The exhibition includes one such commission, that of the German artist
Daniel Froeschl (1563-1613), who painted Sunflower, a plant that
was introduced to Tuscany from Peru in the 16th century. Froeschl renders
the sunflower twice, first in a conventional front view and then, perhaps
for the first time in botanical illustration, from the back.
Pietre Dure: In the early years of the 17th century, Florence
became famous for semiprecious mosaic inlays, or pietre dure. A
selection of these colorful mosaics is presented in the exhibition, including
Sunflower (1664) by Gerolamo della Valle (17th century) and a small
panel by an unknown artist, Parrot in a Pear Tree (17th century).
These mosaic panels were used to decorate the fronts of elaborate cabinets,
and larger panels became tabletops. Examples of both are represented in
the exhibition.
Flowers of Silk: The art of embroidery blossomed in 15th-century
Florence and continued to flourish for several centuries. Botanical themes
were uniquely suited to the decoration of rich fabrics used for ceremonial
occasions. Several 17th-century examples of botanical embroidery can be
seen in the exhibition, including a Chalice Veil, a Baptismal
Cover, and a Chasuble for the Feast of Santa Reparata.
Giovanna Garzoni: Under the rule of Ferdinando II (1610-1670),
still-life painting grew very popular. Giovanna Garzoni (1600-1670)--one
of the most important female artists in the history of Italian art--gained
great fame for her naturalistic paintings. Sixteen of Garzoni's works
can be seen in the exhibition including two of her many still lifes depicting
extravagant bouquets of cultivated flowers, both titled Glass Vase
with Flowers. Also on view are several still lifes of fruits and vegetables,
such as Chinese Plate with Cherries and Bean Pods, c. 1620, a favorite
subject of Garzoni. Three Lemons with a Bumblebee, which portrays
two lemon branches bearing fruit and an animated bumblebee hovering above,
is another delightful example of Garzoni's work. Several of the Garzoni
paintings have never before been exhibited in public.
Bartolomeo Bimbi: Cosimo III (1642-1723), the sixth grand duke,
continuing the Medici tradition of patronage for the arts and sciences,
lent considerable support to the painter Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729).
Bimbi specialized in "portraits from nature," often large-scale scenes
of monstrous and odd specimens of fruits and vegetables that grew in the
gardens of the Medici villas. The exhibition includes Bimbi's Citrus
Fruits, which depicts 34 varieties of citrus, and Pears, 1699,
which shows 115 different types of pears. Both are examples of "inventories"
painted for Cosimo III. Among the horticultural "monstrosities" painted
by Bimbi are a Monstrous Cauliflower and Horseradish, 1706, and
a life-size Sunflower,1721.
Curators, Catalogue and Related Activities
The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and
the Humanities. Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi of the University of Pisa, Italy,
and Gretchen A. Hirschauer, assistant curator of Italian paintings, National
Gallery of Art, Washington, co-curated the exhibition. An illustrated
catalogue is available for $40.00 (softcover) and $65.00 (hardcover) in
the Gallery Shops and through the Web site at www.nga.gov/shop/shop.htm.
To order by phone, call (800) 697-9350.
A range of educational programs will be offered in conjunction with
the exhibition, including Sunday lectures on March 3 from 2:00 - 3:30
p.m., given by Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi and Tony Willis, librarian, Oak
Spring Garden Library, Virginia; and on May 26 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.,
by Gretchen Hirschauer. Both lectures will be held in the East Building
auditorium. Further information and a complete schedule of gallery talks,
lectures, films, and programs for families are available on the Gallery's
Web site at www.nga.gov/programs/programs.htm.
General Information
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden, located on the National
Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Ave. NW, are open Monday through
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202)
737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176,
or visit the Gallery’s Web site at www.nga.gov.
Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering.
Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other
oversized bags must be presented at the Fourth Street Entrance of the East
or West Building to permit X-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms
at those entrances. Any items larger than 17 X 26 inches cannot be accepted
by the Gallery or its checkrooms. For the safety of the art work and visitors,
nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor’s back. Any bag
or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner
must be left at the checkrooms.
For additional press information please call or send
inquiries to:
Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov
Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov
If you are a member of the press and would like to be added to
our press list, click
here.
Web Site Newsletter
To subscribe to the National Gallery of Art's monthly Web site e-mail newsletter,
please fill out the newsletter
subscription form. Every month you will receive
a list of several items that are new on our site. To edit your subscriber information,
please go to the subscription
management page.
home | general
information | exhibitions | image
lists | recent
announcements
press archives | contact
us | nga.gov Copyright ©2005 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC |
|