Medici Fever

September 22, 2013 at 4:35 am  •  Posted in Art, Italy, now by

You can’t escape the Medici Family anywhere you turn in Florence. Their influence is absolutely everywhere, dominating and largely responsible for the Renaissance in Florence and Italy. Having built the largest and most respected bank in Europe, acting as the Vatican’s exclusive bankers and effectively ruling Florence during the 15th century and beyond, the family served as primary patron and sponsor of practically all of the art and architecture that is strewn around Florence. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were sponsored by Lorenzo the Magnificent, probably the most powerful and influential Medici, as well as Brunelleschi, Donatello, and many others.

We decided that while our patronage might not be as grand or impactful, the Medici Family’s legacy of supporting the arts, which has proven to be a gift that has enriched and inspired generations past, present and in the future, is something to be admired and continued. With that, we are collecting one piece of art in every country we visit during the next year. After careful review of several street artists in and around Florence, we settled on Hiro, a Japanese artist living in Florence, painting typical Tuscan pastoral scenes and red-tiled roof-scapes of Florence with a precise, Asian aesthetic, as well as a series of still-life skulls that are haunting and hypnotic. No, the irony of selecting an Asian artist in the heart of Tuscany is not lost on us :-).

After a discussion with Hiro about what we were looking for, he sent us away to return in a day or so to retrieve the finished watercolor. True to task, he created exactly what we hoped for, thereby continuing the virtuous cycle of art patronage that universally enriches all of us.

Cliff

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7 Comments

  1. terry / September 22, 2013 at 4:45 am /

    You will have an amazing gallery when you return home. Good idea!

  2. Colette / September 22, 2013 at 5:51 am /

    Love the skulls picture!

  3. Gina Peckman / September 22, 2013 at 2:24 pm /

    You are going to have to buy a bigger house!

  4. Rayner Attisha / September 23, 2013 at 11:34 am /

    What an interesting collection you’re going to have when you get home! Sammy wants to know if the skulls are Mike Wazowski’s.

    • Cliff / September 24, 2013 at 6:05 am /

      Maybe… Otto made the connection for me, but great thinking Sam!!

  5. Stephanie Craig (@steffinseattle) / September 23, 2013 at 2:12 pm /

    Is there a size limitation or as long as you can roll it it’s fair game?

    • Cliff / September 24, 2013 at 6:04 am /

      No size limitation… although we don’t have a lot of walls :-)

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