Archive for Category: Insights

When, on November 3, 1861, a journalist from the Gazzetta del Popolo used the term “Macchiaioli” for the first time, he could hardly have imagined that this derogatory epithet would become the official name of the movement that had emerged in Florence only a few years earlier and later became famous throughout Italy.
The experience of the Macchiaioli unfolded in a short time, but it was enough to make it one of the most interesting and revolutionary movements in the European panorama.
Let’s relive that golden era together with some of the works and figures that made it famous.

Isabella d’Este, Elizabeth I of England, Isabella I of Castile… Retracing the history of the 16th century, we encounter many powerful and strong-willed women known for their decisive roles in the political and strategic events of Europe at the time.
This is not the case for the women artists of the Renaissance: figures who, with rare exceptions, remained excluded from the main stage, victims of the conventions of the time or unfortunate personal circumstances.
Fortunately, thanks to their character and great talent, some female artists defied prejudices and difficulties to emerge in a predominantly male society.

If there is a period in the history of Western art characterized by a profound and widespread revitalization of the arts, it is certainly the 15th century. During this century, we witnessed an intense succession of both technical and formal innovations, based on a new ideological framework, then uniquely interpreted in different European areas. One of the most prolific is Flanders, which from the 15th century onwards became the cradle of a defined and recognizable style: what is today known as Flemish painting. Let’s explore its salient features and main protagonists.

How much can a kiss convey? And how many forms of love can it express? When you think about it, such a simple and human gesture hides a great variety of meanings, so it’s natural to find it in art, represented in countless ways and styles.
To showcase the versatility of this subject, we’ve chosen ten kisses that illustrate just as many types of love: from the passionate to the allegorical.

Among the unique works of high Tuscan craftsmanship is the art of hard stones, realized through the creation of pieces in commesso or Florentine mosaic. A tradition that established itself in the 16th century, leaving us enchanting examples of unsurpassed mastery and originality that endure to this day.
But how did this art originate and evolve? And with which techniques? Let’s explore together.

Clergymen, knights, kings, and princes, but also children, noblewomen, saints, and courtesans: many subjects are portrayed wearing or handling jewelry and precious objects. But what are the functions of these painted ornaments? And what are the intentions behind them?
Tracing the history of jewelry in art means simultaneously retracing that of goldsmithing, fashion, culture, and commerce. It’s a fascinating journey that can hardly be contained within the space of a single article.

In his essay “the gesture in art,” André Chastel warns readers about an unconscious mechanism that occurs whenever we encounter a painting with human figures. If the subject or scene depicted is familiar to us, then the gestures represented seem simple to understand; but when we do not know them, those same gestures become one of the privileged tools for deciphering the theme of the work.
Understanding the meaning of the most common gestures in Renaissance art can provide a new key to interpretation, even for works that are already well-known and seemingly obvious.

Few things can evoke contrasting feelings like still life, especially older ones: some are passionate about it, while others consider it a minor genre. To better understand its importance and charm, let’s retrace its history and evolution, focusing particularly on the 17th century, to which some of the most famous still lifes belong.

Historically, portraits were the prerogative of the nobility until the Renaissance, when a new social class, the mercantile class, emerged, capable of commissioning works and portraits from the great artists of the time. This genre thus spread significantly. Of Raffaello, one of the most renowned artists, we have numerous testimonies today: 5 of his most famous portraits prove it.