So the chapel I couldn't remember the name of yesterday is called Brancacci Chapel and it's one of 2 chapels that didn't get demolished in the fire and it's on the right transcept of this church in Florence. We walked up to it and I literally said, "Wow this is hideous, it needs a facade. And I'm a church of Christ girl...that means it's pretty awful." So considering I've been CofC my whole life and our church buildings are notorious for being boring and not church-ish at all, this was seriously ugly on the outside. Obviously the facade was destroyed in the tragic fire. It has never been replaced. All the inside church stuff was replaced so it looks nothing like it originally did and it doesn't match the Brancacci chapel at all. 3 different dudes did stuff in the Bracacci chapel which is named after the Brancacci family bc they paid for it. The older one actually learned from the younger one Masachio because he was really legit at perspective and weighting his figures and definitely at emotion and character. There's a really cool contrast in between the two artists' work when you first walk in - you look to the right and Masavio's work is Adam and Eve in the garden and they're kinda floaty and it's a beautiful work, but they're kinda devoid of any humanistic characteristics, etc. Then you turn to the left and Masachio's work is them getting kicked out of the garden of Eden after they sinned and it's full of emotion - Adam's doubled over in anguish and pain and they're both covering themselves and they're faces are so full of pain and sorrow. They have shadows and look like they're on the ground and the perspective is beautiful. Then it was actually left unfinished for like 50-60ish years because the family got exiled by the Medici (whoops) and the artists died or took other jobs elsewhere. Then Fillippino Lippi (Filippo Lippi's son) was hired to finish it and actually had to take out and replace some of the faces from earlier and replace them with friends of the Medici's of that time. The rest of the scenes in that chapel were all about St. Peter.
Then we went over to the Pitti Palace. It was started by the Pitti family who were rivals of the Medici and it is HUGE!!! It was an old school battle of the Jones's - the house layout was created to out-do the Medici: the courtyard was to be exactly the dimensions of the Medici palace and the window were to be the size of their doors. Then the Pitti family went bancrupt and so it was unfinished for awhile until the Medici bought it...oh karma ;) Then they lived in it during their duke days and then the Lorraine family took it over when the Medici died out and then it went to the Cevoy family from Austria. There is so much artwork in there! It's not like a museum at all bc it's set up like the nobles wanted it arranged. So it's pretty overwhelming bc there's art everywhere! Then we got to walk through their living quarters and their personal chapel that they got ok'd by the church - Oh what being filthy rich will get you?!
Then we were free to do whatever so we got some dinner - we ended up getting these really delicious burgers because we're all sick of pizza and pasta 24/7. Then we got that awesome gelato and it was my fave! I got cookies and mint chocolate :D. Then we walked around some more and went to this really cool bookstore that we decided is like their version of Barnes and Noble because it kept on going forever! But I didn't find any books there :( sad day for me. But then we made our way back to the villa and I worked and then wrote this. I'm trying to figure out hostel stuff for Paris, but another girl might be coming with, which changes the hostel plans we need so I need to nail that down for sure so we can reserve that and then get the trains. Tomorrow's a free day!!! I'm planning on doing the Duomo climb and then visiting the Picasso exhibit and maybe visit the Uffizi again if I'm really feeling it and everyone else is too - if they go with me and I can navigate of course, lol.
Oh I almost forgot - I found my artwork that I wanted :D It's the Annunciation by Fra. Angelico! I'm very excited. I hope Tyler likes it, because I want it hanging up in the house...
Time to plug my actual laptop in and see if he's on to talk to me :) Love you all!
PS - I actually had Bible class this morning before we left for the onsites, but they were a lot more fun lol!
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