Articles in art history
Being a woman in Italy… in the Renaissance
Anytime any of my friends expresses a preference for having lived in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, I like to remind them that had they done so, their chances of dying in childbirth would be much higher than their likelihood of receiving any education. A 10 percent chance of dying in childbirth awaited each …
Get to know Gaddi up close at Santa Croce
When Agnolo Gaddi and his workshop painted the high chapel at the Church of Santa Croce in Florence with scenes from the Legend of the True Cross, he included all sorts of details – an ear through a transparent veil, a squirrel up a tree, a black rooster and some sawdust – that would never …
Art, Patronage, and Economics – reflections around Florens 2012
When we learn about Renaissance Florence, one of the first things any professor will introduce is banking and merchant culture, which permitted amassing wealth, which in turn permitted the commission of art and architecture, elaborate fashions, and imported luxury goods. The Medici family was not the first major patron, but it is the most famous, …
Virtues and Vices in Renaissance Art
When one of my colleagues at the Italy Roundtable suggested the topic ‘Virtues and Vices‘ for our monthly thematic article, I thought “Oh, that is easy, there are tons of examples of Virtues and Vices in Renaissance art. I wonder what the others will write about, since this is clearly just an art historical topic.” …
Japonism in Tuscany – who knew?
Apparently, before the current trend in sushi restaurants hit Florence, there was a time that Florentines (and Italians) were crazy about Japan. And then they forgot all about it. For a while. Luckily, some scholars have thought to compile evidence of Japanism in 19th and early 20th century Tuscany, resulting in a small but interesting …
Titian’s Capitoline Baptism of Christ on display in Siena
A Titian in Siena. A dialogue across Italy and its artistic styles. On the occasion of the fifth centenary of Titian’s painting “The Baptism of Christ,” normally at the Pinacoteca Capitolina, an exceptional loan has spurred an opportunity to renew the museum path and services at Siena’s Duomo complex, and for us to take a …
Princeton University Art Museum needs your help to identify this town in Italy
Lia Markey from Princeton University Art Museum has asked for the help of ArtTrav readers in identifying the town represented in this seventeenth-century drawing in their collection.
Here is what Lia is able to tell us about the work:
Women in Renaissance Art – 1 week art history course in Florence
The British Institute of Florence is offering a one week seminar on Women in Renaissance Art from March 5-9, 2012 and March 4-8, 2013 led by Prof. Susan Madocks Lister (so if you miss it this year, you can plan for next year!).
Designed for a general audience and with no exams or papers to worry …
Palazzo Davanzati for Italian kids
The Italian youth magazine Focus Junior and the MIBAC (ministry for the arts) have come up with an interesting collaboration to promote twelve lesser-known museums in Italy, amonst them the Palazzo Davanzati in Florence for the month of February 2012. In Focus Junior magazine this month there’s a detachable fold-out map and guide to the …
2011 in review: the arts in Florence
I feel like my first “major” article of the year on this blog should be arts related, and know that I’ve been somewhat remiss both about posting, and in writing about the arts. The fact is that my daily life these days does not always involve exhibits or art history. But living in Florence, Italy, …
Palazzo Strozzi: for the love of God, money, and democracy
You’d have to have been dropped on the head when young to not notice the fortuitous timeliness of this Fall’s exhibits at Palazzo Strozzi – upstairs “Money and Beauty: Bankers, Botticelli and the Bonfire of the Vanities” and downstairs “Declining Democracy”. Both exhibits are equally contemporary, and they will make you reflect upon our current, collective situation whether you’re an Italian resident or a visitor from abroad.
Short Renaissance art history courses in Florence in September
The British Institute of Florence has brought to my attention two interesting short courses in Renaissance art history, one a hands on workshop, the other a thematic course inspired by the forthcoming exhibit at Palazzo Strozzi. The following comes straight from the director of art history, Susan Madocks.
ArtTrav is a blog about expat life, art, and travel in Italy and Europe. I am Alexandra Korey, a Florence-based art historian turned blogger.
My goal is to help travelers and residents like you experience countries through culture and local living. If it takes geeky, long articles to do that, so be it! 
