Florence – 2017

The 19th century French author Stendhal lends his name to the Stendhal complex – which is a kind of illness consisting of spells of dizziness and palpitations – caused due to exposure to too much beauty.  Stendhal wrote about this on his visit to Florence – hence the other name for the Stendhal complex is Florence complex.  Florence is a place where for years, watching the statue of David, the frescoes and galleries in the churches and Uffizi, and the architecture all around – one can start getting sick of beauty.  I personally never experienced it but I have to admit that of all the places that I have visited, when I reflected where I want to go to clear my mind – a place that would not disappoint me at all – and I would be in an environment where I have no chance to be depressed – I picked Florence. Why did I pick it? Was it fast or slow thinking – I cant say.  But all that matters is there is something magical about Florence. If there is a objective characterization of what beauty is and how it affects the human mind and its other senses – Florence can provide those cues and clues. The effect largely is deemed universal.

I stayed outside the main city area this time. In the height of summer – I was in lookout for budget options but also wanted to stay away from the touristy areas. I have noticed in the touristy areas – services in the restaurant and hotels are much lower. They just don’t have to try that hard. My hotel was a good 35 minutes away – and my daily bus was a great way to feel the current of the daily life. People going to work, kids to school, and grandma off to the vegetable market. I would try to leave early in the morning and then come back late afternoon – and spend the evening in the hotel. The days were spent mostly in the central area of Florence known as the historic district – the area which borders the Santa Maria Novella station, Piazza San Marco, Piazza Santa Croce, and Ponte Vecchio – strolling through the alleys and bylines, soaking in the air and the place that served as the cradle of renaissance. Many of the boutique stores were shutdown – the shopkeepers off to vacation. I took my own time going through the Academy, Uffizi and the libraries. There was no rush on time – learning and immersing in the paintings and sculpture.

Before my visit I had the Laurentian Library (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) located in the cloister of the Church of San Lorenzo in my list of places to visit.  The Laurentian was designed by Michelangelo and houses one of the largest neo-classical collections in the world.  To be in an intimate place away from the maddening crowds with Michaelangelo’s creation is a real treat. The reading room is simply gorgeous. Many people don’t realize that in Italy – both in Florence and Rome – there is some stellar architecture and artwork in libraries and old mansions. You may have your private rendezvous with Michaelangelo – as in my case.

Paintings in particular hit me at several levels.  On surface it serves as an artifact of influence – either as a shock factor that forces me to think or that forced other people to think differently about the current status quo. Almost all great artists have one or two that launched them as the great – because those pieces broke away from the existing pattern. So whether it was Leonardo’s drawings of machines and human anatomy or Manet’s  Le Dejeuner. In the modern era, Picasso did reinvent over and over again as his paintings spread in style and form.  All great draughtsmen and painters over the last few centuries, worth a grain of salt, have one thing in common.  They owe their craft to the techniques and styles developed by the Florentine masters, who dwelled right here.

In my previous visit to Florence in 2009, I was very much intrigued by the Florence’s history, especially Florentine banking. Art has to be patronized and is highly correlated to the commercial prosperity of the place is universally evident.  Florence’s contribution were in foreign exchange and trade, mercantile finance, and of course Luca Pacioli and double-entry book-keeping. I went to Pisa and Sienna and parts of the wine country. Over the last eight years, photography has brought me closer to appreciation of painting and in general the value of “lost art” or almost lost art.  I wanted to go to Cremona for instance, to check out the violin town – but then I gratified myself with the music collection in the museums in Florence. I have come to admire the Atelier or studio concept of learning – as an apprentice to a master. In the Florentine tradition, I enrolled in one of those classes – where the instructor took me around the city and I got a taste of how to practice art. Doing by your own hand gives the first hand taste of the immense amount of work and dedication that needs to be placed to just learn the craft, let alone mastery and the awe at how few reach the heights.

Every visit has it high points. What I looked for – I admit I was only partially served. Summer holidays have driven the local craftsman and artisan to vacation. But then isn’t it quite often that the high points come from unexpected venues. Despite housed in an out-of shape body, I decided on a bike trip to the Tuscan countryside. The ride exhausted me out and I had no qualms in jumping onto a bus. The bus driver and his companion spoke very little english but the camaraderie and bond we struck in a few minutes were memorable. They took me to a fig orchard where I plucked figs from the trees.  They even took me to a coffee shop and refused to take money. They said I was their guest. Such gestures of kindness and fellowship revives the “better angels” in ourselves and keeps me optimistic towards the future – that the world indeed is becoming a better place. The shortened bike ride was followed by a sumptuous meal and lots of wine was clearly worth my visit.


Coming back to the paintings itself.  I tried to dig a little deeper into Boticelli and his two masterpieces – Primavera and The Birth of Venus.  The Boticelli rooms10-14 have been recently redone and it is set up for study. In my visit in 2009 – it was such a mad rush through Uffizi in the last hour, I could barely sense anything.  This time it was different.  Painting such as these not only evoke beauty but once I know the background and the context of when it was done it brings joy at another level.  But then there is another part of me that questions – is there an aura already with these paintings that condition our minds to like something because it is famous.  There is definitely some of that – appreciate something as part of a social agreement.

So if there is one place where I cannot be accused of lazy thinking and joining the crowd for appreciating art, it is in Florence.  For I am not be the only one suffering from Stendhal or Florence syndrome.  This is a place that I can come back again and again. Hope the next trip is not too far in the future.

Fall is almost over

Fall is quite beautiful in this area.  For a photographer it is a treat.  This year, however, the weather was not the very best.  Cloudy skies, rains, especially in the weekends made picture taking a bit difficult.  I wish we had more sunny days.  Here are some of the snaps from in and around DC. River road in Maryland along the Potomac is a great place. (Stay away from not getting shot by the rabbit and squirrel hunters).  Just when I wrapped up a shot, there was deer that jumped into my car.  I wish I had my camera in my hands and not the steering wheel. Anyways, as thanksgiving draws near, fall is almost over, here are few to look back on until next year.