Una Bella Estate: "There is no art but has had its beginning in faulty things. Nothing is born and perfected at once."

Buona sera! This morning went down to the Convent of San Marco to look at Fra Angelico's Annunciation for art history (when we told George about this, he proceeded to tell us about how the Priests slept with the Nuns, and the Nuns slept with each other...etc etc. Oh, Italian history), then it was some risotto for lunch and off to the Uffizi for the afternoon.

It's so amazing to see works that I've studied up close - it brings a sense of reality and life to what is sometimes a bit lifeless when viewed on overhead projectors. It was incredible to see the materials used - like the gold leaves used in paintings like Giotto's as background and intricate detailing. I was also happy to hear that blue, my favorite color, is used to clothe the Madonna because it was considered an exotic and precious material at the time. It was also really cool to see how artists discovered the concept of perspective, transforming from a more abstract art to a more humanistic, natural art. After the Ufizzi and sweating our butts off, we got seriously ripped off for gelato, found me some guitar strings, and popped into a Florentine vintage store. Ok, enough blabbing. Here are some pictures from the Uffizi terrace:

("well I'm ridiculous, and you're ridiculous...so obviously a picture of us together is just going to be completely absurd")