The Bargello

The Bargello museum here in Florence is one of my favorite. The collection is incredible and it's one of the best places to come and draw on a rainy day. I did a bunch of drawings on both visits, I'll be posting a few of those in the next few days. This is the first, which is a drawing Michelangelo's Apollo. This sculpture was debated about several occasions, first whether it was a Michelangelo or not and then whether is was an Apollo or a David sculpture. From further investigation the sculpture is now accepted as a Michelangelo and is sometimes referred to as the "Apollo-David" or "Apollinio" it is still one of my favorite sculptures at the Bargello and an excellent example of Michelangelo's Non-Finito pieces.

Brunelleschi's cupola

One of my favorite places in Florence is the Biblioteca Delle Oblate. In this beautiful library there is a small caffe, the view of the cathedral from this caffe has to be one of the best in Florence. I go there often and I've painted and drawn there before (two years ago) so I decided to try again. I sat and had a macchiato and slowly I started my drawing. I usually move fast when I'm sketching, but I made sure I took my time and made an effort to be more precise. I am happy with the outcome although I would like to try again. So here is my drawing of the beautiful cupola of the Florentine cathedral designed by Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi.



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Fiesole

The Cathedral of Fiesole.



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Giambologna

There are many many museums here in Florence and perhaps besides the Ufizzi, my favorite is the Bargello. I spent a half a day at this sculpture museum and I made a few sketches but I wanted to stay longer. I plan on returning to just sit and draw all day.
This was one of my favorite little sculptures, done by the famous Giambologna. It's a small angel or "putto" fishing.






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Duomo Vecchio, Brescia

I love Italian Romanesque architecture, and this is one of the best examples of that. The Duomo Vecchio or Old Cathedral is an 11th century building in Brescia, Italy. This building is completely original except for the entrance portal which was added on in the late 17th century. The church also houses a crypt constructed with Roman spolia, which is very impressive. I sat at the caffe in front of the church, so luckily I got to draw and paint comfortably, which as a traveling artist is a luxury.






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Piazza Vecchia, Bergamo

I got a third chance to tackle this scene. I love this part of Cittá Alta and I struggled with drawing it every time I've been here. I think this one was the most successful so far.



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Hercules

I often sit in the Piazza Della Signoria admiring the sculptures. This is a drawing of Hercules from Baccio Bandinelli's "Hercules and Cacus" (1525-27). This sculpture is placed opposite of Michelangelo's David in from of the Palazzo Vecchio. I had a perfect spot to draw Hercules' portrait. I'd like to draw the whole sculpture, but finding a spot to sit comfortably isn't easy with the amount of people visiting. I'll wait until it gets colder.






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