Reborn as a great painter, with a system, you can be willful

Jiang Zhe and Francesca got out of the taxi.

Entering the hotel lobby, Francesca asked, "Where else do you want to go today?"

Jiang Zhe said, "I want to visit the Uffizi Museum and several other famous art galleries. But..." He looked at the sunset outside, "Is it too late now?"

Francesca said, "It's too late today. I'll make an appointment for you to visit tomorrow. I suggest that we go to the square around the cathedral tonight to take a look and feel Florence at night.

At night, it is very lively there. It is very interesting to see the buildings and sculptures at night. "

Jiang Zhe gave it some thought and agreed to the proposal.

"Let's have dinner as soon as possible and leave as soon as possible."

Jiang Zhe returned to his room, put away the study abroad materials he brought back, and washed up.

After dinner, he and Francesca set out for a night tour of Florence.

The two took a taxi and rushed to the square around the cathedral.

At Francesca's suggestion, they got off the bus farther away from their destination and walked to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The road and the buildings on both sides have retained their appearance from hundreds of years ago. Jiang Zhe felt that even without Francesca's help, he would not have gone in the wrong direction.

Because there are no tall buildings here, the roof of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore can be seen from most streets.

As Francesca said, Florence is more lively at night than during the day.

There are many shops on both sides and many tourists.

The decoration styles of the shops on the street vary greatly, some are classical, and some are very modern. Many people sit on the street to eat, drink coffee, and chat.

Passing by a shop specializing in snacks and ice cream, Francesca invited Jiang Zhe to taste the special ice cream there.

Jiang Zhe chose a chocolate flavored ice cream, and Francesca chose a strawberry flavored ice cream.

The two slowed down their pace and ate while sightseeing.

Feeling the rhythm of this city will make you forget the heat and relax your body and mind.

"In front of us is the landmark of Florence, the square in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore." Francesca said, pointing ahead.

Jiang Zhe only saw part of the top of the building.

After walking through an alley, the first thing you see is an octagonal building.

"This is the baptistery," Francesca introduced. "It's used for baptism ceremonies. During the Renaissance, baptizing a newborn was an important ceremony. Many celebrities were baptized here, such as Dante and the entire Medici family."

Jiang Zhe asked: "Why is this building designed in an octagonal shape?"

This question stumped Francesca.

"I do not know either."

Jiang Zhe didn't ask any further.

"I'll remember this and look for it when I get back." Francesca changed the subject: "There are many stories about this baptistery. The main story is related to the door.

Among them, the East Gate has the highest artistic level.

Michelangelo admired the design of this door very much. He said that this door would not be out of place even if it was placed in heaven, so this east door is also called the Gate of Heaven.

The two gradually approached the baptistery.

Francesca pointed to a door and said, “The door next to it has a bigger story.

In 1401, the management department at that time held a bidding activity to renovate this door.

Two people's designs entered the final competition.

They were Brunelleschi and Ghiberti.

In the end, Ghiberti won the bid with his superb craftsmanship. "

Following Francesca's instructions, Jiang Zhe approached the door and saw a head sculpture on it. "Is it the author's signature?" he asked.

"I guess so. This door and the Door of Paradise we just talked about are both works of this Ghiberti." Francesca asked, "Do you remember the loser?"

"Brunelleschi?" Jiang Zhe had a good memory and was becoming more and more proficient in Italian.

"After losing the bid, Brunelleschi vowed never to create sculptures again and left Florence. But this story is not over yet. We'll talk about him later," Francesca suggested, as they took a walk around the cathedral first.

Jiang Zhe walked and observed.

He walked and admired.

Admire the color scheme, sculptures and other decorations on the facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Francesca stopped and pointed to the top of the church, saying, "Michelangelo's sculpture, David, was originally planned to be placed at this height, but was eventually rejected by a 30-member committee headed by Leonardo da Vinci.

The sculpture is placed at the entrance of the municipal building. We will see it after walking a little further.”

The original sculpture is in the Accademia Gallery.

Michelangelo designed it from this upward perspective, so he was very angry.

However, I don't think Leonardo can be blamed for this. The sculpture weighs several tons, but there is no way to drop the sculpture on the roof.

The two walked to the back of the cathedral, and Jiang Zhe found a round piece of marble on the ground.

Francesca told Jiang Zhe that 300 years ago, the bronze ball on the top of the cathedral fell down.

"We can't see how big the bronze ball is here. It is said that the bronze ball fell at this location, and later people inlaid a piece of marble to commemorate this event.

The bronze ball was designed and placed on the roof by a man named Verrocchio, who was Leonardo da Vinci’s teacher.”

As Jiang Zhe suddenly realized it, he lamented that Florence was full of history. There were stories everywhere he went, and perhaps he could connect them with the celebrities he knew.

He saw a bell tower.

Francesca introduced that this was a work designed by Giotto, the father of the Renaissance.

"Giottona should be considered the father of painting," Jiang Zhe said. "This is the first time I know that he can design a bell tower and it has been preserved. Those artists are really versatile. Painting, sculpture, architecture, music, poetry, it seems that they are proficient in everything."

The thought hidden in his heart was, can he develop in this direction?

"I think this is the most interesting sculpture in the entire square." Francesca pointed to a sculpture and introduced it to Jiang Zhe: "Look, he is Brunelleschi who lost the bid to Ghiberti.

He raised his head and looked at the cathedral across the street, or more precisely, at the roof of the cathedral, because this was his revenge work after losing the competition.

After losing the competition, he went to Rome to study architecture.

Eighteen years later, when he returned to Florence, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore had been left unfinished for a long time.

Because the original design was too large, it could not be completed when it came time to top out.

Brunelleschi returned from his studies and said he knew how to cap it.

The Medici family decided to give him a try, but they also gave him an assistant. Who do you think it was?

Jiang Zhe tried to guess: "Ghiberti?"

“That’s him. Brunelleschi was very angry and started delaying the work.

Ghiberti had no choice but to withdraw from the project.

Finally, Brunelleschi completed the roof of the church.

But his specific method has not been preserved. It is said that when the project was completed, he destroyed all the drawings.

Now, when you mention Florence, you think of the Dome, and when you mention the Dome, you think of Brunelleschi. He avenged his humiliation and left a good name behind.

Jiang Zhe did not expect to hear such a legendary story. He thought that the story was too much of an artistic creation.

(End of this chapter)