The Corsini Collection

This particular art is from the Renaissance and Baroque period of art history, and features the Corsini families personal collection of art work from artists including Botticelli, Andrea del Sarto, Caravaggio and Pontormo.

The Corsini family

Arriving in Florence in the 13^thCentury, with ancestors still living there today. Working mainly in banking and finance, including trading this is how the family developed their wealth (Kisler, Mary: 2017, Mackelvie Collection of International Art). They also worked in silk, and produced a family tree, tracing all the families development from the 13^thright up to 1995. Their wealth gave them an opportunity to develop a passionate affair for art, to serve as a reminder of their legacy depicting loyalty to Florence and the impact of WWII and the flood of Florence in 1966 (Auckland Art Gallery: 2018). Notable members of the Corsini family are from the Catholic church, which heavily influenced the style of art work purchased, these members include family saint Andrea Corsini, three cardinals and Pope Clement XII. The university of Florence was founded by Tommaso Corsini in 1348, and due to this, intellectually, politically,  and culturally influenced generations of society in Florence. Receiving this collection, that travels world-wide, signposts a capsule of both grandiose, and stately significance, to share with future generations, which makes the viewer appreciate how influential and impressive the individual art and family was, and continues to be. 

Madonna and Child with Six Angels circa 1500 

Painter: Sandro Botticelli 

Description: Tempera and oil on panel Florence, Galleria Corsini. 

Under the influence of the zealous friar Savonarola, Sandro Botticelli turned away from painting classical themes at the end of the 15th century to focus on the life of Christ. 

Here, the Madonna rests her cheek against her little son’s and
her eyes are closed, as if she is holding back tears. Two angels hold aloft a pearl-inlaid crown studded with sprigs of lilies, which symbolise the Virgin’s ultimate place at her son’s side as Queen of Heaven. First, though, she must accept that when he is an adult, he will sacrifice his life to save humanity. Two angels on the right gaze sadly at the instruments of Christ’s future Passion, while those on the left look out inviting us to share their sorrow (Auckland Art Gallery: 2017). 

Comments:

Two angels at the top are holding up a crown for he will be the future king. Another angel to the right is holding a thorny crown symbolising sacrifice for both the future king Christ and for his mother Madonna to give him up for others salvation. Regal colours are chosen for further emphasis in the palette, royal blue, for Madonna,  white for Christ and the angels for innocence and purity, red and gold for the higher class given to angels special status.  Although highly religious in context, the average person can also see the painting as symbolic of the attachment any mother feels for her child, and the need to let go, as a child becomes an adult.

Paul Walsh

Paul Walsh, commissioned by the Auckland City Council, is part of beautifying the city by painting artworks on the utility and electrical boxes throughout Auckland city.  The vibrant and quirky artworks capture the imagination of passers-by.  Walsh is an artist and illustrator who lives in Auckland, his utility box artwork made by spray paint as a medium, although he also uses water-colour as a medium in some of his other art works.  My particular favourites are the Fox, which situated outside Kokako in Grey Lynn is nicknamed Mr foxy.  He has a particularly cheeky and mysterious expression on his face, for a creature that is menacing in real life, featuring baroque styled patterning in the background.  I also like the adorable red panda reading a book, as it was very nostalgic to me, of reading puffin and penguin books as a child with a very child-like whimsical feel to it.  The cat with the square glasses is very geek sleek, with the popularisation of all things cat on the internet at the moment. 

Grey Lynn

Grey Lynn

Greenlane

Judy Millar

Judy Millar: Rock drop, reminiscent of Roy Liechtenstein's colourful pop art works such as the famous “brushstroke”.  Millar extends on ideas of abstract surrealism of something not being what it really is, to visualize the brushstroke and the movement of the artist, and the three dimension nature of creating art you would expect the piece to use paint itself as a medium.  However, ironically satirically the brushstrokes are jet-printed from her original paintings, to give a cartoon like feel, and the idea of dimension is created from the large size of the sculpture. The sculptural shape itself is injected and conjoint with pieces of plywood that piece to together, like a puzzle, and give an aerial like appearance.

Millar says she was inspired by Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ at the start of making the creation. T he main character wanders through shipwrecks and sees natural rock formations. Millar says, “they think the rocks move…which of course is not true, it’s just the perception of them is so difficult. So this idea of wandering rocks and how perception alters or challenges us was really a lot to do with the title.[1]” ‘Rock drop’ installation is available to view on level one of the Auckland City Art Gallery on Lorne street in the city.

 Further along Lorne street, is the Gow Langsford Gallery which houses several other paintings by Millar, which is noted to display “the gesture of painting.[2]”

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1 https://www.noted.co.nz/culture/arts/artist-judy-millar-creates-a-show-stopper-at-auckland-art-gallery/

2 https://www.gowlangsfordgallery.co.nz/artists/judy-millar

Edible Wildflowers

When I’m out and about I’m always on the lookout for wildflowers, I love the simplicity and quiet unassuming beautiful they have, as well as their looks, often wildflowers are edible or can be useful for medicinal benefits. 

Photographed below, the orange flower: Nasturtium, botanical name: Tropaeolum majus, is beneficial for its strong healing properties, as it contains vitamin C and flavonoids and carotenoid[1],  which have strong antibiotic factors. This powerful flower, used internally and externally, for minor bacterial infections, scrapes and cuts.

Also pictured below is the Dandelion, French for the “lion tooth” and botanically known as Taraxacum officinale[2]  is equally beneficial, containing vitamin K, it is well used in tea, for it detoxifying qualities, particularly helpful for the stomach and liver.  It also has cancer fighting principles and has quantities of calcium for strengthening bones.

Pretty, and powerful, these really are natures super foods!

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[1] https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/nasturtium.html

[2] https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-dandelion.html

kahu Maori cloak

During my time studying art and design, we learnt about Maori traditions and the significance of kahu or kahu huruhuru which are feathered cloaks.  Korowai (cloaks) are about bestowing of Mana (prestige) on the wearer and are made of woven fibres. The wire mesh mimics the twisted thread of traditional cloaks, and symbolise both the literal fibre and metaphorical nature of exploring the fibre, that is DNA, and often the patterns on the Korowai depict the ancestral background.

The below colour depictions of Korowai are inspired by the New Zealand artist John Bevan, and use the cross-hatching techique with graphic pens.  John Bevan’s art includes the ship that Captain Cook used when travelling to New Zealand, and is symbolic of Bevan’s joining of cultures as he is from  a Maori European background. Within the images I added a Koru which is symbolic of new beginnings. 

Wire mesh, grey cloak of protection and honour. 

Pigmented inks in various colours, cross-hatching method, kahu cloaks.

         Copyright, Nicola Tickner 2014