A Florentine Masterpiece

After having a detailed back and forth e mail exchange with my friend Lidia who lives in Western Tuscany about 40 mins from Florence, I headed to the studio for the long awaited show on the Baptistery of Florence, one of the most famous landmarks in Italy. Ric Hirst and I had planned to do this show for a very long time and finally it came to pass. We arrived considerably earlier than we usually get there so that Ric and I could look over the entire show and determine correct order and also to eliminate photos that we did not need. This process only took about 10 minutes and we were on our way. Ellen was the picture of true perfection, even doing the sound check while Ric and I were having a private conversation before the broadcast began. There was nothing about the presentation that was lacking, and Ellen was so professional we hardly knew she was doing anything behind the console. If shows were broadcast like this every week, I would be very happy, and perhaps not have anything about which to write here !

Meanwhile by virtue of a lot of studying and his extraordinary knowledge of Italian history, Ric weaved a fascinating tale through the early fifteenth century. The entire story of how Italy became what we know today is an amazing story, and surely the occurrences in Florence played a significant role in that saga. Many scholars date the Italian Renaissance from the 1401 announcement that the East Door to the Baptistery in Florence would be sculpted using a different design from what had been there since the previous century. That sculptural masterpiece was accomplished by Andrea Pisano and was to be moved to the South Side, while a new conception would replace it on the East Side facing the main entrance to the Cathedral. The determination of who would be given this assignment would initiate the most significant one hundred years of art history beginning with the selection of Ghiberti for the honor of sculpting the doors. His competition is like a who's who of Florence Art, including Dontatello and Bruneleschi. Ric tells the tale with stunning images taken by Laura Gurton, and all put together by yours truly.

Meanwhile on the show we announced that the next show would not skip a week, but take place next Friday when I finally do the 55th Venice Biennale. Then two weeks later I will broadcast my Italian Night Magic with my favorite photos of Italy at night. In the interim Ric will put together a two part history of Florence during the 13th through 16th century. I already told him to take his time and we can even do four shows, but we shall see what comes out of that. Those 400 years changed the world, and we will take a very close look at that.