Florence, Yesterday: Exhibition by the Porta Romana Art School and the Free Age at the Istituto de Bardi

June 20, 2025

Twenty-three original copperplate engravings will be on display starting Friday, June 20, 2025, at 6:30 PM, in the spaces of the Istituto de' Bardi Foundation, located at Via dei Michelozzi 2 in the Santo Spirito area of ​​Florence. The exhibition, titled "Florence, Yesterday...", stems from an investigation of places and monuments that no longer exist or have been significantly altered over time.

The works were created in recent months during the undergraduate and graduate courses of the U.E.L., the University of the Free Age, sponsored by the City of Florence, and the short courses promoted by the Porta Romana Art School. This is in addition to the usual workshop activities that have been taking place in the laboratories and with the teachers of the prestigious Florentine high school for over 30 years.

The works are by Alessandra Ceccarelli, Antonio Magnelli, Barbara Fontana, Beatrice Parigi, Carla Fusi, Clarissa La Viola, Franca Cini, Ilenia Girella, Jennifer Giachi, Laura Felici, Maria Chiara Cecconi, Maria Donatella Pieraccini, Massimo Tassinari, Paola Sardone, Patrizia Gabellini, Roberta Bandinelli, Roberto Nannicini, Sabine Blomqvist, Salvatore Pagliarello, Stefano Milazzo, Tamara Valkama, Tiziana Bucci, and Ursula Giachi.

The "Printmaking" course, which encompasses the project, is taught by Professor Roberto Nannicini, who for 42 years taught "xylo, cast, and litho" at the Historical Graphic Arts Department of the Porta Romana Art School.

Many of the artists have acquired considerable technical skill, consolidated over time, and the new students, including young ones, stand out for their strong motivation and desire for knowledge.

The works on display are created primarily with traditional techniques such as etching, aquatint, soft wax, and drypoint. However, there are also "experimental" methods combined with mixed techniques and those that are difficult to control, such as sealing wax and gum printing. Thanks to their acquired mastery of the engraved mark, many have also experimented with eco-sustainable and non-toxic solutions. The artists work primarily on zinc or copper matrices, but also on other supports such as aluminum plates, tin, or alternative and reusable matrices such as Forex, Tetra Pak, and other plastic materials.

The works often feature a predominantly black and white palette, a characteristic of etching techniques, but color is also sought after, as are the various graphic effects resulting from the knowledge acquired over time.

Graphic art primarily focuses on signs, often rigorous with structured and refined effects, but also improvised and casual. These activities, usually done in black and white, can also include multi-color prints, different matrices, or additional coloring, to enhance the work and make it unique.

Regarding the subjects, the study focused on the historical period of Florence, before the urban and architectural redevelopment of the city center and the preceding period linked to the restructuring of "Florence, Capital of Italy." The locations are those familiar to Florentines, such as the Mercato Vecchio area and the adjacent Jewish Ghetto, Ponte alle Grazie, with its characteristic cloistered nuns' houses, Ponte Leopoldo with its neoclassical pylons, the Maria Antonia station, and many others, including some lesser-known ones, such as the Arco dei Pizzicotti, the small church of Santa Maria Vergine on Ponte alle Grazie, the Porticciola in Piazza d'Arno, and the Torrino del Maglio, to name a few.

The works are the entirely personal reworkings of each individual participant, who relied on iconographic material such as historical photographs, old prints, or pictorial images. A singular diversity in the approach to engraving can be seen in the works, the result of a consolidated personalization, which differentiates the authors in their original and interesting proposals.

The recognizable subjects are freely interpreted through the characteristic handwriting typical of intaglio engraving, enriched by the artist's sensitivity, creativity, and personal visual language.

The exhibition, which enjoys the patronage of the City of Florence and is promoted by the Università dell'Età Libera, the Istituto De' Bardi, and the Liceo Artistico di Porta Romana, continues until June 29, 2025, with visits by appointment.

For more information: https://www.istitutodebardi.org