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Posted on Jul 17, 2013 in Museums | 0 comments

MAGMA Follonica: a museum that combines archeology, manufacturing and multimedia technologies

MAGMA Follonica: a museum that combines archeology, manufacturing and multimedia technologies

With the predominance of digital media, we can lose sight of the function of museums to effectively and efficiently render the world of work, as it was defined in the 19th century, and help us understand where we come from and who we were prior to these modern times. Take, for example, Follonica, a city in the province of Grosseto, an area that has been, since the time of the Etruscans, an important center for metalworking, due to the nearness of metalliferous hills. Mining activity has greatly influenced the working life and the culture of the area. This history was given further impetus in 1834, when Leopold II of Tuscany chose it as the location for the Royal and Imperial Foundries and brought metalworking into the modern age from its ancient roots. He created a village around the foundries with homes and the necessary services for those who relocated to Follonica for work. The iron plant included one of the most advanced blast furnaces of the time. On 29 June...

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Posted on Jun 19, 2013 in Museums | 0 comments

Pinacoteca di Brera: the theme of the human form in the museum’s collection

Pinacoteca di Brera: the theme of the human form in the museum’s collection

The Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery) in Milan has an extensive and diverse collection of masterpieces. As you walk through its many rooms, you progress through artistic periods, techniques and expressions as well as stylistic movements. Each time you visit, you develop a new perspective and find a link between the works, a common thread that unifies objects of art across centuries. In this article, we will address the theme of the human form as an interpretative key as it is presented across paintings, statues and time periods. We will begin with the idols of Cycladic art, which peaked in the period between 2500 and 2000 B.C. In this period, the body was stylized in stone and the sculptor did not attempt  a refined or detailed portrayal, but allowed the essential outlines of the body to provide the power of suggestion. These figures were usually female nudes with their hands on their stomachs, most likely representations of the mother goddess, symbol of fertility and fecundity. Defying the effects...

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