Coming to Florence is a visit to the very best parts of the culture of the world, at least, one pinnacle of it. The Italian Renaissance has not only been enormously influential on the visual art world since then, it’s also influenced nearly every aspect of what makes life worth living. In terms of philosophy, attitudes toward food, and even the art of love, Florence in the Golden Age was a remarkable epicenter.
Its influence is still remarkable, and there is as much to see today as there ever was. The popularity of Florence hotels , the number of people eating in bars and restaurants, and the crowds in the museums demonstrate that there is not only a lot of art being produced, but also a lot of people interested in viewing it.
The idea of the artist as visionary is one that had more currency in the Golden Age then it does today. It’s hard to theorize exactly why, because the secular humanist view today is every bit as strong as it was then. There may be a mistrust of visionary thought in general, but that doesn’t mean the work doesn’t exist. People like Phillip Rubinov Jacobson , who runs workshops on visionary and fantastic art in Florence, are proof that the impulse is still very strong, and that seeing is still very much a reflex in development.
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