'incontri'

Piazza Duomo, the heart of the city I live in, Florence. It was a fascinating project for me, standing still, observing life pass in front of my eyes. Everybody stops in front of the steps of Santa Maria del Fiori, but few find the time to indulge in her overwhelming beauty. For me, this reflection is important, why our modern culture is this way. We have lost the habit of observing, because ‘we have no time’. This reality is difficult to accept, especially because most of the people that you find in Piazza Duomo are tourists, in Florence with the idea of seeing art and the Italian culture. The majority of them limit themselves to a quick glance of the majestic cathedral. Many, for example, are absorbed in their cell phones, lost in maps and guide books, only observing reality through the lenses of their camera. Whilst painting from life in Piazza Duomo I noted that some of the most curious and interested, were in fact children.
Once the painting was finished I saw how people finally observed their cathedral perhaps even seeing things they had never noticed before. Something to be considered is just how much we fail to observe every day, how much we risk to lose in our lives.