Our original plan to start the day was to visit the Prada Foundation, but it was unfortunately closed for Milan Fashion Week photoshoots, so we head to the stylish Brera district which houses the Pinoteca di Brera: one of the largest and most important collection of Italian art, with paintings from the 13-19th century. Here we were happy to see benches for artists to draw from these masterpieces. The collection ends with the famous Il Bacio, or The Kiss by Francesco Hayez, a painting made to celebrate the end of Italy’s 2nd War of Independence, won with the help of France; the painting depicts a man dressed in the red and green of the Italian Flag and the woman in the Blue and White of the French flag symbolising their united victory.
Next we go to the outskirts of Milan to the Pirelli HangarBicocca Museum to see a show by Brazilian artist Daniel Steegman Mangrane titled Leaf Shaped Animal Draws the Hand. With the works divided into sections by semi-transparent walls this show takes the approach of a soft inviting art space which we’ve been learning about and discussing in our contemporary art seminar class. The show featured virtual reality, over 300 little watercolors, imagery and objects that allude to the Amazon rainforest, and an installation in which you can make your own fresh orange juice; the show concerns the relationship between culture and nature.
by Margaret Groton