Last year I spent an entire day journeying from Florence to go see one Pontormo and one Caravaggio painting in Prato. A first ever exhibition on Pontormo opened in Rome this past weekend and I had a ticket.

Jacopo Carucci was born in 1494 in Pontorme or Pontormo as it was then called and thus his nickname. He studied and worked mainly in Florence although spent some time in Rome. According to Vasari, Pontormo studied with Leonardo da Vinci and for awhile worked with Michelangelo. Big Mike eventually broke up the friendship, it seems over politics, but then, Big Mike did not seem to get along with anyone for very long.

This is one of two paintings that Michelangelo drew then had Pontormo do the painting—a rare cooperative effort on Big Mike’s part.

Pontormo’s importance lies in being one of the early Mannerist painters. Mannerism as an artistic style represented a shift from the perfectionism of Renaissance art and architecture to what was called “mannered” or maniera in Italian because it became style for style’s sake. Artists did not want to try to copy Leonardo, Michelangelo or Raphael but did something different just to be different. Michelangelo can also be considered a Mannerist as his style evolved over his long life.

Pontormo is particularly known for his unrealistic, strong colours; twisted bodies and subject matters that broke from the standard depictions; in fact, art historians still debate about the subject of some of his paintings.

The site for the exhibition was the Scuderie al Quirinale. Scuderie means stables because popes kept their horses there and then later, Vatican vehicles. It is near the presidential palace.

Air temperature was a bit cool but good for a walk.

The obelisk in Piazza del Quirinale with 19th century statues copying ancient statues:

The exhibition permitted photos which means I have too many to post. One amazing part of the experience was seeing so many large frescoes from the early years of Pontormo’s career.

Some of his frescoes were done in a method called mezzo fresco or half fresco and they haven’t aged well, although they still hint at the interesting colours.

Some of my favourite Florence paintings are Pontormo’s Capponi Chapel. Usually they are behind a locked fence and this is as close as I could get in Florence.

I was surprised to see it in Rome and set up like it is in the Capponi Chapel but no bars. Not only could I get close to the altar piece but the paintings of the four evangelists were also easier to see. The blond with the beard on the right side may be a self portrait.

He became court painter for Duke, later Grand Duke, Cosimo de Medici and did a lot of portraits.

Who and what is the subject of the one below is the object of much debate. It’s usually in the USA and I hadn’t seen it in person before.

The exhibition included a lot of his drawings which were great to see, not only because drawings are rarely exhibited but also because Pontormo’s talent is really obvious when looking at his drawings. This is thought to be a self-portrait. It belongs to the British Museum.

It was great to see the Visitation given pride of place in the exhibition. And no plexiglass in front.

Here’s a detail I missed when I saw it last year.

The painting is called the Visitation because it is believed to be the Virgin Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth when they are both pregnant with Jesus and John the Baptist, respectively. But the question of the other two female figures is a mystery. Is it another version of both women looking face forward? Are they maids? And now, who are those tiny male figures?

A detailed drawing shows the forward facing women looking very sad. And there’s no sign of the two male figures.

The Scuderie has some great views and if my vertigo had not kicked in, I would have taken a photo from the glass staircase. You could see a 180 degree view of Rome, but I took the elevator before I started to hyperventilate. Below is a less scary view out a window looking onto Piazza del Quirinale and the Presidential Palace.

After the Pontormo exhibition, I went for a stroll.

I spent much of the afternoon at Borromini’s San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane or San Carlino as it is also known.

Trying to sketch the exterior is a challenge because the streets are so narrow and there is almost no sidewalk.

This was the best I could manage.

Inside I had somewhere to sit but I found my proportions and shapes were off. After an hour and two attempts, I gave up.

I looked in the crypt of the church where I had not been before. It was mostly advertising for the Trinitarian Order, the order that owns the church.

The staircase was a tight twist with no hand rails. It was hard to go down and even harder to go up.

It now costs 2 Euros to go into the church—well worth it at 10 times the price.