The Madonna’s of the Uffizi Gallery lecture with Emily Fenichel, Ph.D.
It would be difficult to overestimate the Virgin Mary’s importance in Renaissance Florence, a city that claimed her as a protector and built a cathedral in her honor. Indeed, from civic governance to childbirth, the Madonna was present in almost every aspect of a Florentine’s life. Needless to say, Mary was also a favorite subject of Renaissance artists. Join us on a tour of the most famous and loveliest Madonnas of the Uffizi. Dr. Fenichel investigates what they tell us about the art, artists, and theology of the period.
Dr. Emily Fenichel is an Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University. She earned her PhD from the University of Virginia and her dissertation considered Michelangelo’s images of the Virgin Mary in light of their iconographic ingenuity and their religious context. Currently, she is working on several projects, including a book on Michelangelo’s late period. More generally, her research examines the influence of theology, liturgy, and devotion on the art of the Early Modern Period in Italy.