Here in Florence, and perhaps all of Italia, people express their dissatisfactions with life’s situations by way of a manifestazione. It is not uncommon to see parades of banner-carrying and flag-waving citizens and even stranieri (foreigners) marching through the streets of the historical center of Florence in protest of one thing or another.
Right now, for example, i madonnari are only allowed to paint art in the streets under the laws of holding a manifestazione. (The Comune has not renewed the permits for the street painters since the first of December. Therefore, we can only work together under protest in a small space on a joint project.) I have written in the past about some of these peaceful protests and have participated in several on behalf of the madonnari. I want to stand with my fellow artists to educate and to express how vital art is to each and every life. So far, le manifestazione of the street painters of Florence have been ineffective with the Comune (City Hall).
Another march that I photographed and wrote about on this blog had to do with the economy, especially the local farmers. Olive oil, wines, and many other types of food that are grown or raised in Tuscany are a major source of income (and joy) for many Italians. The manifestazione that I saw was to raise awareness of the public to “buy locally” since taxes on these products had gone up substantially and the farmers needed the support.
Last Saturday, there was a march around the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and Piazza della Repubblica to protest the horrible bombings in Palestine that have killed and wounded far too many people.
I have been told in the past “Go back to making pretty pictures; your opinion does not count. As an artist, what could you possibly understand about politics?” One almost becomes accustomed to being considered a freak by non-artists, but last time I checked, I was still a socially responsible human being.
Artists should be allowed - and even expected - to have an opinion on these topics as much as dentists, bus drivers, politicians, and students. Maybe even moreso because of what we really do, which is NOT simply making pretty pictures. We are all part of the human race, strange as some of us are at times.
I must admit that since living in Italy, I have developed for the first time friendships with people who live at the heart of this Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And on both sides of it. I am still ignorant of so much. It does not help that since the age of ten I have believed that everything is true. It was the only thing that made sense to me then, as it still does now.
I do not like violence. I am not sure many people would claim that they do like violence, but some see it as a necessary evil. I cannot make myself go that far. I cannot help thinking that the bottom line is that this particular situation has not been resolved yet and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Violence and hatred have surrounded this area for too many years. Is it not logical to be looking for another way?
However, this is an art blog and my point really is that art examines who we are. Not all art is political (thank goodness!), but art has a purpose and that would be to move us emotionally. We document our feelings, our actions, and our hopes. Art and artists can change the world.
I include here some images of last Saturday’s manifestazione. I did not take them, but was given them by a friend. This peaceful march throughout Florence centro includes some paintings that are pretty intense.
In the first photo, the banner reads “La verità è l primo pilastro della pace.” (The truth is the first pillar of peace.”
In the painting on the right of the third photo, the text reads “un film americano lungo quando finisce?” (‘A long American film [this bombing of Gaza in the name of Israel]. When will it end?’) I was actually told in the time shortly after the bombings that President Bush did this to help President-elect Obama. Was that sarcasm? I am still trying to figure a lot of things out.
