Touch of Italy

FLORENCE, Italy - Thomas Patch was 22 years old when he first came to Italy in the 18th century. He was finishing his last year as a medical student in England, and to complete his education, he embarked on the Grand Tour to travel throughout Europe. It was his time in Rome that proved to be life changing.

He abandoned his studies to become a painter, only leaving the city at the order of the Court of the Holy Inquisition. At that point, he found himself in Florence among the growing colony of international artists.

Patch - along with many other artists from that era - has been forgotten by history.

It was a donation by Syracuse University in Florence (SUF) for a restoration of a Patch painting that prompted a newfound interest in the painter and the time period in which he worked.

Previously, little research has been conducted concerning the Grand Tour's affect on Florentine culture; however, the first Patch exhibit is said to be an anteprima for a larger show in 2010, said Barbara Deimling, SUF director.

"Our small contribution shed light on a larger research project," Deimling said.

The exhibit is titled, "Un Inglese in Oltrarno. Omaggio a Thomas Patch (1725-1782)," or "An Englishman across the Arno: A Tribute to Thomas Patch." It includes just four of Patch's paintings.

SUF's donation financed the restoration of the painting, "l'Eruzione del Vesuvio dall'Atrio del Cavallo," or in English, "View from the Atrio del Vacallo of the Eruption of Vesuvius."

It is one of three works in the exhibit depicting the October 1767 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, a popular subject of paintings from Patch's era. It is currently on display in the Sala Bianca of the Galleria Palatina within Florence's Palazzo Pitti.

SUF tries not to spend money on anything that does not directly benefit the students, Deimling said, acknowledging the seemingly arbitrary donation of money.

"We wanted to leave a tangible sign of gratefulness and dedication to Florence," she said. "Florence has supported SU students in their city and museums for over 50 years."

This support has opened up new fields of study for SUF students through real life application, Deimling said, adding that this same support is what allowed Patch to come to Italy and completely change the ideas he held about his future.

"It is important for students to understand that they are in a long tradition of students who study here with the opportunity of a different life," she said.

Elizabeth Butler represents a more recent example than Thomas Patch.

She spent a semester at SUF in the fall of 1997. As an SU student, class of '99, she was studying communications and women's studies when the allure of studying abroad brought her to Florence. After taking a class with SUF professor Sara Matthews-Grieco on Women and Art, she fell in love with art history.

"Being here, seeing things in real life and working around them inspired me," she said.

Although she did not change her undergraduate focus, she returned to SU to earn her master's degree in art history, which allowed her to return to SUF.

"I came back because of the experience, to do more research, to live and just be part of the program," Butler said.

She completed her master's in 2005, and is now a teaching assistant at SUF, which allows her to complete some personal research.

Within SUF's current student body, students like Rob Buesing take advantage of the new opportunities that Florence, and more specifically SUF, offers them even without a studio arts or art history major.

A junior at Williams College, Buesing studies mathematics and economics, although his current course schedule sends a different message. At SUF, he is enrolled in introductory metalsmithing and photography courses, in addition to art history and Italian.

"I wanted to do something completely different," Buesing said. "There are not a lot of math and econ options here, so I figured I'd take what Italy's known for."

Admittedly outside of his comfort zone, Buesing said if anything, the classes have thus far given him a new outlook on the art world.

"I have a changed perspective of people who do art and what they go through, how much time they spent," he said. "I've definitely gotten some insight."

This insight is that Deimling, the SUF director, hopes more students will gain from the potential research being started on Patch and his contemporaries.

Before the larger Patch exhibit opens in 2010, Deimling hopes that students will be able to gain hands-on experience through classes and internships in a joint venture with the Galleria Palatina.

Research needs to be done on the 18th century before an exact date for a future show can be announced, said Dr. Cristina Acidini, superintendent of the Polo Museale Fiorentino.

The work that SUF helped to restore holds its own small mystery. Originally attributed to engraver Giuseppe Bracci da Pisa, it can only now tentatively be listed as a work of Patch.

Two of the paintings in the exhibit are smaller depictions of the Vesuvius Eruption, "l'Eruzione del Vesuvio del 1767 vista dal mare" and "l'Eruzione del Vesuvio del 1767 vista da terra." The former is a view from the sea and the latter from the land. Both show the glowing lava as it lights up the landscape and plumes of smoke climbing into the sky with a clear view of the city of Naples.

In the foreground of the paintings, onlookers watch in awe at the approaching lava.

"L'Eruzione del Vesuvio dall'Atrio del Cavallo," the slightly larger work that SUF restored, is thought to be a close-up of "l'Eruzione del Vesuvio del 1767 vista dal mare."

The pattern of lava flow and the viewpoint of the volcano are strikingly similar, suggesting the work of the same artist. More tests need to be completed before a finite decision is made, according to information provided by the exhibition curator, Fausta Navarro.

"La Loggia degli Uffizi e il Ponte alle Grazie dal molo di Santa Maria Soprarno" is the largest work in the show and depicts a unique view of the Arno, the river that runs through Florence.

This viewpoint distinguishes this painting from many of the others that were sold as souvenirs to tourists in the city at that time. Many of the key landmarks depicted in the painting were destroyed during World War II, including the landing stage of Santa Mari Soprarno and the Ponte alle Grazie.

However, the Loggia of the Uffizi Gallery and the tip of the tower from the Palazzo Vecchio, the former palace of the Medici family, are also clear in the painting, serving as landmarks in the modern day city.

Characters from theatrical fiction can be recognized in the foreground, a common element of Patch's work. The Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze lent the work to the museum for the exhibition.

"Florence is a city of the world," said Dr. Edoardo Speranza, president of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, at the opening of the exhibit. It is a cosmopolitan city that thrived on the contribution of foreigners during the 18th century, he said, as it continues to today.