THE ARTS

A street artist's dilemma: Albert Xhelili's conflict between commercialism and artistic expression

The city-center of Florence has historically been a gathering place for artists, and it is no different today.

Artists and musicians can be found each summer night in the Piazza della Repubblica.

The Piazza della Repubblica is still a gathering place for artists of all kinds. At night, the outer edge of the piazza, opposite the Triumphal Arch, is lined with artists selling their paintings and drawings of the Florentine cityscape, the Tuscan countryside, caricatures and portraits.

Albert Xhelili, an Albanian who has lived in Florence for 10 years, is one of these artists. Xhelili can be found sketching portraits of tourists at the Piazza della Repubblica. His price? "Whatever you want."

Xhelili said he works to capture the essence and character of his subject in his art, paying close attention to every detail. As his pencil moves across the paper, the portrait begins to take shape. The smile appears, then the sparkle in the eyes and the shine of the hair. Then, after more than an hour, his work was complete. He stands up, sighs and motions his subject to look at the finished product.

"I love my work," he said as tourist admired her new portrait. "The maximum expression for love is art."

As he took a drag of his cigarette, Xhelili began to explain the problems artists face today. He explained that most art is commercial now, and that schools and teachers restrict the creativity and expression of artists. He said that teachers do not allow students to explore art and find their own style, but are still willing to take the student's money for classes.

"We have no more freedom," he said. "The people have too much instruction. There is too much criticism."
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Piazza della Repubblica

THE ARTS

To new life: transformation of Piazza della Repubblica

Upon entering the Piazza della Repubblica, it is the Triumphal Arch, or Arcone, that immediately draws the eye, with its bold proclamation: "L'antico della città; Da secolare squallore; A vita nuova restituito." Roughly translated, the inscription heralds the square as "the ancient center of the city; restored from age-old squalor to new life."

The inscription signals to visitors that they are experiencing something new in the Renaissance city of Florence. Relative to its surroundings, the current piazza is very young. "The ancient center of the city" was renamed the Piazza della Repubblica after a major makeover in the 1880s and 1890s.

Like the rest of Florence, the piazza has a long and storied history. In contrast to large parts of the city, the area on which the piazza now sits has been completely rebuilt, more than once, wiping away nearly 1,000 years of history and tradition. read more>>

Take a ride on the Picci Family carousel, a fixture in Piazza della Repubblica for years!