Sitting on the Steps of the Duomo
Original oil painting by Matthew Holden Bates
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Sitting on the Steps of the Duomo — oil on canvas by Matthew Holden Bates
Florence, Italy
Original painting available / Prints available
About this painting
This painting depicts a group of young people sitting on the steps of Florence Cathedral, gathered in one of the most recognizable public spaces in the city. The scene captures the everyday life of Piazza del Duomo, where history, architecture, travel, youth, and memory all meet in the open air.
Like many of my cityscape paintings, this work began with direct observation and photography, then developed slowly in the studio through drawing, composition, and layers of oil paint. Over time, the figures in the painting began to suggest their own stories, as if the canvas itself were asking what had brought each person to that moment.
The Novel Inspired by the Painting
Sitting on the Steps of the Duomo also became the inspiration for a novel of the same name. After spending years with the painting, I began to imagine the inner lives of the people seated on the cathedral steps. The painting became more than an image of Florence; it became the beginning of a story.
The novel follows Claire Keenly, a young British woman who comes to Florence to study drawing and painting. Set during a semester abroad, the story explores art, self-discovery, friendship, love, and the strange way a city can change the direction of a life.
In the final movement of the novel, the world of the story and the world of the painting come together, revealing how one moment in Piazza del Duomo became both a work of art and a work of fiction.