The Bargello, Venice, and the Lovers' City

The Bargello is a smaller museum in Florence, but the sculpture it holds is internationally renown. Inside are works from Michelangelo, Donatello, and Ghiberti, but perhaps my favorite were from Mannerist artist Giambologna. Giambologna was a Flemish sculptor known for dynamic, unconventional poses with multiple figures. He worked and thrived in Florence where a number of his works are scattered throughout the city, not only in this museum but also in the Piazza Signoria, where I went for a previous Sketchbook course. (Unknowingly at the time I also focused on work from the same artist). When studying Mannerist art at home I was admittedly indifferent to the awkward, tension filled paintings and sculpture, but seeing it in person I find myself drawn to it, and it makes me want to work on the figure a lot more and really explore the attributes of the movement in my own work (I am finding inspiration from way too many things here! It's hard to focus on one idea). 

Venice was one of the top places to visit on my trip to Italy, and although it was cold and rainy, I still really enjoyed my time there. The cathedral there is much different in comparison with the others I've seen in Italy; it is filled with Byzantine murals decorated with the typical gold leaf of the time, making the church look very lavish (which is interesting considering the church there emphasized turning away from material wealth). The canals run through the entire city, with light colored water reminiscent of the Caribbean, with gondolas and small motorboats taking the place of cars in this city. 

We came at a very exciting time in Florence as it was the Bienalle here, with many galleries showing contemporary artists from around the world. My favorite was from photo realist painter Tong Honsheng. This mural covered a wall more than 20 feet long, and it was by far one of the most inspiring works of art I have seen since I got here.. or ever. Its vivid, warm colors, and astounding attention to detail, I felt instantly calm, and lighter when looking at this piece. It felt as though I could walk right into the painting and become part of the scene. I could've looked at it for hours and had a really hard time walking away from it, but we really didn't have much time in Venice and there was a lot to see!

We spent the night in Padua, which was a smaller college city. We got there late and left early in the morning so there wasn't much time to go out and explore. We headed to Verona, where I got to see my friend Heidi from home! She studied in England and met Fabio, the love of her life, and is visiting him here in Verona. (The sweetest story ever!) They took some of my friends and I around the city. We got to see the Montague house from the story of Romeo and Juliet, with Juliet's balcony! It was filled with tourists, but still adorable. There was a cast iron fence with thousands of locks on it, placed there by couples to symbolize their love. (Italy is seriously the most romantic place on earth!) My friend and I decided to put a lock on the gate. My camera died, and Heidi is a photographer so she was nice enough to send some of her images my way to share :)

The Balcony

 Me climbing up the gate to put our lock on! (One of my favorite pictures from Italy so far)

The Lovers' Locks <3

Statue of Giulietta

Other pictures of Verona that I loved

The Arena 

Heidi and I on the Ponte Pietra

View from the hill

After leaving Verona, we went to a winery in Valpolicella for a wine tasting. We learned how the wine is made, and the proper way to experience the wine. Needless to say we all fell asleep easily on the bus on the way home! I loved Venice and Verona, and being that we didn't have a lot of time there I would really love to go back again. 

Best Monday Ever: Studio of Alessandro Nocentini

Monday for one of my courses we went out to Chiesanuova, a small town in Tuscany, to visit and have a workshop at the house of working artist Alessandro Nocentini. This was by far one of the coolest things I have had the opportunity to do since coming to Italy, and it was so great that I decided to post solely on this.  My Florence Sketchbook course keeps getting better and better! He lives on a farm with his family and fig and grape trees for as long as the eye can see, and I immediately fell in love with the idea of this kind of life. 

View from the studio:

Upon arriving at the workshop, we were introduced to Alessandro and brought up to his attic where his painting/drawing studio is.. This room was absolutely incredible, and the view of the countryside was even better. We got to work on drawings and watercolor of his favorite subjects, fish. This sounds gross but it was actually really interesting, and a concept that I am revisiting in my prints. The fish and squid were so colorful that they make for very vibrant watercolor sketches. 

Isabella, Alessandro, and Rosanna, my professor. She's the best!!

Class sketches (Mine is the second squid in the second row)

Watercolor (Mine is the one on the bottom right)

After the workshop Alessandro made us a three course lunch (!!!) complete with wine that he makes himself from his farm. We had sandwiches, pasta, and salad, and it was all delicious, of course.

After lunch, Alessandro brought me to check out his printmaking studio, which was really exciting. I am hoping that when I get myself established (after graduating and hopefully getting a real job) that I can get a grant to get my own press and materials for a studio. This is not the first print studio I have seen and being able to go to more of them makes it seem much more achievable to me. One thing I found that was unique to Alessandro's process was that instead of using acid for etchings as we typically do, he used enamel on aluminum plates in order to etch lines. This seems a much cheaper, quicker, and safer route than our process at school. I would need to see the process in order to really understand how it works but it's something I would like to experiment with on my own, as the overall affect is much similar. 

More succulents, I just love these plants. 

My class, with Alessandro. 

I find the way Rosanna really uses the resources in the community around Firenze in her curriculum to be really fresh and inspiring for my own teaching, as it gets us out of the classroom and allows us to get the most out of our experience here.. I will take this idea and attempt to use it in my own teaching when I get home. I couldn't be more grateful for this experience, and I'm excited to see what the rest of the semester will bring! Alessandro invited our class to come back to see the pressing of the grapes for his wines, which I definitely plan on doing, and is having an exhibition of his work on December 6th. I can't wait to see more of his work! 

For my seminar on Michelangelo, I had to give a 20 minute presentation on the Vatican Pieta last week. We went to the Bargello museum today and each had to introduce one of his works to the class. I was grateful for the speeches we had to give for the Shinn Fund before I left as I felt a lot more comfortable speaking in front of my class. The museum is really interesting, and I actually have to go back tomorrow to do drawings for my sketchbook course, so I will write more about it when I have had time to really observe the work. Then off to Venice, Padova, and Verona for the weekend with API! I'm very excited about this as there is a Leonardo exhibit in Venice with his drawings and sketches. I will write more about it next week! Ciao!

Giardino di Rose, Capri, Pompeii

It is chilly and raining, unlike any other day in Florence, making the perfect day to catch up on homework and blog writing. It's been  awhile since I wrote last so I'll just talk about some of the highlights.

Monday in my sketchbook course we went up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which has gorgeous views of the city, and then to do some watercolor paintings in the Giardino di Rose. It was my first time using watercolor, so it wasn't the most successful, but the garden is breathtaking! I'll have to go there again to take more pictures but here are a few anyway, including a quick sketch.

The rest of the week wasn't too eventful, however the UCI Road Race did their annual tour through Toscana. Cyclists from all over the world came to compete in the race, going through neighboring towns and ending in Firenze. While I had classes throughout the week I did manage to see some of the race, that ended a few miles from my apartment. The Women's US team came in first place during the time trials!! Go USA!!

This past weekend I traveled out of Firenze for the first time alone, to Naples to visit my friend Lauren who had come to visit me in Firenze earlier this month. Traveling alone was kind of a nightmare but when I finally did get to Pompeii it was well worth it.. We went to Sorrento to catch the Ferry to Capri, which is probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life. We immediately got on a smaller boat that toured the whole island, where we got to see the houses of famous fashion designers Giorgio Armani and Sophia Loren, and got to go inside of the famous Grotta Azzurra! The pictures came out horrible but I did get to take a video. 

The Grotta Verde

The next morning we went to Pompeii, which was a much different experience. The air was filled with an uneasiness, an emptiness, still bearing the weight of the city that was no longer habituated. Seeing the bodies preserved in the ashes was overwhelming to say the least. I saw the body of a child who couldn't have been more than two, and it wasn't until that moment that the totality of it really hit me. While the ruins were not as vibrant as Capri, they still held a lot of energy, and it irked me long after I left.