Yesterday and Today
Okay, so the WiFi in the new hotel has been incredibly spotty so I might not be able to add photos for a few days, but my mom has been asking for an update (here you go, ma).
Yesterday: It was our last day in Rome and we intended to spend it in a town called Tivoli. It's meant to be rich with gardens and stuff. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain so we had to completely scrap our plans since we'd be outside all day. Since the Barberini stop on the metro was closed, Steve took us in cabs to the Barberini Palace, which was once the home for a pope's family (Pope Urban VIII) but has transformed into a museum.
The first work of art was the Annunciation with the Two Donors by Lippi. Now, a fun fact about the artist Lippi. This guy was a monk who was in charge of a convent. Monks as well as nuns take strict vows of chastity; however, Lippi ended up fathering a child of a nun. The Medici family, a rich powerful family from Back In The DayTM, bailed them out and gave that child a legitimate life because that would have ruined everything for that kid. The Medici family did that because they were patrons of Lippi. Wouldn't you know it, but Lippi fathered another kid and the Medici family bailed them out again. Honestly, I think Lippi & Nun should have just gotten married because it's kind of ridiculous but whatever.
This work of art is stunning; the colors and details that can be seen in person are unbelievable. There are things that just would never show up in a reproduction of the work of art. This was painted shortly after the Byzantine era, so there isn't a use of a gold background (gold background equals mystical events). It shows Mary as the Queen of Heaven, but she's still human, which is a part of Humanism.
Another work of art we checked out was The Baker's Daughter by Raphael. About Raphael: he definitely did not live a very chaste life and the baker's daughter was one of his mistresses while he was married. So this portrait, which may have either been done for himself or for her husband, is very weird because she is wearing an arm band with Raphael's name on it. It's possible he is staking his claim on her. It's not my favorite work of art, but I've included a detail of the painting (or at least I will when the WiFi finally works) and the sheer fabric Raphael included is done so masterfully. He might have sucked as a person but his art was decent.
A painting I enjoyed seeing was the Portrait of King Henry VIII. That's right, kids. The King of England, Henry. The guy that just like, killed a bunch of his wives and created the church of England. I have a cactus named after him. I wasn't surprised when that cactus killed the plant which was in the same pot. RIP.
Okay, so one of the major works of art we checked out was Caravaggio's Judith & Holofernes. This is an Old Testament story (which isn't really accepted in the Christian Bible (or at least not the one that is a part of my quad)). So, the Syrians were really messing things up in Judith's home and the general of the Syrians, Holofernes, was just the worst. Judith, a very good girl, knew she had to get this dude out of the way. So she seduces him but instead of doing stuff, she just chops off his head. You'll need to remember this story for a major painting which we'll discuss later.
This specific depiction is gnarly and gross. It is one of the most vivid and brutal tellings of the story. Caravaggio may have been influenced by a public beheading that he may have seen.
I really loved seeing Caravaggio's Narcissus. The reflection is honestly just so lovely.
One work that we spent a lot of time on was the ceiling of the main ballroom called The Triumph of the Barberini. Think of the craftiness and realism of the Sistine Ceiling then think of it on steroids. I couldn't tell where the ceiling started and ended. It was by a dude named Cortona. Incredible.
Today: Today we left for Florence/Firenze. It was a 3 hour long train ride and I started getting motion sick toward the very end. We did a scavenger hunt around town and I finally had my big art feeling when I saw Bologna's Rape of the Sabines (again, rape=abduction). We'll talk about that when I've had class on it.
On our way back from dinner, I guess a politician was in Florence. Florence is a part of Communist Italy and this politician is a Faschist. I don't really understand a lot of the specifics. But there was a protest. It was kind of spooky to hear people shouting in unison, angry, in another language. I definitely ran home (I'm fine ma).
When I was taking regular courses at UVU, I didn't take a Renaissance class; during this study abroad, one of the courses I am taking is the Renaissance. A lot of art in Florence is from the Renaissance so I just don't know a lot about it. But quiz me all you want on Baroque, Non-Western, and 19th Century art and I might know things. I'm really excited to learn more about this art!
Yesterday: It was our last day in Rome and we intended to spend it in a town called Tivoli. It's meant to be rich with gardens and stuff. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain so we had to completely scrap our plans since we'd be outside all day. Since the Barberini stop on the metro was closed, Steve took us in cabs to the Barberini Palace, which was once the home for a pope's family (Pope Urban VIII) but has transformed into a museum.
The first work of art was the Annunciation with the Two Donors by Lippi. Now, a fun fact about the artist Lippi. This guy was a monk who was in charge of a convent. Monks as well as nuns take strict vows of chastity; however, Lippi ended up fathering a child of a nun. The Medici family, a rich powerful family from Back In The DayTM, bailed them out and gave that child a legitimate life because that would have ruined everything for that kid. The Medici family did that because they were patrons of Lippi. Wouldn't you know it, but Lippi fathered another kid and the Medici family bailed them out again. Honestly, I think Lippi & Nun should have just gotten married because it's kind of ridiculous but whatever.
This work of art is stunning; the colors and details that can be seen in person are unbelievable. There are things that just would never show up in a reproduction of the work of art. This was painted shortly after the Byzantine era, so there isn't a use of a gold background (gold background equals mystical events). It shows Mary as the Queen of Heaven, but she's still human, which is a part of Humanism.
Another work of art we checked out was The Baker's Daughter by Raphael. About Raphael: he definitely did not live a very chaste life and the baker's daughter was one of his mistresses while he was married. So this portrait, which may have either been done for himself or for her husband, is very weird because she is wearing an arm band with Raphael's name on it. It's possible he is staking his claim on her. It's not my favorite work of art, but I've included a detail of the painting (or at least I will when the WiFi finally works) and the sheer fabric Raphael included is done so masterfully. He might have sucked as a person but his art was decent.
A painting I enjoyed seeing was the Portrait of King Henry VIII. That's right, kids. The King of England, Henry. The guy that just like, killed a bunch of his wives and created the church of England. I have a cactus named after him. I wasn't surprised when that cactus killed the plant which was in the same pot. RIP.
Okay, so one of the major works of art we checked out was Caravaggio's Judith & Holofernes. This is an Old Testament story (which isn't really accepted in the Christian Bible (or at least not the one that is a part of my quad)). So, the Syrians were really messing things up in Judith's home and the general of the Syrians, Holofernes, was just the worst. Judith, a very good girl, knew she had to get this dude out of the way. So she seduces him but instead of doing stuff, she just chops off his head. You'll need to remember this story for a major painting which we'll discuss later.
This specific depiction is gnarly and gross. It is one of the most vivid and brutal tellings of the story. Caravaggio may have been influenced by a public beheading that he may have seen.
I really loved seeing Caravaggio's Narcissus. The reflection is honestly just so lovely.
One work that we spent a lot of time on was the ceiling of the main ballroom called The Triumph of the Barberini. Think of the craftiness and realism of the Sistine Ceiling then think of it on steroids. I couldn't tell where the ceiling started and ended. It was by a dude named Cortona. Incredible.
Today: Today we left for Florence/Firenze. It was a 3 hour long train ride and I started getting motion sick toward the very end. We did a scavenger hunt around town and I finally had my big art feeling when I saw Bologna's Rape of the Sabines (again, rape=abduction). We'll talk about that when I've had class on it.
On our way back from dinner, I guess a politician was in Florence. Florence is a part of Communist Italy and this politician is a Faschist. I don't really understand a lot of the specifics. But there was a protest. It was kind of spooky to hear people shouting in unison, angry, in another language. I definitely ran home (I'm fine ma).
When I was taking regular courses at UVU, I didn't take a Renaissance class; during this study abroad, one of the courses I am taking is the Renaissance. A lot of art in Florence is from the Renaissance so I just don't know a lot about it. But quiz me all you want on Baroque, Non-Western, and 19th Century art and I might know things. I'm really excited to learn more about this art!
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