Sometimes I wish college would never end. Most people share the same desire. My reasoning behind this wish however, differs from the norm. I love class. I honestly, truly enjoy going to class every day. I always have. Go ahead and get the nerd jokes out of your system. I will gladly accept them! The reason I say this is because I am thoroughly enjoying my Renaissance history and art class. We met this morning at 8am and discussed Florence. We only cracked the surface, but I’m so intrigued by the Medici Family and the history of the five major Italian powers (Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence & Naples/Sicily). It is incredible to learn so much about the history and politics of a different country with such ancient beginnings. I love American history, but Italian history seems so impressive, beautiful, shocking, fascinating, dense, deep-rooted…. I’m enthralled. Being the proud nerd I am, I am excited for tomorrow’s lecture. I’m actually doing homework, not because it’s necessary, but because I genuinely want to know more.
Then there is the ancient Italian art. As if the pictures in the textbook aren’t breathtaking enough, I am going to get to see the masterpieces up close and personal in real life. I don’t mean to make you jealous; I’m just extremely excited! I am pumped to be learning about Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art styles. It’s particularly interesting to tie the artistic styles in with the philosophies and religious beliefs of each time period. For example, Gothic art/architecture derived during the medieval period. The medieval period overlaps with the Age of Faith and can be associated with Dante’s Divine Comedy and Christian philosophers such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine. Point being- the medieval period in Italy revolved around church and society, but what I did not know was that the Gothic architecture tied into the period in the same way. The churches and buildings have high points and pointed arches directing upwards. By crafting every point upward it was a way of reminding society of the importance of God in every element of life. I may be rambling about things you already know, if so, I apologize, but I cannot hide my fascination.
It’s also been really neat to study famous Italian artists like Giotto, Michelangelo, Verrocchio, Da Vinci, and Donatello. Every painting, statue, and building is absolutely awesome. I know, I know, you get it already; I’m clearly obsessed with the art here. I will try to tone down my excitement. No promises though. The intricacy and detail are spectacular in every piece of Italian artwork. I blogged earlier about how cool it was to see so many murals on the outside of buildings. The craziest part was how meticulous the murals were. It’s like Italians have such a fine appreciation for detail that they will paint/sculpt/craft art until they’ve reached realistic perfection. Even if it’s a mural on a wall whose fate is to be entirely weathered or torn down, the artists still give it their all!
Enough mumbo-jumbo on art and class. I could go on all day (obviously).
Tonight we are going out on the town and then meeting up with Martin to go wine tasting. I’m excited. This night will be fun, I can already tell. It is snowing here in Verona so that should make the event interesting, but won’t hinder the group! We’re ready to go!
Hopefully I’ll upload more pictures for you all soon and I’ll have enough time to blog more. It’s honestly hard to find the time to dedicate to this. Blogging is most definitely a full time job! On that note, since most posts are written in a hurry, I apologize for grammatical error. I’m writing in a stream-of-consciousness manner so it’s bound to happen. I can barely even form sentences aloud sometimes (isn’t that right Kenimer?). Anyway, have a beautiful day friends!
…Ciao!
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