Rene Magritte’s painting titled “Empire of Light” created in 1953-54; I saw it hanging in the Peggy Guggenheim gallery when we were in Venice. This was not a required place to visit, but we had a free day and the Guggenheim was one of the places that a majority of the class went to. I was lucky enough to wander into this gallery later in the day and there were not many people so I had a lot of these amazing works of art all to my self!
The piece of art that I choose was this painting called the “Empire of Light” it was a stunningly realistic painting showing a street scene; house, street light, tree and a little fence. The interesting thing about this picture is that the foreground was all dark as if it were night time, but the sky was a brilliant, glowing blue with perfect little clouds scattered throughout the sky. This created a spectacular contrast between the dark foreground with everything so dark and quiet, and the background, which seemed so real that it might start moving if you watched it long enough.
I’m not completely sure why this image appealed to me so very much, but its contrast between night time and day time, light and dark, stillness and movement its so strong that its hard to look at any other picture in the room. It sucks you in right away, from clear across the room. Had these two different times of day not been combined into one, the image would have been very boring and typical. I think that’s what makes it so interesting when they are combined; it’s this image of a clean neat little house, showing what seemed to be the perfect neighborhood. It’s the classic image of a suburban home, but thrown into confusion by putting it in this state of both night and day at the same time.
The framing and position of the subject and its accoutrements has been carefully placed, just so that it feels so everyday and normal, an image you would expect to see in almost every neighborhood in America. It makes you wonder why the artist made the house and surrounding area in night and the sky in day, why not the other way around? Maybe its purpose is to make you think twice about how normal and safe this home looks, and maybe wonder if it really is. What’s just inside that window? What goes on in this neighborhood? The sky remains blue, clear and clean showing its purity, the sky is just there, nothing sinister or unknown about it. This seems almost as if its pointing out the purity and innocence of nature versus the dark and often damaging nature of people and our habitats.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Vatican Museum
Well as you know from my previous posts, I went to Rome in the last few days and spent all my time either in galleries or seeing amazing sights. One of the places that I went that I was most excited about was the Vatican Museum and all the sights in the Vatican City area. We set out early in the morning so that we could have as much time in the gallery as possible, and maybe try to beat the line and get through before it was a million degrees out. We were actually able to get our entire group out of the hotel, get there, and make in through the whole line in very good time, so before I knew it I was already in the gallery and prepared for a day packed full of art! I was immediately met with hieroglyphics and a real, perfectly preserved mummy! Way to start off the day! As you worked through the gallery it jumps around to various time periods, art styles, mediums and artists so you are almost always surprised by what you are met with in the very next room. This inconsistency helped to keep you on your toes and helps to keep you from zoning out as you moved from room to room.
The gallery was absolutely huge; I could not believe the size of it! It was originally built as a palace for the popes of the renaissance time, many additions have been made since it was originally built, it was first many buildings that were later connected and turned into a gallery for the many pieces of art that the various popes had collected over centuries.
They had work from every famous artist that you could imagine, I saw works of art that I never thought I would ever be able to see outside of an art text book or in my art history classes. Almost like a kid in a candy store I ran around with my camera snapping shot after shot of the various famous works of art, along with the many others that I had never heard of but they still amazed me nonetheless.
Of all the things in the gallery the one thing that I was very disappointed with was just the atmosphere of the space itself, it was packed full of people who were all snapping there camera, yelling to their friends, and herding though in large obnoxious tour groups. I felt that had it been quieter and less busy my experience would have been even more amazing! It was especially apparent when I was in the Sistine chapel, upon walking in you are immediately bombarded with people, flashes and yelling. Because the Sistine chapel is so well known it is especially popular and people spend much more time packed into this little room looking up and trying to sneak pictures.
Quick side note on cameras and such, with the help of a few I have finally figured out why exactly cameras are banned from a lot of these attractions. First of all the flash of a camera can deteriorate the fragile material of these pieces of art that they try so very hard to preserve. I knew that from the beginning, but the issue I had with it, is why then can you not take a picture of the David… he is made of marble, flash will not hurt that. Apparently they use to allow cameras in the area that they had the David, and it was a mess I guess, people were not looking at the sculpture, and they were instead more concerned with taking pictures of themselves posing with it. I’d image it would be rather difficult to have a nice unobstructed view if there are twelve people in front of you posing and pushing for a close up picture.
OK back to the Sistine Chapel, they did not allow flash or pictures in general, so people who really wanted pictures had to sneak them from inside their bag or something of that sort. Many were not being so discreet about taking these pictures, about every few minutes you would see a flash and this would be immediately followed by the yell of a guard, “No Photo!” I was very excited about chapel and I could not wait to see it, but when I walked into the room I was instantly filled with disappointment, this was not the amazing colorful room that I had seen in textbooks.
Leaving that I was frustrated with the mass of people and very disappointed with the chapel’s failure to meet all my expectations. I filed through the rest of the gallery and made my way to St. Peters Basilica expecting it to be just as full of people and frustrating as the rest. Upon walking into the basilica I stopped in awe, this was far better, bigger and more amazing than any picture I had ever seen of it. There we just as many people as I expected but since it was so huge, they were spread out and it was quite easy to maneuver around people or snap a picture that is not blocked by a huge crowd of people.
The architecture was absolutely amazing! I could not believe that this was built without modern day construction equipment. The part of the architecture that appealed most to me was the complex and impressive arches that completely lined the ceiling. We have seen that same style of arch systems all over Italy in all the different chapels and basilicas, but these stood out so much more to me. The style of arches that I’m speaking of is where six smaller arches intersect in the center to create a structure that is as strong as possible. I loved this! The basilica was one of my favorite places that I have gone to this entire time, it was just so huge and amazing! Still right now thinkning about it I cant get over the size and how it had so much going on decoration-wise but at the same time it was not cluttered or too much to look at. It was perfect!
The gallery was absolutely huge; I could not believe the size of it! It was originally built as a palace for the popes of the renaissance time, many additions have been made since it was originally built, it was first many buildings that were later connected and turned into a gallery for the many pieces of art that the various popes had collected over centuries.
They had work from every famous artist that you could imagine, I saw works of art that I never thought I would ever be able to see outside of an art text book or in my art history classes. Almost like a kid in a candy store I ran around with my camera snapping shot after shot of the various famous works of art, along with the many others that I had never heard of but they still amazed me nonetheless.
Of all the things in the gallery the one thing that I was very disappointed with was just the atmosphere of the space itself, it was packed full of people who were all snapping there camera, yelling to their friends, and herding though in large obnoxious tour groups. I felt that had it been quieter and less busy my experience would have been even more amazing! It was especially apparent when I was in the Sistine chapel, upon walking in you are immediately bombarded with people, flashes and yelling. Because the Sistine chapel is so well known it is especially popular and people spend much more time packed into this little room looking up and trying to sneak pictures.
Quick side note on cameras and such, with the help of a few I have finally figured out why exactly cameras are banned from a lot of these attractions. First of all the flash of a camera can deteriorate the fragile material of these pieces of art that they try so very hard to preserve. I knew that from the beginning, but the issue I had with it, is why then can you not take a picture of the David… he is made of marble, flash will not hurt that. Apparently they use to allow cameras in the area that they had the David, and it was a mess I guess, people were not looking at the sculpture, and they were instead more concerned with taking pictures of themselves posing with it. I’d image it would be rather difficult to have a nice unobstructed view if there are twelve people in front of you posing and pushing for a close up picture.
OK back to the Sistine Chapel, they did not allow flash or pictures in general, so people who really wanted pictures had to sneak them from inside their bag or something of that sort. Many were not being so discreet about taking these pictures, about every few minutes you would see a flash and this would be immediately followed by the yell of a guard, “No Photo!” I was very excited about chapel and I could not wait to see it, but when I walked into the room I was instantly filled with disappointment, this was not the amazing colorful room that I had seen in textbooks.
Leaving that I was frustrated with the mass of people and very disappointed with the chapel’s failure to meet all my expectations. I filed through the rest of the gallery and made my way to St. Peters Basilica expecting it to be just as full of people and frustrating as the rest. Upon walking into the basilica I stopped in awe, this was far better, bigger and more amazing than any picture I had ever seen of it. There we just as many people as I expected but since it was so huge, they were spread out and it was quite easy to maneuver around people or snap a picture that is not blocked by a huge crowd of people.
The architecture was absolutely amazing! I could not believe that this was built without modern day construction equipment. The part of the architecture that appealed most to me was the complex and impressive arches that completely lined the ceiling. We have seen that same style of arch systems all over Italy in all the different chapels and basilicas, but these stood out so much more to me. The style of arches that I’m speaking of is where six smaller arches intersect in the center to create a structure that is as strong as possible. I loved this! The basilica was one of my favorite places that I have gone to this entire time, it was just so huge and amazing! Still right now thinkning about it I cant get over the size and how it had so much going on decoration-wise but at the same time it was not cluttered or too much to look at. It was perfect!
pictures
i put up new pictures in my THIRD flickr account, if you notice the names are all different, there is steviwonderful, stevi.sayer and stevi.sayler2 so check them all out!
Text Reading
For one of my last required posts, I had a text that I had to read and now I guess I talk about it! This was a very interesting article called “Architecturally Speaking Practices of Art, Architecture and the Everyday” we read the third chapter entitled “Getting lost and the localized mind”. The article addressed the idea that the act of getting lost is a very subjective thing and today in this society it is almost impossible to become really and truly lost. According to the text, there are various ways and degrees of becoming lost and then processed to define what it is to become lost. “Getting lost could mean being outside the limits, off track, cheated by the ambiguities of a place.” This can be a very uncomfortable thing for most people; they often stick to familiar places or make sure that they can identify their location on a sign or map. The article tells of how truly frightened people are of getting lost because it means they will then lack all the security and comfort that knowing how to get back to where they came from. One of the forms of getting lost is being forced to become oriented in a new environment when trying to live or navigate with our prior knowledge or friends. When doing this you are taken from an environment that you know and you have to learn how to get around, make friends and make many mistakes as you try to go about doing everyday things. This text relates directly to our situation here, we have had to learn an entirely different way of life, and make so many mistakes along the way to learn how to simply cope. Coping is almost all we could do, it seems that no matter how hard you try you will never truly fit in and be just like everyone else in this new culture. The question the text poses is, is it possible for a person who has moved into a new culture to ever really find one to belong to again? That question seems most relevant in my situation, I can always feel people’s eyes on me, they know that I am different from them and they judge me because I am a foreigner. It seems that I can’t get away from that stigma of the loud, ignorant American tourist.
This text was what we as a group based a lot of our ideas for our installation on, that feeling of being frustrated, uncomfortable and frightened in a new environment that is not that accepting of you. I sort of already addressed what the basic structure and idea behind the cube was, but not in great detail. We decided to share our feelings of being awkward and not feeling accepted by creating a structure that is awkward, in the way and not understood by those around it.
This text was what we as a group based a lot of our ideas for our installation on, that feeling of being frustrated, uncomfortable and frightened in a new environment that is not that accepting of you. I sort of already addressed what the basic structure and idea behind the cube was, but not in great detail. We decided to share our feelings of being awkward and not feeling accepted by creating a structure that is awkward, in the way and not understood by those around it.
Villa Borghese
The first place that we went to in Rome was the Villa Borghese; it was a very large villa that had been converted into a gallery for mostly renaissance art. It was completely surrounded by a huge sprawling garden full of statues by various famous artists such as Bernini. Every room had an impressive and colorful fresco on the ceiling and the walls were covered with paintings that I could easily recognize from my art history classes. The ground floor was reserved for sculptures while the second floor was all frescos, paintings and mosaics. The piece that stood out to me the very most I have to admit was not originally because of the artwork or the skill, but rather the subject that caught my attention. This was a beautifully dressed woman with her eyes fixed right on you, that seem to follow you where ever you go thought out the room. But the thing I notice first and had to let out a little giggle of joy for was a tiny baby unicorn sitting in her lap. This brought me more happiness than any famous piece of art ever could I'm afraid, it’s a BABY UNICORN! The subject matter is not a good reason to pick a painting to talk about, I know. But after looking further at this piece of art I began to like it more and more for aspects that I did not originally notice.
This painting was titled, “Lady with a Unicorn” painted by Raffaello it showed a very beautiful blond haired, pale skinned woman set in front of perfectly arranged architecture that framed her into the picture perfectly. Two columns on either side of her helped to frame the perfect blue sky around her head; this sky was almost the same stunning blue as her eyes. The color only occurred these two times, making it that much more stunning and attention grabbing. Another very stunning color that was used is a dark maroon that was used both on the very large puffy sleeves of her dress and on a jeweled pendant that hung around her neck. The folds and shifts in the material is done so perfectly, it looked so realistic and one thing that really amazed me was the fact that you could recognize that her dress was made of satin or something with an equal amount of sheen. I’m always so impressed when I see a painting have qualities that I thought could only be captured in a photograph or in life.
The color and shades of light and dark are balanced quite nicely between top and bottom and the two sides. The brilliant blue of the sky and her eyes balances the very attention grabbing color of the woman’s dress out. That creates a very nice effect that makes it easier on your eyes to look around the painting and it also makes it easier for the artists to control where you’re eyes will travel to next. Between the two sides, left and right, the painting is almost symmetrical, the only thing that is really different between the two sides is the fact that she holds the tiny unicorn in her lap on the left side. I feel that doing this makes your eye travel directly to that one thing that is different, the unicorn. He wants you to stop and to notice this little mythical creature and think about it and how it doesn’t really fit because it’s a completely made up animal, maybe there is a story behind it that we don’t know. You are forced to think about these things and to try to find the deeper meaning behind why there is a unicorn and where this woman may have gotten it.
I first picked this painting because of the subject matter and the fact that it is not common to see a mythical creature in renaissance art. Then after looking closer at the piece of art I was able to appreciate its much more subtle aspects that make it pleasing to look at and the true skill that went into creating such a true to life portrait of a woman.
This painting was titled, “Lady with a Unicorn” painted by Raffaello it showed a very beautiful blond haired, pale skinned woman set in front of perfectly arranged architecture that framed her into the picture perfectly. Two columns on either side of her helped to frame the perfect blue sky around her head; this sky was almost the same stunning blue as her eyes. The color only occurred these two times, making it that much more stunning and attention grabbing. Another very stunning color that was used is a dark maroon that was used both on the very large puffy sleeves of her dress and on a jeweled pendant that hung around her neck. The folds and shifts in the material is done so perfectly, it looked so realistic and one thing that really amazed me was the fact that you could recognize that her dress was made of satin or something with an equal amount of sheen. I’m always so impressed when I see a painting have qualities that I thought could only be captured in a photograph or in life.
The color and shades of light and dark are balanced quite nicely between top and bottom and the two sides. The brilliant blue of the sky and her eyes balances the very attention grabbing color of the woman’s dress out. That creates a very nice effect that makes it easier on your eyes to look around the painting and it also makes it easier for the artists to control where you’re eyes will travel to next. Between the two sides, left and right, the painting is almost symmetrical, the only thing that is really different between the two sides is the fact that she holds the tiny unicorn in her lap on the left side. I feel that doing this makes your eye travel directly to that one thing that is different, the unicorn. He wants you to stop and to notice this little mythical creature and think about it and how it doesn’t really fit because it’s a completely made up animal, maybe there is a story behind it that we don’t know. You are forced to think about these things and to try to find the deeper meaning behind why there is a unicorn and where this woman may have gotten it.
I first picked this painting because of the subject matter and the fact that it is not common to see a mythical creature in renaissance art. Then after looking closer at the piece of art I was able to appreciate its much more subtle aspects that make it pleasing to look at and the true skill that went into creating such a true to life portrait of a woman.
Monday, August 27, 2007
blogtime
well i said i would write a blog today, so here it is! i didnt find the time to write out my required ones yet, there will be four of them on the sites that we went in rome, a response to a really sweet reading we did and then a final post. so those are super fun things to look forward to! magical fun time for everyone!
i just finished my one and only italian test and it was like 5 questions long and super easy, so i can't compain about being stuck in there, because i figure he just took pitty on us and knew we couldnt learn that much in only five classes. we didn't even learn helpful things for living in italy, it was grammar. sweet. but im so very happy to be done with that, now i jsut have to finish some blogs and do a few other things and i will be all done with my work for this summer term thing.
what else can i talk about, we finished the construction of our cube shape all around town yesterday, there was much sweat, even more tape and a little blood, but we got it all done! i can't wait to see the pictures all put togther, we took them almost time lapse style and we are going to show it like a stop motion video in the gallery. omg its gonnna rock! its just us constructing a giant cube, putting some people in it, then tearing it down in a public place. i don't think there are any pictures online yet of what it looked like, but rest assured, the second there are, they will be on here! it turned out amazingly well and our work and time definately paid off.
so now all that is left to do is some odds and ends to get ready for the gallery here, and then the whole rome thing. i have to leave here the same day everyone else heads back home, but instead of going home i have to hangout in rome for two more days. i guess i can't compain, how many people get to just chill out in Rome on their own. but im so ready for my own bed, my family, good food and NO MORE ITALIAN MEN! but i guess i can take this opporitunity to buy some more pope gear and maybe another knockoff purse!! anyone want a sweet charm with the popes face on it?
hmmmmmmmmmmm whatelsewhatelsewhatelse... ive done very little today other than study a little and paint my nails. i don't imagine that would be to interesting for all you wonderful readers. whom ever you may be.
i want to be home right now. damn. i love it here, don't get me wrong, but it hits a certain point where you just want to be able to do nothing at all. or to not have to worry about anyhting going wrong.
well i should go get some more work done. but i will try to post more tmro!
i just finished my one and only italian test and it was like 5 questions long and super easy, so i can't compain about being stuck in there, because i figure he just took pitty on us and knew we couldnt learn that much in only five classes. we didn't even learn helpful things for living in italy, it was grammar. sweet. but im so very happy to be done with that, now i jsut have to finish some blogs and do a few other things and i will be all done with my work for this summer term thing.
what else can i talk about, we finished the construction of our cube shape all around town yesterday, there was much sweat, even more tape and a little blood, but we got it all done! i can't wait to see the pictures all put togther, we took them almost time lapse style and we are going to show it like a stop motion video in the gallery. omg its gonnna rock! its just us constructing a giant cube, putting some people in it, then tearing it down in a public place. i don't think there are any pictures online yet of what it looked like, but rest assured, the second there are, they will be on here! it turned out amazingly well and our work and time definately paid off.
so now all that is left to do is some odds and ends to get ready for the gallery here, and then the whole rome thing. i have to leave here the same day everyone else heads back home, but instead of going home i have to hangout in rome for two more days. i guess i can't compain, how many people get to just chill out in Rome on their own. but im so ready for my own bed, my family, good food and NO MORE ITALIAN MEN! but i guess i can take this opporitunity to buy some more pope gear and maybe another knockoff purse!! anyone want a sweet charm with the popes face on it?
hmmmmmmmmmmm whatelsewhatelsewhatelse... ive done very little today other than study a little and paint my nails. i don't imagine that would be to interesting for all you wonderful readers. whom ever you may be.
i want to be home right now. damn. i love it here, don't get me wrong, but it hits a certain point where you just want to be able to do nothing at all. or to not have to worry about anyhting going wrong.
well i should go get some more work done. but i will try to post more tmro!
Friday, August 24, 2007
italy has way more class
look at that place, there is a marble staircase going to the mcdonalds in Rome. they do everything better. except for apples, they have icky apples here.
Roma
I just got back last night from three days in Rome! we traveled around and saw all the sights, the borgese, the vatican, pantheon, spanish steps. did all the touristy things, you know bought jewlry with pictures of the pope on it, made friends with local bar owners and got really grimmy and dirty on the subway! fun! overall my experience in Rome was much better than last time, i was able to take a little bit more time and walk a little slower and actually enjoy my self yesterday because we had a free day and were not being herded around at breakneck speeds. i am currently uploading all my pictuers that i spent HOURS editing them all last night and this morning. i am very proud of a few of them, but some like the ones in the sistene chapel and such just didnt turn out as amazing as i had expected.
oh well, i guess that is just gonna have to be one of the places i got back to visit when im in Rome for two more days right before i come home. im a little homesick today, just as everyday. but im starting to realize that i will be home actually very soon, then i start to think of all the things that i will miss when i come home, as much as i hate to say it, i think i will very much miss all the random guys hitting on me. hehe. how often in the united states will a gorgeous italian man stop you on the street to tell you that your are beautiful? i dont know about you, but i can honestly say that has NEVER happened to me in Oregon. it seriously happens here so much! all of us complain about it, because it does get very uncomfertable, but it makes you secretly feel better inside. and i will miss seeing all these beautiful sights, even just walking to class everyday i walk past the giant wall built around the building, and i can see an amazing view from the street just outside my apartment. i plan in the next few days to take my camera and just take pictures off all these little things that i see everyday that make me happy so that i can see them, and maybe it will make me feel less homesick.
Now that i am back in Siena we have just this last week to get all of our work together and finished for the gallery that we will be doing, so far its going to be an installation piece with small paper boxes that we all build to make up one larger structure/pile. i have to build 4 of these shapes by tmro and i know that its really gonna take a lot more planning and math than i would like, so that stressing me out a little, but i tihink it will all turn out all right.
right now my brain is super scattered and all over the place, i just can't seem to stay on one subject or keep from getting distracted, right now all i can think about is my container of coffee and carmel flavored gelato sitting in the freezer at home! doesn't that sound wonderful? i can't wait!
i should probably end this post with something interesting to reward my wonderful readers with something a little less boring. well lets see.... OH i can tell of my wonderful amazing purchase at the vatican museum shop, so i walk into the little shop and i am instantly delighted at the sight of two nuns who are running the counter of this shop that is competely full of absolutely anything they could put the picture of the pope on, such as calendars, post cards, cups, books AND jewlery! they had little charms for necklaces and bracelets all spread out over the counter in little containers, there in the center was one that caught my eye, this was a small box full of plastic, colorful, glittery charms with a picture of of new, scary looking pope mounted right in the center of a circle, diamond or square. i almost screamed, this was the best thing i had seen all trip! i decided to get a pink dimond with glitter in it, and of course a wonderfully scary picture of the pope. my friend got a matching one, so now we can both sport our necklaces that are tied on, and they will stay there until they fall off our necks!!
pictures of that are coming soon!!!!! just you wait!
ok, im gonna go eat icecream now. maybe i will post more later.
oh well, i guess that is just gonna have to be one of the places i got back to visit when im in Rome for two more days right before i come home. im a little homesick today, just as everyday. but im starting to realize that i will be home actually very soon, then i start to think of all the things that i will miss when i come home, as much as i hate to say it, i think i will very much miss all the random guys hitting on me. hehe. how often in the united states will a gorgeous italian man stop you on the street to tell you that your are beautiful? i dont know about you, but i can honestly say that has NEVER happened to me in Oregon. it seriously happens here so much! all of us complain about it, because it does get very uncomfertable, but it makes you secretly feel better inside. and i will miss seeing all these beautiful sights, even just walking to class everyday i walk past the giant wall built around the building, and i can see an amazing view from the street just outside my apartment. i plan in the next few days to take my camera and just take pictures off all these little things that i see everyday that make me happy so that i can see them, and maybe it will make me feel less homesick.
Now that i am back in Siena we have just this last week to get all of our work together and finished for the gallery that we will be doing, so far its going to be an installation piece with small paper boxes that we all build to make up one larger structure/pile. i have to build 4 of these shapes by tmro and i know that its really gonna take a lot more planning and math than i would like, so that stressing me out a little, but i tihink it will all turn out all right.
right now my brain is super scattered and all over the place, i just can't seem to stay on one subject or keep from getting distracted, right now all i can think about is my container of coffee and carmel flavored gelato sitting in the freezer at home! doesn't that sound wonderful? i can't wait!
i should probably end this post with something interesting to reward my wonderful readers with something a little less boring. well lets see.... OH i can tell of my wonderful amazing purchase at the vatican museum shop, so i walk into the little shop and i am instantly delighted at the sight of two nuns who are running the counter of this shop that is competely full of absolutely anything they could put the picture of the pope on, such as calendars, post cards, cups, books AND jewlery! they had little charms for necklaces and bracelets all spread out over the counter in little containers, there in the center was one that caught my eye, this was a small box full of plastic, colorful, glittery charms with a picture of of new, scary looking pope mounted right in the center of a circle, diamond or square. i almost screamed, this was the best thing i had seen all trip! i decided to get a pink dimond with glitter in it, and of course a wonderfully scary picture of the pope. my friend got a matching one, so now we can both sport our necklaces that are tied on, and they will stay there until they fall off our necks!!
pictures of that are coming soon!!!!! just you wait!
ok, im gonna go eat icecream now. maybe i will post more later.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Hello all, i realize i have posted a lot lately, but it has all been boring school stuff and no random updates on my life, well im very much alive right now, i spent all day in the sun at the beach yesterday and i am still very tired from that! its a one and a half hour bus ride and a complete bore, but the view and the sand and the water make it all worth it! we spent about 5 hours in the sun and headed to the bus to catch the earlier one, and watched it zip right on past us in the opposite direction, appppppartently we had to be standing on the other side of the street for the bus driver to see us. so we had two hours to kill and a small beach town, so we were able to wander around and find a nice little restaurant/irish pub were i got a wonderful salad. this was especially exciting for me because the salads around here are either nonexistant, gross or really really expensive. i however found the perfect one for 3 euro! score!
i have to say this trying to live in italy thing on a budget has been a challenge, but im actually getting way into the shopping for my food and eating all healthy and happy. i would much rather do it this way than stuff my self on rich food and be in a constant search for something to buy. i can now instead be looking at the sights and trying to take it all in.
OMG last night, i almost forgot about this, there was this huge thunder and lightning storm! it was amazing! it hit around 4 or 5 and it SHOOK everything, i was actually scared! but at the same time i was completely loving it! i fell asleep listening to the sound of the rain pelting against my window and had a dream where i was back in eugene durning a dark rainy day, just staying in all day in my apartment making hello kitty shaped waffles and watching scooby doo all day! omg gotta go
i have to say this trying to live in italy thing on a budget has been a challenge, but im actually getting way into the shopping for my food and eating all healthy and happy. i would much rather do it this way than stuff my self on rich food and be in a constant search for something to buy. i can now instead be looking at the sights and trying to take it all in.
OMG last night, i almost forgot about this, there was this huge thunder and lightning storm! it was amazing! it hit around 4 or 5 and it SHOOK everything, i was actually scared! but at the same time i was completely loving it! i fell asleep listening to the sound of the rain pelting against my window and had a dream where i was back in eugene durning a dark rainy day, just staying in all day in my apartment making hello kitty shaped waffles and watching scooby doo all day! omg gotta go
Duomo Cathedral
During the time that they Baptistery was just being finished, the Florence Government decided to build a new cathedral. The people of Florence wanted a new impressive looking cathedral to match their ever-growing city; they felt it was a shame to have a cathedral that did not match up to the size of their city. They stuck true to their plan and built a cathedral that rivaled all those around it, and boasted more marble than most people would see in their lifetime, all built into one impressive and perfectly ornate building.
The line to get into the Duomo wrapped clear around the building itself, so as you waited to get in, you were able to get a close up view of almost half the building just while standing there. I was luck to get in line where there was shade and it moved quite quickly with very little holdups or confusion. As I was standing there I took about fifteen pictures of all the same side at almost the same angle each time, looking back it seems so ridiculous, but while standing there I was in such awe at this amazing structure that it seemed almost a shame to not take a million pictures! Every angle seemed new and interesting and every shot felt like a completely different view. In reality, all of these pictures look so much the same, but flipping though you can appreciate the subtle changes and new interesting designs as my place in the line changed ever so slightly.
The building itself and all of its adornments took about one hundred and seventy years to complete, it was very much a work in progress that whole time, where several different architects contributed to the various domes, apes and hallways that make up this amazing building. Once inside the first thing that struck me is just how huge and empty it felt, the ceiling extended so high with arches that crisscrossed in the center creating nice, neat little x’s every where they met. The inside is decorated in a very simple way so that all of your attention it brought to the vastness of the space and to the simple beauty of the architecture. I have to admit that once I had been inside the building for about fifteen minutes, I was anxious to come back outside just to gawk at the outside, every chance I get I was either staring at or taking pictures of the domes and the various aspects of the outside. I really just couldn’t get enough of it, as you can probably tell from all of my pictures! Those are just the tip of the iceberg, I have so many more sitting on my computer waiting to be edited or put online! I am try to limit the amount of similar pictures that I am putting online, only because I am on my second flickr account and it looks as if I may have many more to come! So keep checking and letting me know what you like and what you don’t! I am LOVING any feed back I get, it helps me feel less homesick on those days that I miss my family and friends and it makes me feel more inspired and artistic on all the rest of the days!
The line to get into the Duomo wrapped clear around the building itself, so as you waited to get in, you were able to get a close up view of almost half the building just while standing there. I was luck to get in line where there was shade and it moved quite quickly with very little holdups or confusion. As I was standing there I took about fifteen pictures of all the same side at almost the same angle each time, looking back it seems so ridiculous, but while standing there I was in such awe at this amazing structure that it seemed almost a shame to not take a million pictures! Every angle seemed new and interesting and every shot felt like a completely different view. In reality, all of these pictures look so much the same, but flipping though you can appreciate the subtle changes and new interesting designs as my place in the line changed ever so slightly.
The building itself and all of its adornments took about one hundred and seventy years to complete, it was very much a work in progress that whole time, where several different architects contributed to the various domes, apes and hallways that make up this amazing building. Once inside the first thing that struck me is just how huge and empty it felt, the ceiling extended so high with arches that crisscrossed in the center creating nice, neat little x’s every where they met. The inside is decorated in a very simple way so that all of your attention it brought to the vastness of the space and to the simple beauty of the architecture. I have to admit that once I had been inside the building for about fifteen minutes, I was anxious to come back outside just to gawk at the outside, every chance I get I was either staring at or taking pictures of the domes and the various aspects of the outside. I really just couldn’t get enough of it, as you can probably tell from all of my pictures! Those are just the tip of the iceberg, I have so many more sitting on my computer waiting to be edited or put online! I am try to limit the amount of similar pictures that I am putting online, only because I am on my second flickr account and it looks as if I may have many more to come! So keep checking and letting me know what you like and what you don’t! I am LOVING any feed back I get, it helps me feel less homesick on those days that I miss my family and friends and it makes me feel more inspired and artistic on all the rest of the days!
The Baptistery
The second day we traveled to Florence, we arrived bright and early in the morning all set for a long intense day of sight seeing and battling the enormous crowds. Right away we headed to the Piazza Del Duomo and headed into the Baptistery of San Giovanni a smaller octagonal shaped building located just in front of the Duomo. The form of the octagon symbolizes the eight-day, the day of the risen Christ. This symbolism was said to be relevant to the Baptism, where new members are initiated into the Christian religion. This building was lavishly decorated with marble taken from other ancient building in the surrounding area. At one point in the twelfth century, the building was enlarged and an apse and dome were added to make it what it is today, and becoming the pride of the city. Later the famous bronze doors were added to the front of the building, these doors depicted biblical scenes. These doors were located at the entrance so that those walking though could take the time to ponder their lives and think about how true they are to their faith. One of the most impressive things about the entire building is the domed ceiling when you walk in, the thirteenth century mosaics of the domed ceiling show the giant figure of Christ and under his feet you can see the dead rising from their graves, the last judgment. This is where Christ returns to earth to judge all the living and dead. The ceiling is completely covered with other biblical stories such as ones from the book of Genesis, stories of Joseph, Mary and Christ, St. John the Baptist and they are all surrounded by choirs of angels. It is instantly humbling to look up at this amazing display of gold and beautiful mosaic work. I watched the group around me as we walked around the building, bumping into one another on occasion because we have our heads tilted all the way back to take in every possible angle of this amazing view. It was amazing to think of all the people who have seen that ceiling over the many centuries of its existence, I couldn’t help but to imagine what could be running though the minds of all those before me as they saw this glistening figure of Christ almost glowing above them. It is easy to see why people would flock to such a place to go to a mass or even just to be there, looking up, just as I was.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Arsenale
This is yet another required blog, in response to the Arsenale portion of the Venice Biennale. This was a smaller and more compact gallery than the actual Biennale. The gallery was set up in a long skinny room that was divided up by half walls and little rooms in the very center that had video installations. The walls were lined with a very wide variety of painting, photography, and drawings and about every other medium you could imagine.
The series of work that caught my eye was a set of large, color photographs taken by Gabriele Basilico an artist from Milan Italy. These were photographs of Beirut in 1991 just after the earthquakes rocked the area, creating devastation and destruction in a matter of seconds. These photographs had a quality to them that struck me right away; they were eerily still and beautiful. The subject of the pictures was a building or common street scene, showing the damage caused during the earthquake. The unique thing about these photographs is that they were all taken at the same time and in the same conditions but in different locations. You can easily tell this just by looking at them because of the current weather condition in each picture, the ground is dark and wet from a recent rain and the sky is the white-grey color that only happens after a good rain. These conditions make for perfect and almost startling contrast between the dark wet pavement and buildings and the bright light of the sky. This makes the pictures almost look fresh and clean, which is an interesting thing to occur especially considering how dirty and broken the subject matter really is. Another thing that adds to this fresh and clean image is the fact that you see no evidence of any recent human life; it is completely the void of any life at all. There are broken down cars and abandoned toys that appear to have been there for quite some time, it makes it look as if the area has been uninhabited for a long time.
I felt that choosing to portray such a sad and bleak situation and scene in such a way speaks of hope and rebirth, or at least that’s what I got from it. The scenes looked so calm and still, as if it were just waiting for people to come and live there, fill those broken old buildings with life once again. The artist took a scene that if shot in any other way would tell a story of the horrors of Beirut at the time, showing these crumbling buildings riddled with bullet holes but she instead chose the perfect lighting and weather conditions to convey the desired effect and emotion.
The series of work that caught my eye was a set of large, color photographs taken by Gabriele Basilico an artist from Milan Italy. These were photographs of Beirut in 1991 just after the earthquakes rocked the area, creating devastation and destruction in a matter of seconds. These photographs had a quality to them that struck me right away; they were eerily still and beautiful. The subject of the pictures was a building or common street scene, showing the damage caused during the earthquake. The unique thing about these photographs is that they were all taken at the same time and in the same conditions but in different locations. You can easily tell this just by looking at them because of the current weather condition in each picture, the ground is dark and wet from a recent rain and the sky is the white-grey color that only happens after a good rain. These conditions make for perfect and almost startling contrast between the dark wet pavement and buildings and the bright light of the sky. This makes the pictures almost look fresh and clean, which is an interesting thing to occur especially considering how dirty and broken the subject matter really is. Another thing that adds to this fresh and clean image is the fact that you see no evidence of any recent human life; it is completely the void of any life at all. There are broken down cars and abandoned toys that appear to have been there for quite some time, it makes it look as if the area has been uninhabited for a long time.
I felt that choosing to portray such a sad and bleak situation and scene in such a way speaks of hope and rebirth, or at least that’s what I got from it. The scenes looked so calm and still, as if it were just waiting for people to come and live there, fill those broken old buildings with life once again. The artist took a scene that if shot in any other way would tell a story of the horrors of Beirut at the time, showing these crumbling buildings riddled with bullet holes but she instead chose the perfect lighting and weather conditions to convey the desired effect and emotion.
Pallio
Every August 16th Siena goes from a quiet tourist town to an explosion of color, noise and excitement, this is all because of a age old tradition that the people of this small town hold very near and dear. The Pallio is a giant race that is held two times a year where the seventeen contradas (neighborhoods) of Siena come together in an intense horse race around the center square of the city. The contradas or districts each have a set of colors, a flag, a mascot and their own church sharing these helps to create a very strong sense of community and togetherness that is rarely seen in the United States. The contradas all band together to help one another and act as a very large family. This sense of community and family is something that is much more important in Italy than it is in most countries, when an Italian is born in a city or area, it is very uncommon for them to move very far from that area. They spend their whole lives being a part of this contrada and over time is becomes more and more important to them.
So with that being said, it helps you to understand how intense and competitive these neighborhoods could get if this is their only chance to prove that their contrada is the best. The Pallio allows them to band together and center all their time and energy on the preparation for this race. They spend most of the year picking and training a jockey, making strategies and planning parties for this one particular day. How the Pallio is set up, is each district picks one of their member to ride a horse in the race, and they are paired with a horse that is randomly chosen in a ceremony just days before the race itself. All of the horses are the most fit and wild horses in the surrounding area, but of course some of them are better than the others, so that means a lot of this race is left up chance and luck rather than skill of the jockey. Another thing that is left largely up to the luck of the draw is who is actually allowed to race, only ten of the seventeen contradas are able to race. They have a system of picking what seven contradas are left out each year, half of it is who was left out in the previous year, and the rest is up to a random drawing of names.
The day of the race all of the locals sport their flags and banners and scarves or headbands and dress in the colors of their contrada. They are all very excited and intensely competitive with the other contradas. By noon the center square is already filling up with people, they all line up along the edges in order to secure a good view of the race. Some people, namely the horrible German family in front of me, come at six in the morning and use that as an excuse to block everyone else’s view with their big hats and mean dumb heads. I will explain that further, later. The center square in the Campo is a free area to watch the race, there are many nice shady seats around the edge that run about three hundred euro each. So those of us who would not like to spend that much money for a horse race all go to the center. The one catch to this is, at four the contradas parade around the track until the race at about seven, so in order to do that they close up all the gates to the square and everyone is trapped. That means literally thousands of people packed into one area at the hottest time of the day, with very little shade, space and most importantly, access to a bathroom. So by the race you are a sweaty, smelly mess but I believe it was worth it.
The race itself lasts one minute and about thirty seconds. The ten horses and their jockeys race around the track a total of three times and the horse that crosses the finish line first (with or without a jockey on it) is the winner. It is a huge dusty blur from the sidelines as they race by. The track has two very sharp turns that cause pileups and crashes, it is usually at that point that a jockey would fall off, or a horse may collide with another. They had an enormous staff of both paramedics and veterinarians waiting at every corner to take care of the very probable accidents. I was lucky enough to not have to witness any of these accidents, initially coming to the race I was very conflicted and troubled with the thought of how these horses are treated and pushed entirely too hard. It helped to see the veterinarians ready to race to their aid, and it was apparent in the parades before the race how much they had pampered and taken care of their horse.
The Unicorn contrada won the race, so from that point on all the other neighborhoods had to take down their flags and white and orange would be the only colors seen on flags. They also receive a very large banner painted by one of the most famous artists in Siena; this banner was paraded around the streets until the early morning the next day. After that it will be taken to the Unicorn’s museum in their district and it will be displayed along with their other banners they have won in the past few years.
Looking back, I cannot believe I almost didn’t go to the race; this was an experience I will never forget! The intensity and passion that I saw in the faces of these jockeys and members of the contradas was something I have never seen before. This was like the super bowl, but bigger and cooler!
So with that being said, it helps you to understand how intense and competitive these neighborhoods could get if this is their only chance to prove that their contrada is the best. The Pallio allows them to band together and center all their time and energy on the preparation for this race. They spend most of the year picking and training a jockey, making strategies and planning parties for this one particular day. How the Pallio is set up, is each district picks one of their member to ride a horse in the race, and they are paired with a horse that is randomly chosen in a ceremony just days before the race itself. All of the horses are the most fit and wild horses in the surrounding area, but of course some of them are better than the others, so that means a lot of this race is left up chance and luck rather than skill of the jockey. Another thing that is left largely up to the luck of the draw is who is actually allowed to race, only ten of the seventeen contradas are able to race. They have a system of picking what seven contradas are left out each year, half of it is who was left out in the previous year, and the rest is up to a random drawing of names.
The day of the race all of the locals sport their flags and banners and scarves or headbands and dress in the colors of their contrada. They are all very excited and intensely competitive with the other contradas. By noon the center square is already filling up with people, they all line up along the edges in order to secure a good view of the race. Some people, namely the horrible German family in front of me, come at six in the morning and use that as an excuse to block everyone else’s view with their big hats and mean dumb heads. I will explain that further, later. The center square in the Campo is a free area to watch the race, there are many nice shady seats around the edge that run about three hundred euro each. So those of us who would not like to spend that much money for a horse race all go to the center. The one catch to this is, at four the contradas parade around the track until the race at about seven, so in order to do that they close up all the gates to the square and everyone is trapped. That means literally thousands of people packed into one area at the hottest time of the day, with very little shade, space and most importantly, access to a bathroom. So by the race you are a sweaty, smelly mess but I believe it was worth it.
The race itself lasts one minute and about thirty seconds. The ten horses and their jockeys race around the track a total of three times and the horse that crosses the finish line first (with or without a jockey on it) is the winner. It is a huge dusty blur from the sidelines as they race by. The track has two very sharp turns that cause pileups and crashes, it is usually at that point that a jockey would fall off, or a horse may collide with another. They had an enormous staff of both paramedics and veterinarians waiting at every corner to take care of the very probable accidents. I was lucky enough to not have to witness any of these accidents, initially coming to the race I was very conflicted and troubled with the thought of how these horses are treated and pushed entirely too hard. It helped to see the veterinarians ready to race to their aid, and it was apparent in the parades before the race how much they had pampered and taken care of their horse.
The Unicorn contrada won the race, so from that point on all the other neighborhoods had to take down their flags and white and orange would be the only colors seen on flags. They also receive a very large banner painted by one of the most famous artists in Siena; this banner was paraded around the streets until the early morning the next day. After that it will be taken to the Unicorn’s museum in their district and it will be displayed along with their other banners they have won in the past few years.
Looking back, I cannot believe I almost didn’t go to the race; this was an experience I will never forget! The intensity and passion that I saw in the faces of these jockeys and members of the contradas was something I have never seen before. This was like the super bowl, but bigger and cooler!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Pallio
That little square down there, thats the campo, it is currently PACKED with people and horses.
My new boyfriend, David
I was bad and snuck a picture of this beautiful marble slab of man. The room was packed with people and almost half of them were sneaking pictures so it made me feel less back about it. This was absolutely amazing to see! i thought it would be one of those things that they always made it look better in pictures and books. This was most definately not the case, he was bigger and better than i had ever thought! i wish i could have seen him in a large empty room, the masses of peopple swarming and yelling really took away from this piece! but i will speak more about it later, that is one of my formal blogs that i will type up.
ps.. i hope im not boring the hell out of people with those, i find this stuff interesting, but i fear that i'm not doing these places and pieces of art justice. i will try to make them more exciting!
ps.. i hope im not boring the hell out of people with those, i find this stuff interesting, but i fear that i'm not doing these places and pieces of art justice. i will try to make them more exciting!
Florence
I have just returned from a two day trip to florence to see the Uffutzi, The Baptistry, The Duomo, and The Accademia. All of which i have to write a formal blog on in the next few days, but i have been so exhausted from my travels that i have had very little time to work on them. i however was able to edit a ton of pictures and get them all online! you should definately check them out! This picture is one of my favorites it is of the very front of the Duomo, we waited in line for probably half an hour maybe fourty five minutes to get in, but it was nothing compared to the outside. i took far too many pictures of this building, as you can probably tell from my flickr page, and there are even more that i did not put up! i have a picture taking problem!! I have to say if there was ever an addiction to have, taking too many pictures its a damn good one to have! just like my carrot obession. ps. im gonna be orange when i come home, i am eating carrots literally by the bag.
on a less orange note, today is the PALLIO!!! its a giant horse race that goes though the center of the city! im worried that i will not be able to get a good view of it because there are just so many people that i may not be able to see it. so cross your fingers for me! i may have to fight italians and tons of tourists just to see the back of someones head. YAY! either way, siena is a madhouse right now, full of parties, parades and so much activity!
i think im gonna do a few of these blog things so i can put up more pictures!
on a less orange note, today is the PALLIO!!! its a giant horse race that goes though the center of the city! im worried that i will not be able to get a good view of it because there are just so many people that i may not be able to see it. so cross your fingers for me! i may have to fight italians and tons of tourists just to see the back of someones head. YAY! either way, siena is a madhouse right now, full of parties, parades and so much activity!
i think im gonna do a few of these blog things so i can put up more pictures!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Venice Biennale- Spain Pavilion
Manuel Vilarino
Fragmented Paradise. 2003.
Spain Pavilion, Venice Biennale.
In the very back room in the Spain pavilion was a stark white room holding the work of only one artist. After making it through rooms full of videos, bright lights and shocking images you are greeted with the beautiful prints and bright colors of the work created by Manuel Vilarino. His images while at times have somewhat questionable subjects; they are presented to you in such a way that you are not at all shocked or uncomfortable. His medium is photography, more specifically, lifochrome on aluminum. If you have never seen this before, it creates an image that is so shockingly clear and beautiful that the subject almost pales in comparison to the print itself. Now that is not to imply that the subjects of these prints were not important, it would be very difficult to find a message or meaning behind a blank picture in a frame. The picture (series of pictures) that I liked the most of his was actually one of the more controversial in his series. This was a series of photographs entitled “Fragmented Paradise” which was fifteen individually framed images featuring fifteen little dead animals, wrapped in string or ribbon and carefully placed into a nest of what appeared to be colorful spices and maybe pigments. Each of these animals is the type that you have probably already seen dead and kicked to the side of a walking path, or some other public place. Each of these small animals are carefully wrapped up and presented in such a way that is more common for a precious gift or cherished item.
Another idea that I had when looking at these little animals, is that they are also all types that people commonly keep as pets and love and truly cherish. Often when a pet dies it is a big deal to the owner and they will often bury them and conduct a very informal burial ritual with a shoebox and some pretty fabric. I felt that these images were taking that idea just a step further and taking common burial practices for humans, such as using spices to preserve and beautify the body. You could also take this idea of recreating human burial rituals and apply it to my previous idea of bringing attention to something that we often kick out of the way an ignore. It seems almost sentimental; taking the body of a tiny animal and instead of being disgusted and ignoring it, beautify it!
If you think about the burial rituals and importance that the people of Spain place on the afterlife and the ornate ways that they morn and celebrate the life of the deceased are so much more that those that are common in the United States or even Italy. The way that he decorated these little bodies and presented them in such a beautiful way was quite reminiscent of the way that people would decorate a body and grave. This picture to me celebrates the precious nature of life.
Fragmented Paradise. 2003.
Spain Pavilion, Venice Biennale.
In the very back room in the Spain pavilion was a stark white room holding the work of only one artist. After making it through rooms full of videos, bright lights and shocking images you are greeted with the beautiful prints and bright colors of the work created by Manuel Vilarino. His images while at times have somewhat questionable subjects; they are presented to you in such a way that you are not at all shocked or uncomfortable. His medium is photography, more specifically, lifochrome on aluminum. If you have never seen this before, it creates an image that is so shockingly clear and beautiful that the subject almost pales in comparison to the print itself. Now that is not to imply that the subjects of these prints were not important, it would be very difficult to find a message or meaning behind a blank picture in a frame. The picture (series of pictures) that I liked the most of his was actually one of the more controversial in his series. This was a series of photographs entitled “Fragmented Paradise” which was fifteen individually framed images featuring fifteen little dead animals, wrapped in string or ribbon and carefully placed into a nest of what appeared to be colorful spices and maybe pigments. Each of these animals is the type that you have probably already seen dead and kicked to the side of a walking path, or some other public place. Each of these small animals are carefully wrapped up and presented in such a way that is more common for a precious gift or cherished item.
Another idea that I had when looking at these little animals, is that they are also all types that people commonly keep as pets and love and truly cherish. Often when a pet dies it is a big deal to the owner and they will often bury them and conduct a very informal burial ritual with a shoebox and some pretty fabric. I felt that these images were taking that idea just a step further and taking common burial practices for humans, such as using spices to preserve and beautify the body. You could also take this idea of recreating human burial rituals and apply it to my previous idea of bringing attention to something that we often kick out of the way an ignore. It seems almost sentimental; taking the body of a tiny animal and instead of being disgusted and ignoring it, beautify it!
If you think about the burial rituals and importance that the people of Spain place on the afterlife and the ornate ways that they morn and celebrate the life of the deceased are so much more that those that are common in the United States or even Italy. The way that he decorated these little bodies and presented them in such a beautiful way was quite reminiscent of the way that people would decorate a body and grave. This picture to me celebrates the precious nature of life.
Venice by night
i came home early one night because i didn't want to go out. this is what i found! i walked past this building every day that i was staying in venice!
ideas
how can i earn money with out actually getting a job... its illegal here since i have a student visa. anyone wanna buy prints? or maybe pay in advance for slave labor?
also, i put so many pictures onto my flickr thing, click one of the pictures on my page to see them all! there are some repeats, i'm sorry.
also, i put so many pictures onto my flickr thing, click one of the pictures on my page to see them all! there are some repeats, i'm sorry.
Villa Rotonda
Villa Rotonda
Initial:
Upon arriving at the Villa Rotonda, I was instantly filled with excitement and anticipation, this was a building I had heard a great deal about from teachers, artists and the whole group of architecture students who were traveling around with us. The impressive structure was barely visible from the walkway where we were dropped off. As you made your way up the path, you can see Romanesque sculptures that line up on either side of you, almost leading the way. My first unobstructed view reveled just how large and perfectly symmetrical the building in front of me was. The only variations to the building were the five sculptures that were situation at the corners and top point of the roof. After the walk up to the building, up the stairs and through the columns, you are greeted by a very ornate and beautifully decorated entranceway, and beyond that a dome that extends up past the preexisting roof. I had to resist my urges to climb over the railing and stand that the center point of the room just to get the best possible view of the dome itself. If you were able to stand at the center point, every direction that you looked would have been almost exactly the same. The floor plan was set up in such a way that eight perfectly sized rooms surrounded the center room, containing the dome. The set up of the rooms was the thing that impressed me the very most.
Palladio, the architect used the idea brought forth by Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man, the mathematical practice of measuring everything in groups of seven units. Palladio was very mathematical when creating the floor plan; he wasted no time or effort on the decorations of the adding of flourished. He realized on the perfection of the architecture and the mathematics behind it to grab your attending and leave you with a sense of awe and amazement. The interior outshines the exterior with its structure and floor plan that is as close to perfect as any architect could have gotten at the time. When walking around the inside of the Villa Rotonda it can be very easy to get distracted by the colorful trinkets, detailed frescos and the ornate furniture. You much keep in mind how Palladio would have preferred his work to be seen and admired, plain and simple, no color or any other additions. Only when you are able to look past all the fluff are you able to see the Rotonda in all its glory.
All together I felt that this awe-inspiring building has lived up to its name and impressed and completely blew me away!
Initial:
Upon arriving at the Villa Rotonda, I was instantly filled with excitement and anticipation, this was a building I had heard a great deal about from teachers, artists and the whole group of architecture students who were traveling around with us. The impressive structure was barely visible from the walkway where we were dropped off. As you made your way up the path, you can see Romanesque sculptures that line up on either side of you, almost leading the way. My first unobstructed view reveled just how large and perfectly symmetrical the building in front of me was. The only variations to the building were the five sculptures that were situation at the corners and top point of the roof. After the walk up to the building, up the stairs and through the columns, you are greeted by a very ornate and beautifully decorated entranceway, and beyond that a dome that extends up past the preexisting roof. I had to resist my urges to climb over the railing and stand that the center point of the room just to get the best possible view of the dome itself. If you were able to stand at the center point, every direction that you looked would have been almost exactly the same. The floor plan was set up in such a way that eight perfectly sized rooms surrounded the center room, containing the dome. The set up of the rooms was the thing that impressed me the very most.
Palladio, the architect used the idea brought forth by Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man, the mathematical practice of measuring everything in groups of seven units. Palladio was very mathematical when creating the floor plan; he wasted no time or effort on the decorations of the adding of flourished. He realized on the perfection of the architecture and the mathematics behind it to grab your attending and leave you with a sense of awe and amazement. The interior outshines the exterior with its structure and floor plan that is as close to perfect as any architect could have gotten at the time. When walking around the inside of the Villa Rotonda it can be very easy to get distracted by the colorful trinkets, detailed frescos and the ornate furniture. You much keep in mind how Palladio would have preferred his work to be seen and admired, plain and simple, no color or any other additions. Only when you are able to look past all the fluff are you able to see the Rotonda in all its glory.
All together I felt that this awe-inspiring building has lived up to its name and impressed and completely blew me away!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Vincenza
hello all! right now i have limited time to post and there are people all around me talking very loudly in italian so i feel very distracted and frustrated witht his internet situation,but otherthan the fact that the space bar hates meand so do the loud peoeple, imhavinga good dayi n italy! i am in vincenza and its a wonderrful overcast day and there was rain and thunder and lightning last nigth! it was amazing! its now very humid but muchcooler! omg i only have five minutes! scary! ok well today we are gonna be headed to venice at 1 and its likea n hour and a half drive ina bus that totally looks awesome and huge,but then you get inh there are realized that you cant move your knees or move at all really becayuse its just so tight and small.LAME! but anyhwho, its been niceto have a bus to take around because yesterday we drove around toallthese italian villas and saw crazy coolthings! we went to the villa rotanda which i am requiredc to write more about it proabably tonight or tmro. it was a very beautiful place! i cant wait to post more pictures and show off these really cool places that im getting tosee! it maybe a few days untill i can editpictures and put them online because i am traveling around with the group right now andi didnt want to risk it and bring my computer., i have too many picturesa nds tuff to risk dropping it or gettingit stolen.
ohhhh not much timeleft, but i love you all and i will be updating this thing againsoon, also a special message to tami to make her jealous.... this week is the last week of the saldi where pretty much everything in everystore in all of europe is about fifty percentoff!
oh have to go!
lovelove love love stevi
ohhhh not much timeleft, but i love you all and i will be updating this thing againsoon, also a special message to tami to make her jealous.... this week is the last week of the saldi where pretty much everything in everystore in all of europe is about fifty percentoff!
oh have to go!
lovelove love love stevi
Monday, August 6, 2007
vincenza
hello all, i have very littletime to post right now,but i am currently in the aha office waiting for some other students to arrive so that we can all travel some towns in the area... including venice!ican hardly wait! well this weekend has certainly been a very eventful one! we partied with italians once again, i was literally swept off my feet bya very attractive italian man, we fryed at the beach and spent time just relaxing and enjoying the sights! i think i am really getting use to this life,but its certainly wearing me out! the typical day for an italian consists of a somewhat early morning, getting out to walk dogs, grocery shop andjust kinda enjoy the weather before it gets too scorchinghot out. then around 1 to 3 they take what is called a siesta or in other terms, a nice long nap! then they wait untill it is a bit cooler out to finally venture outside again. their nights aremuch much later than ours! dinner is usuallly around 9 or 10! i cant believe it! so when wego out it tends to be quite late if we actually wantto hang out with locals or go to a party or something. but the upside to this is we get much more into theculture and learn more about the people who live here who are our age.
for those of you with facebook, i will be posting a few picytures that other people took of the parties and such, they are really funny! for the rest of you, i will try to figure out how to put a few on my flicker page! especially the picture of my italian man! hehe! this guy didnt speak any english at all, he just came up and quite literally swept me off my feet and we spent many songs after that just dancing all overthe place. mind you, this was not the horrible grinding and slutty dancingthat often happens in dance clubs, but we spun and did all sorts of crazy dance moves! heheh it was certainly very entertaining!
lets see, what else... ahh yesterday we wentto the beach near here and spent the whole day just relaxing and practically buring our skin off! i remembered to use sunscreen and i was so proud of my self and happy that i used a bunch of spray sunscreen... however, it was windy when i was putting it on, i missed a few places so i have the oddest places that are absolutely scorched! its funny, yet painful!
im not too sure of what all is happening in venice and vincenza, but this is not because we have confusing plans, or that we dont have much to do, but instead way too much to even remember or repeat!
the good thing, is for each of the important places that we will visit,we are required to write a post expaining what we see, and how we feel about it! so all of thiswill begoing on the internet verysoon! are you excited? iknow i am!
well i must be off. but i love and miss you all!
and to those of you who emailed me, i will email you soon! i have no time rightnow,they only gave me a few minutes.
love
stevi
for those of you with facebook, i will be posting a few picytures that other people took of the parties and such, they are really funny! for the rest of you, i will try to figure out how to put a few on my flicker page! especially the picture of my italian man! hehe! this guy didnt speak any english at all, he just came up and quite literally swept me off my feet and we spent many songs after that just dancing all overthe place. mind you, this was not the horrible grinding and slutty dancingthat often happens in dance clubs, but we spun and did all sorts of crazy dance moves! heheh it was certainly very entertaining!
lets see, what else... ahh yesterday we wentto the beach near here and spent the whole day just relaxing and practically buring our skin off! i remembered to use sunscreen and i was so proud of my self and happy that i used a bunch of spray sunscreen... however, it was windy when i was putting it on, i missed a few places so i have the oddest places that are absolutely scorched! its funny, yet painful!
im not too sure of what all is happening in venice and vincenza, but this is not because we have confusing plans, or that we dont have much to do, but instead way too much to even remember or repeat!
the good thing, is for each of the important places that we will visit,we are required to write a post expaining what we see, and how we feel about it! so all of thiswill begoing on the internet verysoon! are you excited? iknow i am!
well i must be off. but i love and miss you all!
and to those of you who emailed me, i will email you soon! i have no time rightnow,they only gave me a few minutes.
love
stevi
Friday, August 3, 2007
morebloggigngng
alright, well earlier i was very rushed and super cranky when writing in my blog, so this is an additition to what i was saying. i really miss some of you, so i would absolutely love emails from anyone who is reading this! my email is steviwonderful@gmail.com and if you have the time send me a short note or question, i would LOVE it!
so back to what i was trying to explain about my blog, this is a blog that i am required to keep for my travels with the u of o studio art program and each day, or everyother day we are asked to write up a formal response to everything that we see. this will be broken up into three parts where i will first type of what my inital response was, then i will further describe what i saw, then finally i will offer some sort of explination or emotion. this last response i think will be the most interesting to write and to read! its called an expressionist response where we combine the formal response and inital and talk of the relationships between the two.
these of course will be in addition or pictures and random stories that i happen to remember or find amusing.
ok so BACK to ranting about oatmeal. they dont have it in italy. i found that out fort sure today. i kind of want to cry. i have considered seeing if there was a cheap way to ship it here from a surrounding area or maybe amazon, but i have yet to really put the full effort into it, im SO tired right now! last night we stayed up pretty late at this neighborhood party thats located pretty much in the backyard of some of the boys appartment. it was outrageous! so all of siena is split up into different neighborhoods and they all have a mascot, a jocky and a horse assigned to each of the groups. these groups/neighborhoods have been around for sooooo long and they have had this friendly(ish) competition going forever! in about two weeks or so there will be a giant horse race though out the inter walls of the city where they will compete for the title of the best neighborhood in siena or something like that. so anywho, each group throws a huge party for all of siena complete with dancing, drinking, games, and a sausage cart! these parties go on for weeks and are absolutely huge! while there i was terrified of talking to people but i did my best to at least get around with out offending anyone and some people were even eager to practice their english and talk to me for a bit! it was cool.
the computer screen is pretty much just blurring in and out of focus at this point, i am starving and so tired, so i am going to trek back to my apartment. but i look forward to reading emails or comments from some of you, because remember, i LOVE you and want to hear about YOUR LIFE! also. help me find oatmeal. im obsessing!
so back to what i was trying to explain about my blog, this is a blog that i am required to keep for my travels with the u of o studio art program and each day, or everyother day we are asked to write up a formal response to everything that we see. this will be broken up into three parts where i will first type of what my inital response was, then i will further describe what i saw, then finally i will offer some sort of explination or emotion. this last response i think will be the most interesting to write and to read! its called an expressionist response where we combine the formal response and inital and talk of the relationships between the two.
these of course will be in addition or pictures and random stories that i happen to remember or find amusing.
ok so BACK to ranting about oatmeal. they dont have it in italy. i found that out fort sure today. i kind of want to cry. i have considered seeing if there was a cheap way to ship it here from a surrounding area or maybe amazon, but i have yet to really put the full effort into it, im SO tired right now! last night we stayed up pretty late at this neighborhood party thats located pretty much in the backyard of some of the boys appartment. it was outrageous! so all of siena is split up into different neighborhoods and they all have a mascot, a jocky and a horse assigned to each of the groups. these groups/neighborhoods have been around for sooooo long and they have had this friendly(ish) competition going forever! in about two weeks or so there will be a giant horse race though out the inter walls of the city where they will compete for the title of the best neighborhood in siena or something like that. so anywho, each group throws a huge party for all of siena complete with dancing, drinking, games, and a sausage cart! these parties go on for weeks and are absolutely huge! while there i was terrified of talking to people but i did my best to at least get around with out offending anyone and some people were even eager to practice their english and talk to me for a bit! it was cool.
the computer screen is pretty much just blurring in and out of focus at this point, i am starving and so tired, so i am going to trek back to my apartment. but i look forward to reading emails or comments from some of you, because remember, i LOVE you and want to hear about YOUR LIFE! also. help me find oatmeal. im obsessing!
Duomo and the torture museum
Today we got up early after a late night of dancing at a huge neighborhood party I traveled around with the group and went to the Duomo where it was absolutely gorgeous! i can hardly wait untill i can get back to the room and edit them and get them ready to show you all. however im really not so sure who all has been looking at this because i have recieved zero emails today. that was a sad thing! i eagerly run up the stairs to the aha office only to find that no one has left me anything. it was quite a downer after coming back from a torture museum filled with some of the worst things i have ever seen or hear of in my life, then i go to yet another store to search for oatmeal, only to find the exact same thing, ground oats and thats it. not even some sugary oatmeal mix. i am SOOOOOO obsessing about this! i want oatmeal!
ok im done ranting. yesterday we had orientation here and learn about what we are to do in this journal because not only is it a way for me to fill in maybe my 7 viewers (my family, hannah, mary and maybe some sad lonely person who doesnt know me!) all of which i love by the way, ESPECIALLY when they take the time to go visit my mommy and call me, and totally rock my world with their wonderful voice. cough cough HANNAH cough. hehe. shit im suppose to be in class. bye
ok im done ranting. yesterday we had orientation here and learn about what we are to do in this journal because not only is it a way for me to fill in maybe my 7 viewers (my family, hannah, mary and maybe some sad lonely person who doesnt know me!) all of which i love by the way, ESPECIALLY when they take the time to go visit my mommy and call me, and totally rock my world with their wonderful voice. cough cough HANNAH cough. hehe. shit im suppose to be in class. bye
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Siena, day two
Today is the first official day in siena, its amaming! my travel buddy kelsey and i share a room where we have a beautiful balcony, it does not have a view of siena like i had dreamed of, but its a balcony and its shaddy and comfortable so i am very pleased. we did grocery shopping today since we have a kitchen to cook in and mostly to avoid the overabundance of pizza, pasta and bread. what happens when you dont love carbs in a ccity that does? well you either starve or you have to fend for yourself and go out and find some tasty vegetables and fruitsss!
while in the grocery store i searched for like half an hour just for oats, to make oatmeal, i am OBSESSED at this point with finding them because they are a serious comfort food, and here in siena, far from home i need that!
in a little bit we will leave as a group for an unofficial tour of siena with the two leaders of the group and we will see some of the architecture and probably some cool places to go and hangout! i have no pictures to put online today because last night i had planned to edit them, but instead i opened up my book i am currently reading and about three pages later fell asleep on my bed ontop of the covers and a pile of books.
i will hopefully have some pictures and some more to talk about, right now my time is spent mostly finding my way around the town and getting to know the poeple in my group and my roomates! wish me luck!
love stevi
while in the grocery store i searched for like half an hour just for oats, to make oatmeal, i am OBSESSED at this point with finding them because they are a serious comfort food, and here in siena, far from home i need that!
in a little bit we will leave as a group for an unofficial tour of siena with the two leaders of the group and we will see some of the architecture and probably some cool places to go and hangout! i have no pictures to put online today because last night i had planned to edit them, but instead i opened up my book i am currently reading and about three pages later fell asleep on my bed ontop of the covers and a pile of books.
i will hopefully have some pictures and some more to talk about, right now my time is spent mostly finding my way around the town and getting to know the poeple in my group and my roomates! wish me luck!
love stevi
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Pantheon
amazing! there is really not much to say about this, i spent maybe an hour sitting just looking around in here. it was perfect!
Riomaggiore
our beach! this consisted of gorgeous marble bolders piled in the ocean. perfect place to rest after a long train ride! be jealous!
Vernazza
this place was pretty much the definition of pictureque. it was amazing! this was the forth town on the hike and a beautiful sight to see even as you secretly wish the path you are walking on will give way so you can plunge gracefully into the refreshing water below. many times i considered doing so, but finishing the hike all wet, or with a broken arm sounds like a bit of a downer.
Manarola in the Cinque Terre
this was the second town of the hike, seen from the trail as you looked back along the hike. it was simply amazing! we treked though this town far too quickly for my liking, it would have enjoyed to stay and maybe try to sample the wine at the winery, or something just as touristy, but the two girls that i had traveled with were already very determined to do this hike in painful record time.
today we woke up with the bells that right though the town or riomaggiore every morning at 7 for about 15 minutes, its just about then that all of the town starts their day, so in other words they start running around yelling, banging things and watching really loud tv all around 7. i really dont know how people can sleep in there! with acceptions for those who had done "the hike" in the previous day. this little hike is about 10 miles of uneven unsafe and beautiful stairs that travel all along the coast though each of the 5 towns. no one really warned me how intense it would be, so me being un prepared, with a lingering cold and damn runny nose set out to see what i could find. right away you are met with beautiful views of the five towns along with a sinking feeling in your stomach as you realize just how far that fifth town really is.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
a quicky!
right now i am sitting in a new and different computer room in a new and different hostel, the noises of the bar fill this little room im sitting in, im far too tired to partake in the party i hear, sad but true.
tmro morning kelsey, my new travel buddy and i will get on the train for the cinque terre were i highly doubt we will have much internet access, its a grouping of small towns along the curvey part of the italian cost, known for great wine, beautiful sights and cliff beaches, i can hardly wait! there was a girl in our room tonight that absoloutely sold us on it, she talked of how amazing it was and how we have to go and spend like 4 days there just sun bathing and hiking! hell im down! the loud bustling streets of rome have made me crave the quiet of small towns and the cool feel of the ocean. it has been nothing but loud, exciting and very dirty! i guess you take the good with the bad.
today i spent the better part of my morning and afternoon relaxing and walking though the ancient roman ruins next to the colosseum, it was amazing! i almost didnt care that it was like a hundred and fourty degrees and in a small dusty valley. just you wait untill i post these pictures! those of you who are thinking, oh dusty valley with rocks, that sounds lame... ILL SHOW YOU!
id imagine in a few days i will be able to post a few pictures on this sight using my computer in the studio, but it might be more than just a few days, im not positive yet. cross your fingers for that one, these pictures ROCK! not to be over using the capitals, but i am very proud of the pictures i have so far, they can not come close to the real thing, but im trying very hard!
what else can i talk about... i bought a grapefruit thinking it was an orange today, it was not. i also slaughtered the italian language more times than i can count, im sorry italy. i did not mean to, im just trying to not look like a tourist. which by the way is such an impossible feat... they know from like three miles away that im american. i blame the piercing, unwashed clothes and chacos covered in dirt. damn them!
ok i have a minute left, im off to bigger and better things! wish me luck!
write often! i will reply as soon as i can! your nots and stuff keep me going! i love you all!
tmro morning kelsey, my new travel buddy and i will get on the train for the cinque terre were i highly doubt we will have much internet access, its a grouping of small towns along the curvey part of the italian cost, known for great wine, beautiful sights and cliff beaches, i can hardly wait! there was a girl in our room tonight that absoloutely sold us on it, she talked of how amazing it was and how we have to go and spend like 4 days there just sun bathing and hiking! hell im down! the loud bustling streets of rome have made me crave the quiet of small towns and the cool feel of the ocean. it has been nothing but loud, exciting and very dirty! i guess you take the good with the bad.
today i spent the better part of my morning and afternoon relaxing and walking though the ancient roman ruins next to the colosseum, it was amazing! i almost didnt care that it was like a hundred and fourty degrees and in a small dusty valley. just you wait untill i post these pictures! those of you who are thinking, oh dusty valley with rocks, that sounds lame... ILL SHOW YOU!
id imagine in a few days i will be able to post a few pictures on this sight using my computer in the studio, but it might be more than just a few days, im not positive yet. cross your fingers for that one, these pictures ROCK! not to be over using the capitals, but i am very proud of the pictures i have so far, they can not come close to the real thing, but im trying very hard!
what else can i talk about... i bought a grapefruit thinking it was an orange today, it was not. i also slaughtered the italian language more times than i can count, im sorry italy. i did not mean to, im just trying to not look like a tourist. which by the way is such an impossible feat... they know from like three miles away that im american. i blame the piercing, unwashed clothes and chacos covered in dirt. damn them!
ok i have a minute left, im off to bigger and better things! wish me luck!
write often! i will reply as soon as i can! your nots and stuff keep me going! i love you all!
Roma
Right now i am sitting in a little computer room at a hostel outside of Rome, its a meeting place for people my age from all around the world! its amazing how many languages i hear on a regular basis. the odd thing is italian is not nearly as common as english. it seems that when i go into a restaurant or a store they seem almost eager to speak to me in english. thats probably just to get me to spend more money or something like that. but its making everything much easier.
i spent all of yesterday relaxing by the pool and just having a down day because for the last few days i have been HIKING all over Rome! I have covered the city many times and seen probably more than the normal tourist sees in just a few days. its been amazing but absolutely draining. im almost counting the days untill i will be able to have a constant place to stay and people to talk to that i know speak english. this last hostel i stayed at was very spread out in a camping cabin sort of a set up and its been difficult to meet too many people so it will be nice to return to the heart of Rome today.
my mind is all over the place and it would be impossible to write all the things that are swirling around in it right now. i have come to the conclusion that traveling alone may have not been the greatest idea for me, its so overwelming and i miss so many people! its hard to say if i would give up the sights of Italy for a cupcake baking session and tea party with hannah or a nice relaxing movie with geoff.. but the thought is somewhat tempting.
last night i had a dream that instead of going to florence today like i had originally planned, i flew home for a just a day, it was so odd, i had to explain to all the people that i saw that i had given up and come back because the fast life of italy was too much for me. when i woke up i decided that even if it was an option i would not go home!
today my plans for the day are to pack up my HUGE back and lugg it all the way into the center of Rome where i have a hostel booked and i will drop it all off and set out for the colosseum and the surrounding areas with all the ruins. i went at night the other day and it was absolutely gorgeous, one of my travel buddies, a art history student from vancouver washington suggested that i go and kinda follow around a tour group so i can get some information about the sights, without having to pay some rediculous fee.
after all of that im gonna try to meet up with a girl from the group i will be studying with in siena, and maybe gorging myself on more gelato! my favorite flavor thus far is a chocolate hazelnut nutella like gelato mixed with a little vanilla with chocolate chunks, im gonna come back from italy weighting about 30 pounds more!
lets see what else i can talk about, i meet a really wonderful girl from brisben australia, we actually met on the train from the airport and discovered that we were staying in the same hostel. we then spent almost every minute for 3 days together traveling about, it was such a perfect coincidence that she was traveling alone AND staying in the same place as me. ohhh i have to check out in just 20 minutes, i better go! but i miss everyone and i will post more later when i have more consistant access to the internet. wish me luck!
i spent all of yesterday relaxing by the pool and just having a down day because for the last few days i have been HIKING all over Rome! I have covered the city many times and seen probably more than the normal tourist sees in just a few days. its been amazing but absolutely draining. im almost counting the days untill i will be able to have a constant place to stay and people to talk to that i know speak english. this last hostel i stayed at was very spread out in a camping cabin sort of a set up and its been difficult to meet too many people so it will be nice to return to the heart of Rome today.
my mind is all over the place and it would be impossible to write all the things that are swirling around in it right now. i have come to the conclusion that traveling alone may have not been the greatest idea for me, its so overwelming and i miss so many people! its hard to say if i would give up the sights of Italy for a cupcake baking session and tea party with hannah or a nice relaxing movie with geoff.. but the thought is somewhat tempting.
last night i had a dream that instead of going to florence today like i had originally planned, i flew home for a just a day, it was so odd, i had to explain to all the people that i saw that i had given up and come back because the fast life of italy was too much for me. when i woke up i decided that even if it was an option i would not go home!
today my plans for the day are to pack up my HUGE back and lugg it all the way into the center of Rome where i have a hostel booked and i will drop it all off and set out for the colosseum and the surrounding areas with all the ruins. i went at night the other day and it was absolutely gorgeous, one of my travel buddies, a art history student from vancouver washington suggested that i go and kinda follow around a tour group so i can get some information about the sights, without having to pay some rediculous fee.
after all of that im gonna try to meet up with a girl from the group i will be studying with in siena, and maybe gorging myself on more gelato! my favorite flavor thus far is a chocolate hazelnut nutella like gelato mixed with a little vanilla with chocolate chunks, im gonna come back from italy weighting about 30 pounds more!
lets see what else i can talk about, i meet a really wonderful girl from brisben australia, we actually met on the train from the airport and discovered that we were staying in the same hostel. we then spent almost every minute for 3 days together traveling about, it was such a perfect coincidence that she was traveling alone AND staying in the same place as me. ohhh i have to check out in just 20 minutes, i better go! but i miss everyone and i will post more later when i have more consistant access to the internet. wish me luck!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
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