i've spent the past 3 days meandering through the streets and bridges of possibly the most gorgeous city i have ever had the pleasure to be in. venice! ah. we arrived wednesday and as we stepped out of the train station into the hot venitian sun, we were greeted by a winding green canal with motor boats bustling through. we took a water taxi to our hotel and went to the accademia and the guggenheim! which was so exciting. i've gained an entirely new appreciation for religious art. but it's nearly all you see here, because you know, italy's got some crazy history or something. ha. but the guggenheim was almost a breath of fresh air. peggy guggenheim's collection was astounding. we saw some jackson pollacks, some picasso, a duchamp. so many others too.
thursday, we had drawing in the piazza di san marco. i drew some gondolas along the shore. venice was so incredibly touristy, especially san marco. florence is pretty touristy too, but i couldn't believe how many native english speakers i would hear just in passing. silly. i love how, in venice, there are stairs that lead directly into canals in front of people's homes and businesses. i also like how there are no noisy cars and scooters like there are in firenze. i think venice was definately my favorite city here thus far. firenze is wonderful too, but venice was just absolutely incredible.
we painted in the most beautiful location after lunch. it was along this canal in this neighborhood. and the reflections of the buildings in the water was breathtaking. in one of our lectures at CAPA, we learned about how venetians drew a lot of their inspiration for their architecture from the reflections in the canals. lots of organically shaped mosaic marble. i thought that was really interesting. i'll post pictures of my work on facebook or here when i get back maybe. i'm pretty happy with most of it. which is a really nice feeling. during our painting critique, this little cute old italian couple came out of their apartment and stepped right into our crit. and they asked where we are from and just talk to us for a minute. we all giggled a little uncomfortably, but it was pretty funny. the wife was a painter too apparently! i thought that was neat. i wonder if i'd be able to find any of her work. hmm. she lives in the most perfect place to be a painter. wow.
yesterday, we didn't have to catch our train until 4:45 so we had some time to walk around and shop finally. venice is famous for their glass and they sell incredible glass jewelry and art everywhere. but we found this huge market that had the same stuff for a lot less money. and i bought some gifts and a necklace and a glass wine stopper for myself. the shopping is a lot better in venice, i think. but everything there seems to be a lot more expensive than in florence. even food. kind of ridiculous.
today! we went to the accademia here in firenze and saw beautiful paintings and sculptures and of course michelangelo's actual david. that was so awesome. i snuck a picture of it. it's so huge. and just, incredible the amount of detail that he included. it was really cool to be able to walk around it and not just see it in photographs. i also loved michelangelo's slave sculptures. the ones that are unfinished and look like people trapped within the stone. that was so beautiful. you can see all the gouges from his chisel. so cool. there was also this musical instrument museum attached to it and that was neat too. i took pictures of the percussion instruments to show my brosef. i think he would have thought they were neat.
i can't believe i only have about a week left here. it's gone by so fast. i'm going to go to rome next weekend with dan kuhn, i think. because he's coming to visit from geneva. and i'm pretty excited for that.
i have so many photos to upload when i get home. it's going to be ridiculous.
oy, i don't wish to do homework today. i have to do a painting from last weekend and a drawing from this weekend. ooohh well.
ciao!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
bird poop
i've nearly missed being shat on by birds on three separate occasions today. gross. this girl on my trip actually had her head pooped on before we had class today. it was so bad. ugh.
so i was planning on going to rome this weekend. but unfortunately, i don't think i am anymore. i'm pretty bummed. but we were trying to plan it on such short notice. and i'm not sure i can afford it. plus, i would kind of like to explore firenze a bit more. and also, it will give me a good excuse to come back to italy so i can go. yessss. i might regret it. but for some reason, i just didn't feel it this weekend. there are a few other people sticking around too, so it won't be so bad.
yesterday we had a day trip to bologna, and it raaaaineeddd allll daaaay. it was kind of miserable. we were soaked even though we all had umbrellas. ella ella. that stupid song gets stuck in my head every time it rains. which it has been doing a lot lately. it's pretty weird weather for this time of year too, i guess. global warming! ah.
we saw a couple museums, including this one with all this stuff by giorgio morandi. which i loved. we also went in this church that had these terra cotta sculptures that we couldn't take pictures of, but they were amazing. they depicted some story from the bible and they were a little larger than lifesize. and they were fired all in one piece! and they were perfect and not damaged at all. apparently they were unburied that way. i'm not sure how old they are. maybe 15th or 16th century? no idea. i'm guessing. they were gorgeous.
today we hiked this ridiculous hilly and stair-filled journey to this incredible enormous old cemetary. it was so intense. when we got to the top, we could see the whole city of firenze. it was gorgeous. i took pictures, don't worry. we had drawing there, and i drew this building where they have the headstones on the side. plaques, i guess? for the deceased and they'd stack the caskets inside. plus they had graves everywhere. it was a little unreal. so different than american cemetaries. lots of statues too.
i wish i could post pictures on here. i don't really have a way to upload them. i'm not even sure i brought the cord. i'll post them all when i get back though. my trip is almost halfway done! ahh. i can't even believe that. i don't wanna think about it haha.
okay, well CAPA is about to close. and i have to go home and make dinner for some friends that are coming over.
hope everyone is doing well!
ciao!
so i was planning on going to rome this weekend. but unfortunately, i don't think i am anymore. i'm pretty bummed. but we were trying to plan it on such short notice. and i'm not sure i can afford it. plus, i would kind of like to explore firenze a bit more. and also, it will give me a good excuse to come back to italy so i can go. yessss. i might regret it. but for some reason, i just didn't feel it this weekend. there are a few other people sticking around too, so it won't be so bad.
yesterday we had a day trip to bologna, and it raaaaineeddd allll daaaay. it was kind of miserable. we were soaked even though we all had umbrellas. ella ella. that stupid song gets stuck in my head every time it rains. which it has been doing a lot lately. it's pretty weird weather for this time of year too, i guess. global warming! ah.
we saw a couple museums, including this one with all this stuff by giorgio morandi. which i loved. we also went in this church that had these terra cotta sculptures that we couldn't take pictures of, but they were amazing. they depicted some story from the bible and they were a little larger than lifesize. and they were fired all in one piece! and they were perfect and not damaged at all. apparently they were unburied that way. i'm not sure how old they are. maybe 15th or 16th century? no idea. i'm guessing. they were gorgeous.
today we hiked this ridiculous hilly and stair-filled journey to this incredible enormous old cemetary. it was so intense. when we got to the top, we could see the whole city of firenze. it was gorgeous. i took pictures, don't worry. we had drawing there, and i drew this building where they have the headstones on the side. plaques, i guess? for the deceased and they'd stack the caskets inside. plus they had graves everywhere. it was a little unreal. so different than american cemetaries. lots of statues too.
i wish i could post pictures on here. i don't really have a way to upload them. i'm not even sure i brought the cord. i'll post them all when i get back though. my trip is almost halfway done! ahh. i can't even believe that. i don't wanna think about it haha.
okay, well CAPA is about to close. and i have to go home and make dinner for some friends that are coming over.
hope everyone is doing well!
ciao!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
week one
ciao!
i decided to create a blog for while i'm in italy. we'll see how this goes.
the first week has been a little hectic, to say the least. we nearly missed our plane from paris to pisa and about half of the luggage got left in paris. including mine. so needless to say, the first three days were a little rough. we only had drawing class, because all of our paints/collaging materials were still days behind us.
i tried to wash my clothes after the second day sans luggage, and then i couldn't get the washer open when i thought the clothes were done. we don't have a dryer, just a clothesline. dryers aren't really very common. and so we had to get our neighbor, maria to help with the washing machine. which happens to be all in italian. some background on maria: she is a wonderful old italian woman who speaks absolutely no english and she just speaks to us in italian and we just sort of look at each other and smile and shrug. we learned a little italian before we left, and we're picking up on more, but interactions with maria are always so silly. so she attempts to fiddle with the washing machine and we end up hanging my clothes up to dry even though they were soaking wet. and of course they weren't dry the next day. oy. it was so frustrating.
regardless of air france's mishaps, we began to take in our surroundings. this city is absolutely gorgeous. and now that clean clothes and art materials are safe in our adorable apartment, i do not want to leave! everything about the city is beautiful. our apartment is on the south side of the city, across the river. we live in a nice little neighborhood a block or two away from the boboli gardens.
we've had classes at the ponte vecchio, some etruscan and roman ruins in fiesole and in some piazas that i don't remember the name of right now. hah there are always people that come up behind us and watch us work. it's kind of cool.
also, italian boys are so ridiculous. it's a normal part of the culture for them to make comments towards women or just watch their butts as they walk past. a lot of times, boys will come up to us in markets and while we're in class and try to talk to us, but sometimes you just kind of have to ignore them.
the food is incredible! i'm happy to be in a vegetarian friendly country and i'm not sure i'll ever get sick of eating panini with tomatoes and mozzarella. all the vegetables are so fresh and they kind of put american vegetables to shame. oh well.
this weekend we checked out some incredible churches with amazing art that i've only seen in art history books. it's unreal to see them in person.
okay, this has been pretty long. so i think i'll wrap it up and save some more adventures for another post.
arrivederci!
i decided to create a blog for while i'm in italy. we'll see how this goes.
the first week has been a little hectic, to say the least. we nearly missed our plane from paris to pisa and about half of the luggage got left in paris. including mine. so needless to say, the first three days were a little rough. we only had drawing class, because all of our paints/collaging materials were still days behind us.
i tried to wash my clothes after the second day sans luggage, and then i couldn't get the washer open when i thought the clothes were done. we don't have a dryer, just a clothesline. dryers aren't really very common. and so we had to get our neighbor, maria to help with the washing machine. which happens to be all in italian. some background on maria: she is a wonderful old italian woman who speaks absolutely no english and she just speaks to us in italian and we just sort of look at each other and smile and shrug. we learned a little italian before we left, and we're picking up on more, but interactions with maria are always so silly. so she attempts to fiddle with the washing machine and we end up hanging my clothes up to dry even though they were soaking wet. and of course they weren't dry the next day. oy. it was so frustrating.
regardless of air france's mishaps, we began to take in our surroundings. this city is absolutely gorgeous. and now that clean clothes and art materials are safe in our adorable apartment, i do not want to leave! everything about the city is beautiful. our apartment is on the south side of the city, across the river. we live in a nice little neighborhood a block or two away from the boboli gardens.
we've had classes at the ponte vecchio, some etruscan and roman ruins in fiesole and in some piazas that i don't remember the name of right now. hah there are always people that come up behind us and watch us work. it's kind of cool.
also, italian boys are so ridiculous. it's a normal part of the culture for them to make comments towards women or just watch their butts as they walk past. a lot of times, boys will come up to us in markets and while we're in class and try to talk to us, but sometimes you just kind of have to ignore them.
the food is incredible! i'm happy to be in a vegetarian friendly country and i'm not sure i'll ever get sick of eating panini with tomatoes and mozzarella. all the vegetables are so fresh and they kind of put american vegetables to shame. oh well.
this weekend we checked out some incredible churches with amazing art that i've only seen in art history books. it's unreal to see them in person.
okay, this has been pretty long. so i think i'll wrap it up and save some more adventures for another post.
arrivederci!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)