Our group started the day off with a trip to Vatican City for two presentations. The first was a very interesting report given by Alex about the Piazza di San Pietro (St. Peter's Square), which was designed by Bernini and commemorates the place where St. Peter was martyered (his bones are beneath the Basilica). In the middle is an Egyptian obelisk, flanked by two fountains and colonnades all around, with St. Peter's Basilica as the focal point. Bernini's Baroque design focused on creating a unique experience for the viewer, and his use of shapes and symmetry definitely achieved this.
The grand Piazza di San Pietro-this picture does not even capture it fully. The fountains would be on the left and the right, and the colonnades that you see would be wrapping around the outside in a big circle.
Alex enlightening us about Bernini's Piazza di San Pietro.
After spending some time outside in the Piazza, we went inside the Basilica for another presentation. C'Havala taught us all about Bernini's additions to the church: the bronze baldachinno in the center and the marble statues in the niches surrounding the baldachinno. These were both commissioned by Urban VIII, a member of the Barberini family-therefore, the family's signature symbol of the bee can be seen all over the baldachinno. We have been learning a lot in Art Histrory about patronage and how those who sponser artworks usually have some personal motive in mind, which this presentation definitely tied into.
C'Havala eloquently presenting in the Basilica
Inside of St. Peter's Basicila-you can see the baldacchino up front and center.
After a break for lunch and some down time, we headed over to the Rome Center to hear the last two independent project presentations. The first, by Alexandra, Yogesh, Aaron, and C'Havala, covered the life and paintings of Caravaggio, a revolutionary and controversial artist. The group showed us selections of his work and discussed the history, style, meaning, and controversy of each. Next we heard from Maggie, Mayme, Alina, and Melanie about Bernini's "The Ecstasy of St. Theresa." We learned about Theresa's life, the commission for the sculpture, the details of the sculpture itself, and the church surrounding the sculpture. They were both quite interesting and sparked some lively discussion.
When the presentations were finished, we all moved down a floor to Mona's apartment for aperitivo (an Italian version of happy hour, with snack foods and drinks-usually eaten as a precursor to dinner) to celebrate being finished with our independent projects. It was BYOB, and Mona provided meats, cheeses, bread, desserts... needless to say it was delicious, and I think it served as more than just appetizers for most of us!
Today marks the one-week countdown until our program ends-next Thursday is the last day of instruction. It will be another fun and busy week to look forward too!
The grand Piazza di San Pietro-this picture does not even capture it fully. The fountains would be on the left and the right, and the colonnades that you see would be wrapping around the outside in a big circle.
Alex enlightening us about Bernini's Piazza di San Pietro.
C'Havala eloquently presenting in the Basilica
Inside of St. Peter's Basicila-you can see the baldacchino up front and center.
Today marks the one-week countdown until our program ends-next Thursday is the last day of instruction. It will be another fun and busy week to look forward too!
No comments:
Post a Comment