Family Fun with the Farnese

Palazzo Corsini (it’s not the Farnesina, but it’s across the street!) Well our morning began at the Farnesina, the ‘little Farnese’ villa on the Trastevere side of the river, right next door to John Cabot University. Fortunately for our apartment, we were able to meet the rest of the group on site (rather than crossing [...]

Read Full Post »

It’s showtime!

Irises from the Villa d’Este WHEW! As of 16h30 this afternoon, the site presentation I’ve been stressing out over all week was over! Done, finished, kaput – the best feeling in the world. The whole thing ended up taking almost three hours – including my formal presentation and discussion, and an hour for everyone to [...]

Read Full Post »

Roman Rooftops and the Other Michelangelo*

Today was unbelievable, but I’ll be honest, it had its moments. Pro: We started off the day with our best discussion yet – oriented around Caravaggio’s Bacchus (1595) , Amor Vincit Omnia or “Love Conquers All” (1602-03) and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew (1599-1600). Con: we had class twice today, and our discussion lasted forever. [...]

Read Full Post »

Musei Vaticani

View of St. Peter’s from the Pinacoteca Okay, the Vatican Museums – as much as I disdain them for treating art and history as material assets – have a few things going for them. First of all: sheer size. Holy cow (literally?) – so big! Second, the most awesomest stuff ever. EVER. Just look. And [...]

Read Full Post »

The Gesù-its and a return to S. Cecilia

Pink tea rose from the atrium at S. Cecilia in Trastevere Today we had another long-ish day in the field – we met at the Gesù to discuss both the original 16th century structure and facade, designed by Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta between 1568-1575. The Gesù, used as an architectural template [...]

Read Full Post »

Optics and Illusions

No picture today, I know, I know, but I have a nifty video instead! Dr. Charles Falco, professor of Optical Science and (Condensed Matter) Physics at the University of Arizona, came to speak this evening on the subject of Optics in the History of Art, the use of lenses in (Flemish) Renaissance art. I was [...]

Read Full Post »