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TABLE OF CONTENTS beautiful art
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beautiful people
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beautiful buildings
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The Art “... it was like walking into one of my art history books.”
Bernini’s “Medusa”
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Today we visited the ex palace now museum in Villa Borghese. This museum had the most recognizable paintings and sculpture I’ve seen yet, it was like walking into one of my art history books. So many Bernini sculptures and so many Caravaggio paintings it was just so surreal seeing these in person. These Bernini sculptures are the most beautiful works of art I have had the privilege of seeing. By far my favorite Bernini is of Apollo and Daphne. This tells of a
nymph relentlessly pursued by a Cupid struck Apollo who in avoiding her rape, prays to her father, a river god, to turn her into a laurel tree This statue shows her mid transformation, mouth agape with surprise and horror, while Apollo nearly has her in his grasp. You can see her arms turn to branches, her feet into roots, her hair into leaves. It was easily 85 degrees in this room but I had chills. These statues are highly emotionally charged I think we all left a little misty eyed. 7
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The first Bernini that you see in Villa Borghese is The Rape of Persephone. This gorgeous sculpture depicts Hades kidnapping and struggling Persephone and dragging her back to his domain of the Underworld. At his side is his three headed dog Cerberus. Bernini was known for creating such dramatic, almost in motion sculpture. His handling of muscles, hair, and facial expression is unmatched. Persephone has tears and a horrified expression along with life like flesh where Hades has her in his grasp. Bernini handled the marble in such a way that the flesh looks supple and life like.
This particular myth is how the Greeks explained the occurance of winter. Whenever Persephone is in hell her mother, the harvest goddess Demeter, freezes the lands and nothing is able to grow and live. When her daughter is returned she allows for spring and summer, Demeter thaws the land and allows for a bountiful harvest. 9
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There also was a Bernini’s David which is unique in that it shows David in action all wound up to slay Goliath. He’s pensively biting his lip and twisting his body. You can swear that he’s actually about to move. David is from the very famous biblical underdog story and is a popular subject of paintings and sculpture. This may be the most kinetic sculpture of David in existence, something that Bernini was incredibly talented at. 10
I’m always trying to wrap my head around the fact that these items are possibly some of the oldest man made things around and that they are way older than my entire country. I’m also always impressed with the way marble is treated to look more like cloth or flesh.
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“This place is beautiful. The food is great, the ancient things are breathtaking. There’s amazing sculptures everywhere.”
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The People
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Tessie Greiner 20
Madison Powell
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Giorgia Cardella
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Sara Brown
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The Places
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“It’s so big and beautiful and ancient and mysterious here. There’s nothing like it at home.”
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Florence First off let me start by saying that I LOVE Rome. It’s big, beautiful, and full of surprises but so is Florence and then some. We stayed over night in a hotel (The Hotel California to be exact) and I fell in love with this place. The streets of Florence are significantly easier to navigate and a lot cleaner than Rome’s. You can actually walk wherever you’re going without taking your life into your own hands. The architecture is vibrant and unusual compared to the ancient looking Roman buildings. I loved it. The first day we visited a few churches including one that housed the remains of Coisimo Medici and the famous artist Donatello. We then proceeded to climb the Duomo which was over
450 steps to the top which overlooked the entire city of Florence. It was well worth the aching legs and crowds. We also happened to be there during the festival of San Giovani (St. John) who is the patron saint of Florence. There were parades with people dressed in Renaissance era clothes and later in the evening there was a spectacular fireworks display that lasted nearly 45 minutes.
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Churches So today I stalked the art history classes like a lion with a Canon Rebel XS on the hunt for good pictures of beautiful churches. And those did not disappoint. Walking into each of the four basilicas today was absolutely awe inspiring. I’m not religious but I can see how people felt God in these things. You feel so small and absolutely breathless. 32
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