Week three already!?

This week I found myself beginning my studio project, and coming up with initial design concepts!  I'm pretty excited for both, but very prepared to see it all change over the next few weeks.  This week also brought the first stabs at watercolor!  I'm pretty frustrated at the moment, but I came on this trip to get out of my comfort zone and really learn something new, so not to worry.

This week we also went on an excellent walking tour exploring the world of the Renaissance (and to some extent the Baroque) with Jeffery Blanchard.  I was also pleasantly surprised to enter the only Gothic style church in Rome, Santa Maria sopra Minerva.  The church, despite being in the Gothic style, is a treasure trove of art work from the Renaissance and Baroque, including a marble statue of Jesus by Michelangelo.  This alone was worth the entire trip, it gave me goose bumbs to stand so near a work by someone I consider a hero.

But alas there was far more to see including the breathtaking Il Gesu, Sant'Ignazio, and the Angelica Library (pictured) which I swear had to be the inspiration for the library in the Beast's castle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  We concluded the week by visiting the ancient port city of Ostia Antica, which was an incredible site with some incredibly well preserved Roman ruins, including vaulted ceilings, statues, and incredible mosaic floors.  That afternoon we took a train into Modern Ostia and went to the beach!  It was a good end to a slower paced week that still offered amazing learning opportunities.  I'm truly privileged to be here.

(Sketch of the headless statue of Hercules, Ostia Antica)