Buona sera! Good evening!

I thought I would give a little update and let you know that my pictures from the previous weekend trip to Pisa and Lucca are finally posted on my Shutterfly webpage. As an overview, I am taking Oil Painting and Fresco M/W and Art History: Michelangelo to Bernini T/Th. My Italian course is all four days of the week –my professor for that class is funny, but also very challenging. I feel like I am learning a lot, but at the same time not nearly enough. Here’s an update on my other classes thus far:

Oil Painting
I have been working on my first couple of compositions for oil painting. We are required to work with black and white on canvas, being tested and stretched in our skills of proportion, tone, and composition. We are assigned to work both in the studio, from a still life, and at home, from a black and white photograph. In the studio, I am working on a still life of a dragon, and at home I am working from a photograph of eyes. It has been a challenge to get acquainted with this new medium, which I have had no previous experience with whatsoever.

Working with oil paints is rather fun, and much more like drawing than I had originally anticipated. I am continually discovering new ways of working with the brushes and experimenting with different consistencies of oils. This class is definitely a challenge to my patience! I have to wait, sometimes days, between each layer of paint to allow the oil to dry enough where it won’t wipe away or smear. I must also be very careful with how I use my brushes and blend color so as to not smear or wipe away previously applied shades of color. I have found detail work to be especially difficult, but it is a challenge that I am willing and excited to meet! I am interested to see how my style and skill evolve as I become more comfortable and experiences with the art of oil painting.

The Art of Buon Fresco
In Fresco class we have gone through some of the historical background of Fresco painting, have been introduced to the chemical and technical process of creating Fresco, and have been given the materials we will be working with.

Creating Fresco:
Materials: Trowel, brushes and powdered paint (white, green, yellow, black, orange)
Chemical process of creating the mortar for Fresco that occurs when the lime and sand are combined and then slowly exposed to oxygen:
C2CO3 + 900 C => C2O + CO2
C2O + H2O => C2(OH)2 (or lime) when applied to plaster
C2(OH)2 – H2O + CO2 => C2O3
So, in essence, the above reaction is describing the chemical process of that is necessary to create the base for creating a Fresco. What is needed initially is Limestone, or calcium carbonate. This substance is converted to lime through a process of heating. Next, water is added to the lime and mixed with sand to create plaster, or mortar (which is what we do manually), applied to a surface, and then allowed to dry slightly. This is the surface that the artist uses to paint his or her Fresco. As you can see from the final reaction, once the pigment is applied, and the surface dries, the mortar turns back to the chemical composition of limestone.

As the mortar (Lime + sand + water) dries, the water escapes from the inner layers of the surface and the pigment in sucked into the surface. Once the mortar hardens, the pigment is permanently embedded within the surface and cannot be washed away by water, as any other method of painting is subject to. This process is what makes Fresco painting so unique and long lasting, making it possible for us to view works of art created centuries ago!

The manual process is as follows:
Saturate the textured surface with water and allow it to soak in prior to applying the mortar, or the base layer for Fresco. Mix two parts lime to two parts sand, creating the mortar. Apply the mortar to the surface in a light, fluid motion. It is important to be sure not to press down with the trowel because it will squeeze out the moisture and the mortar will dry out and not adhere to the surface. Let the mortar dry.

Next, Prepare a cartoon, or a sketch of the image, on a sheet of vellum, or tracing paper. Poke pinholes in the opposite side of the cartoon, following the traced lines. Create a synopia, or ‘sepia print,’ of the cartoon on the dried mortar. Secure the cartoon (rough side up) onto the tile and pat with compacted red-powder-dust. The dust transfers through the holes in the cartoon onto the surface, creating a pointillist outline. Then, trace the outline with a damp brush, to gain more of a holistic perspective on the look of the composition prior to transferring the cartoon onto the Fresco surface, and have the opportunity to make changes to the cartoon, if necessary.

The next step is to mix one part lime to one part sand, creating the second Fresco layer, called the intonico. This mixture is applied solely to sections that can be completed in the allotted time of two to three hours. The mortar is slowed to dry enough so that the brush does not penetrate the surface, and then the synopia is, once again, applied to the surface, in the same manner as previously discussed.

The ‘cut of the day’ is where the artist decides to end the painting. This decision has to be made carefully; because when the mortar is ‘cut’ a subtle line is visible. The mortar is ‘cut’ with a palate knife, which follows the border of the image at an angle, to make application of the next day’s mortar smooth and crisp.

Our first assignment is to work from an existing image in Fresco, and create our own image on a tile. We have gotten as far as creating the synopia on the base mortar, and have prepared the top layer of mortar for beginning our Fresco painting on Monday. I have found Fresco to be a very long, complex process that is very meticulous and does not permit mistakes. This class is definitely a test of patience and perseverance. I am excited to continue on with this process and, in turn, gain a deeper perspective on the artistic process behind the frescos that decorate the walls, ceilings, and buildings of Florence and Italy!

Michelangelo’s David
Today I went to see Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell' Accademia!!
Upon entering the Accademia (which, sadly did not allow photographs) there were a handful of unfinished sculptures done by Michelangelo for Pope Julius’s tomb (which also went unfinished). These were SO remarkable and emotion-filled, even in their unfinished state. These figures are known as ‘prigione,’ prisoners or slaves. They seem to be either in the process of becoming engulfed by the marble or breaking out of it. They are idealized and powerful, effectively illustrating the skill and imagination of Michelangelo, as well as the incredible task of creating sculpted art. It was a wonderful, eye-opening thought process to have churning in my head while approaching The David.

David is breathtaking!!! He towers at 516 cm in height in marble magnificence. This Biblical figure took Michelangelo a mere two years to complete, being commissioned for the Opera della Duomo. It is amazing to see such incredible beauty and perfection of the idealized human form –sculpted out of one piece of marble!! What a feat of accomplishment—truly illustrating Michelangelo’s skill and expertise and placing him in a place of high prominence as a sculpture artist.

David is depicted in a unique manner—still deliberated by many—but I believe that it is in the moments prior to his victory over the Philistine giant, Goliath. 1 Samuel is such an important book to read prior to seeing The David, in order to gain perspective on the context of the situation. I am SO glad that I had read it through! It gave me much more depth into interpreting the emotion and expression in David’s body language, musculature, and above all, eyes. It is so incredible to watch the expression of his emotion change as you walk around the statue. Standing at an angle to his face, David seems to be wearing a serene expression of determination and thoughtful contemplation. As you continue around to a frontal view his expression turns to worrisome anger. Finally when you come to direct view of his eyes, it seems that he holds all of these emotions, and then some—all within his fixed gaze; fear, worry, anger, intimidation, boldness, conviction, strength, agility, uncertainty, yet confidence— all encompassing the weight of his impending act of heroism, motivated, directed, strengthened and upheld by the direction and will of God. The plaque next to the statue doesn’t go into the Biblical context of this act and certainly doesn’t attribute David’s strength of character and heart to God, who indeed is the true source of David’s will to act. Knowing the intimate relationship between David and God, and the unyielding faith, trust, and reliance in God’s ability to provide allows you to see so much more into this masterpiece than just ‘a guy from the Bible with a nice body.’ I feel so blessed to be able to have viewed The David in this way, and I only wish more people could have the will or desire to understand the expression of the Spirit within this work. The David is all and more of what people claim it to be!!

It’s 5:45 and I just got back from a ‘Chocolate Fest’ going on in La Palazzo de Santa Croce. There are about twenty tents set up featuring every kind of chocolate creation imaginable!! Melissa and I got a $2 E small cup of hot chocolate –which was amazing, but SUPER rich!! It was basically melted pure, authentic chocolate –bitter but completely wonderful!! The cup was only about two inches deep, but I could only finish ¾ of it before I got a sugar headache –which I still have, but it’s worth it!! = ) Chocolate is a wonderful lift to the spirit!! I also bought some chocolate covered almonds—which I will be savoring like gold because I was surprised by the price—but it is authentic, real chocolate—and I’m only in Italy once, right!? ; ) haha.

Tomorrow morning I head off to Chianti with a group from the Institute and two of my roommates, Sarah and Catherine. We will spend the day touring the serene Tuscan landscape, strolling through lush vineyards, and enjoying true, authentic, Italian cuisine! Saturday, I will be spending the day in Sienna and enjoy a guided tour including Church of San Domenico, Cathedral, Piazza Del Campo, and Palazzo Pubblico. We will then depart to San Gimignano and receive a guided tour including Collegiata and see frescos by Barna da Siena and visit Church of Sant’Agostino.

I am SO excited!! Pray for beautiful weather!!

Well, Ciao for now!!

Mollie