Siena

The beautiful, striped Duomo di Siena.

A Day in Siena (and a Spoleto Palio)

This past Saturday we traveled to Siena.  The two sites that the students toured as a group were the Duomo, Santa Maria Assunta, and the government building, Palazzo Pubblico.  These sites accentuated the secular and sacred balance that permeated the Sienese Republic in the Renaissance.    Throughout the week the Arts and Architecture and Arts and Ideas classes discussed the importance of this city in the early Renaissance throughout the week.  

The Duomo in Sienna boasts work by Donatello, Michelangelo, Pisano, and Pinturicchio, among others.  The students were familiar with these artists through their recent work in the above mentioned classes.  Mary Beth Immediatta, Arts and Ideas teacher, wrote the following about the students' work this week:

Our second week in Spoleto was a busy one for students in Art and Ideas as students continued to refine their aesthetic sensibility, began reading selections from Dante Alighieri’s masterwork and continued to apply a philosophical aesthetic, and historical lens to the towns to which they travelled.

On Monday the Art and Ideas class met in San Domenico, a church around the corner from the school.  A copy of Raphael’s last work, The Transfiguration which hangs on a side wall, provided students with an  opportunity to discuss aesthetic elements of a work initially completed by one of the great artists of the  Italian Renaissance.  As students discussed the work from perspectives of both form and content, they were unfazed by the stature of the original painter and offered their evaluations, commenting on many of the same disparate elements that have been identified by and have caused such disagreement among art critics for the last several centuries.

Just as students were gaining a new found confidence in their ability to render aesthetic  judgment, at  the midway point of their time in Italy, the course focus shifted somewhat as they began a new journey, accompanying Dante the pilgrim on the journey he undertook in the middle of his life, a journey recorded by Dante the poet from exile. For the remainder of their time in Art and Ideas, students will explore various Cantos from Commedia, examining the architecture of hell, suggesting alternate 21st century orderings of evil and remaining attentive to the sights, sounds, smells presented by Dante the pilgrim and Dante the poet, using the same sensory approaches with this great masterwork that they have applied using town as text throughout their course of study.

Palazzo Pubblico (public palace) that sits on the Piazza del Campo in Siena.

Art and Ideas also continues to provide students with space for reflection and synthesis, with an opportunity to integrate their experiences as they travel with the work they are doing in their  major classes, and with the opportunity to link centuries old primary sources with their own experience of Italian towns.  Prior to their trip to Siena, students read selections from Boccaccio describing the horrors of the Black Death.  Whether standing before the unfinished nave of the duomo, peering at Pisano’s  pulpit or reflecting on the Massacre of the Innocents embedded in the marble floor in Siena’s cathedral, students experienced a deeper understanding of Boccacio’s words.

The Arts and Architecture class focused on the structures in Siena.  The central square, the Piazza del Campo, was constructed by the leaders of the Republic - the Nove - in the early Renaissance.  The Palazzo Pubblico served as the home and office of these nine leaders.  Beautiful frescoes by Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers still adorn the walls of this building.  Alison and Whitney explained the importance of these works of art to the students within the Palazzo.

The far end of the Piazza del Campo.  Fellow, Rush, stands in the center.

On Friday, the Contrade of Siena were explained to the students.  The city was (and still is) divided into seventeen districts, Contrade.  Every year these groups participate in a no-holds-barred horse race in the Piazza del Campo.  On Friday, the students were divided up into ten Contrade themselves for a weekend competition (a Spoleto Palio).  The festivities kicked off in Siena as the Contrade found their respective districts within the city, snapped selfless, purchased colorful flags, and prepared for the evening's race (palio).

The istrice (hedgehogs) pose in front of the Palazzo Pubblico.

The whole group (with some contrade flags) pose in front of the Palazzo.

Annie, of the chiocciola (snail) contrada.

A domani!

Writers at Work: A Single Metaphor

The writers, up at La Rocca

The Writers at Work

We've reached the half-way point!

For the past few weeks, this writers have been discussing and working on developing an authentic voice.  They have read different pieces selected by Jan, written pieces themselves, and critiqued each others work both as a group and in individual conferences with Jan.  Below, are Dr. Guffin's words about the week and his photos.

 July 25, 2014   The writers have been  busily acquiring a stockpile of resources from the local scenery and the local citizenry.  This week, we made two major treks, one which took us down through New Spoleto to a tiny public park where the neighborhood gathers daily in the evening and where the writers could observe Spoletini of every age socializing together.  Their journal entries from this segment were rich and varied enough that we are planning to read all nine of them at the next Performance Class.  From the park, we ventured on to the Train Station, distinguished by an enormous sculpture by Henri Moore, then to the town’s largest grocery store, not nearly the size of an American Walmart, but large enough to carry household and personal items beyond simple food products.

Part of the group writing at the base of Spoleto.

Our next major venture was to the home of Juan Carlo Menotti, where the students not only visited the studio where he composed much of his music, and where he insisted the window be open in order for his music to move from his studio to the world at large.  From there, the writers climbed 185 steps to the top of La Rocca, which was closed when we arrived, but which didn’t phase the writers.  The theme for this journey was “perspective,” and viewing the world from the Aqueduct and the top of the castle proved to be sufficiently instructive to elicit  some excellent journal responses from the students.

Elizabeth journaling atop La Rocca.

Bee, atop La Rocca.

Victoria and India writing on the aqueduct.

Kas writing on the aqueduct.  La Rocca in the background.

The writers have submitted one finished piece and are now working on their second, a poem, essay or story which is built around a single metaphor.

Tomorrow we will travel to Siena, our second-to-last excursion for the program.

Beach!!!

Yesterday we spent a much needed day relaxing on the Adriatic coastline.  We traveled to San Benedetto in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche, where students were free to spend their day however they liked.  Students took advantage of all that beachfront had to offer: swimming, jumping off of rocks, lounging in the sun, a faculty vs. students volleyball game, riding a bicycle made for four, and frequenting the local cafes.  Please enjoy the following pictures!

The Photography Class Hits the Town

The Photography class has traveled the streets of Spoleto meeting and photographing artisans and craftsman. Serafino reminds the students to “Not follow the subject but rather try to follow the light”. He states, “We should always start from the real, even if we force the reality a little bit with a gentle manipulation.”

The students were taught to take shots at different angles.

Serafino’s son, Olma Amato joined the photography class to share his professional photographic works. He is a photographic artist who takes his original landscapes and old photographs of people and melds them together in an exquisite surreal photo. His use of Photoshop impressed the students greatly.

Serafino instructs the students to review and reflect on their compositions.

Photography student, Annie, had the opportunity to try her hand at glass beading.

Ciao for now!

Visual Arts Update

After a week of working with direct observation, visible progress has been made, particularly in the morning gesture drawing sessions where the students take turns modeling for each other. As of yesterday they have been working with the full range of drawing tools that they’ll be using in the morning, which include vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, sanguine conté and erasers. With these materials they are developing their visual acuity and producing quick sketches that demonstrate their understanding of line, value, weight and volume while capturing a loose, expressive and natural representation of their subjects. The progress in the morning session is quite evident from one day to the next.

The progress in the evening sessions has been more gradual, probably due to the fact that the students approach their work more apprehensively because of their desire to ‘get it right’ the first time around (which is normal). The goal for these next few days is to maintain a loose and organic feel in their work while preserving the integrity of structure and form, which they are already accomplishing in the morning sessions. Once they fully understand that the process requires a constant reevaluation and building of layers, the work will transform much more quickly. 

Annie Lee working on her self portrait

Raul assisting Matt with his self portrait

Hannah beginning to add value to her self portrait 

Alethia applying the darkest areas of value within her self portrait. 

Lauren beginning her watercolor

Miranda beginning to layout her self portrait in watercolor

Emma beginning her self portrait 

Amanda beginning her self portrait in watercolor

Hyven

Katie

Katie is learning about perspective. 

Abby is working with acrylic paint

Matt critiquing Hannah's self portrait.

Class critique.

Clare beginning her self portrait with acrylic paint