There are a few works of art that everyone knows: the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Mona Lisa, Starry Night, Warhol's soup cans to name a few--But it's arguable that David is the most famous work in history. And it's definitely the most famous sculpture. There's a great history behind it which is also fascinating. As always, photos don't even come close to capturing the scale of this monumental work and I'm very grateful that I could see it in person.
Another note is how well displayed it is. There are a lot of beautiful works out there that don't have the same presence because of the environment around the work. The area around the David is like a beautiful frame that fits around it. There are other great pieces here at this gallery too, but they are really over-shadowed by the David. I have class again this afternoon, but I wanted to share this because of how impressive it was.
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My leaves were withering and my wine was evaporating.. so today was the day to finish my still life. The entire concept of "finish" is a tricky one because it's very subjective. For me, I usually produce less "finished" work because I enjoy levels of finish within a painting. I also like work that has a certain liveliness to the brushwork. Regardless, I'm proud to say that my still life is complete and I signed it today.
I'm still working on my figure painting, but it's going well and I'm enjoying the process. I love figurative work and to work from a live model is always great. I couldn't resist painting in portions of the drapery and surroundings to create more of a scene. My classmates enjoyed the inclusion of the fan in the lower left haha. Time is going by so quickly and I'm trying to enjoy every moment of my experience here. Tomorrow we're going to the Accademia Gallery (where the Statue of David is!) and I'm very excited. Ciao for now! Plein air painting an early evening street scene here in Florence. The light was perfect and it wouldn't be Italy without some scooters in there. Photo credit to my awesome roommate, Gabbi!
It also hit me today how important it is to not let too many things pass by. Just as an example: there's a pastry shop/cafe that I pass on my walk home and it always smells fantastic; I can't quite describe it, but the scent is almost nostalgic--like a classic, old bakery. So I've been passing by this little cafe and saying, "oh, I should go in there..." Today, I walked past it again, but this time I stopped and turned around and went in. I practiced my Italian by asking about a certain pastry. The older gentleman behind the counter said it was a "cornetto crema" (cream horn). I counted my money in Italian and enjoyed the pastry on my walk home. I feel this same way about any opportunities. I really want to be aware of the things that I actively miss out on. It's different if I'm unaware of something or don't want to do something. But, everything has its own time window of opportunity and I'm trying to be more aware of that as I continue traveling, exploring, painting and living. A quick update to show some progress of my still life painting and to share some methodology from the Florence Academy of Art (FAA). The process so far has been a traditional academic approach going preparatory sketches to finished work. This painting started out with some thumbnail sketches that only focus on value relationships (not detail). Squinting can be helpful throughout the process to keep values simplified--I personally don't squint very much, but it's good to test it out and see what works. The next step was to paint small scale studies. We're not using transfer drawings for the still life, but we are for a larger figurative painting.
We're using a limited palette of: Titanium white, cad. yellow light, yellow ochre, cad red light, ultramarine blue, burnt umber and ivory black. I added a touch of burnt sienna also because the burnt umber that I got from Zecchi is very cool and almost like a Van Dyck brown. Earth pigments can have a variety differences based on where they are mined from. I've always enjoyed limited palettes because it allows me to focus more on arranging values. I like experimenting with colors, but my regular working palette has only a few extra colors beyond this limited palette. FAA also works in sight-size, which is a method where you stand in a specific spot so that your canvas lines up with the subject matter. It's a method that allows the artist to transfer over measurements from a certain vantage point. I find the method to be very structured and works within a framework of specific circumstances. Either way, it's taught me the importance of stepping back from my work and seeing the painting as a whole. *You'll see the photo of my still life below was taken at a different angle from my sight size viewing location. The process is very rigorous and has pushed my skill level further. It can be a difficult process mentally and physically and reminds me of training for athletics. I'm very thankful for this MA program because I've always wanted to learn these time-honored methods. We had class today and my still life is still in progress so I'll share more as it develops! No class tomorrow so I'll be getting chores done and taking it easy :) |
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