But first I'm making it 'publicly' known that I have officially decided to go back to Scripps for spring semester instead of staying with the Temple Rome program. I have been struggling with the reasons why I felt unsettled about staying the whole year and came to the conclusion that this program is great for a semester but cannot sustain me for two. Although I love this city and plan on returning, my heart is back at my little women's college outside of Los Angeles. I really love Scripps, and being here at a different school I have been reminded of how incredible my classes have been back in California, how much I love certain professors and how much I love my peers. At the Temple program here I am doing just fine, but I have found no excitement in the academics the way I do at home. At Scripps I wanted to major in pretty much anything I took a class in! Here I find myself a little disappointed. Which is not to say this is a bad experience in the least! I know that if I hadn't gone abroad I would have regretted it completely, and to be here in Rome is truly incredible. I am convinced this city is the most beautiful in the entire world. It's beauty is not like any other because of the way it has incorporated the rich history into modern life. There is a power here that makes me KNOW I will be coming back.
Sorry for the lack of posting, also, on my latest painting. It's coming along but strangely I have significantly less documentation!!
Here is a picture not quite up to date. I will take a better photo tomorrow.
Close up of Ameeta's face.
NOW FOR SAN PIETRO! My 'religious' experience. I spent the afternoon in the giant piazza, then wandered by accident into a line (following monks who I think, and I'm not being mean here, have it in their vows to not take showers and never cut their hair!) that ended me INSIDE the giant church. Well, I was doing a lot of drawing and a lot of meditative thinking, so maybe you don't have to be Catholic to appreciate the power of the location.
I find it interesting, though, how gaudy the inside was. It was HUGE and completely overworked in every way. Beautiful, yes, but a little scary.
Above the arches were usually these huge marble figures watching you... I liked them so I tried taking a picture, a little blurry. (Actually all of these are a little blurry because I had my tiny camera that takes not very good photos to begin with, and didn't want to use flash both because the color is better and because my battery was about to run out.)
I tried getting a sneaky photo of my unshowered monk friend taking digital video of everything. His buddy had a very nice digital camera. Talking on a cell is not allowed inside the church and later when I was drawing a German priest kept sneaking into this corner close to me and calling someone... It's kind of funny seeing monks, priests and nuns using modern technology, eating gelato, etc. I don't know why but it just seems strange. Also, I have seen so MANY different kinds of priests, monks and nuns here! The colors, the outfits... they're so varied and yet you can always immediately identify them! Very interesting.
Gaudy grate and photographic evidence that I do wear shoes occasionally.
To give you a sense of scale for these marble figures. This is also the first of a few photos I took because I was fascinated by these Popes who were flanked by these completely idyllic women.
To give you a sense of the massiveness of these columns. I really like the bottom figure who is looking up at the rest of them.
Beautiful women flanking a Pope. The women had these huge and completely gorgeous feet that stuck out and were shiny with years of wear. I almost took a picture of them alone, but I felt a little self conscious.
I loved this woman. I don't know why. I think maybe because most of the popes and anonymous beautiful women were a little high or somehow untouchable. This sculpture and especially this woman were so approachable, her foot stuck out and was so touchable, so tangible.
I drew these women for a long time... the shadows were incredible, the figure on the left with the baby has a beautiful face.
Pulling a Dad move here.
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