lets see here...
well, classes started last monday. they are amazing! on mondays i have Drawing for Conservators which is amazing! my teacher is from Bologna and shes so sweet. she teaches us about how to draw when you are restoring something. so you must learn how to think like the artist whose art you are trying to restore. (hope that makes sense) so we learn how to copy the artists sketches first, to learn how to draw like them. what lines they use, what tools (all renaissance tools like a quill pen or a silver point) its very interesting and i feel like im learning a lot! its also a 5 1/2 hour class...which is incredibly long!
on tuesdays, i have italian philosophy, which is also very interesting. we get to talk about and discuss everything that makes italy think the way it does. its a very education class. although sometimes tempers are a flyin' when we hit issues that are pretty controversial. and me being the san franciscan that i am, i usually stand alone, but i like it =] after that class i have italian, which is great! i love playing the games in class and reading all the books. my teacher is named frederica and shes very very funny. she always laughs at us and jokes with us when we say something wrong. shes only 25 and its fun to have her just hang out while teaching us. we have an odd number of students in the class, so she is my partner for things which is SO helpful because she really pushes me and i can learn and study with an actual italian! then, later that night i have drawing and composition. its very helpful to know the form of the body, and learn to draw what i see. we do a LOT of training exercises which are great for training your brain.
then wednesday is free!!! i took the day to sit and draw in the Duomo. it was lovely! i sat there for almost 3 hours just looking around. then i went to the old fish market which is now a row of glass shops that are antique markets. they are so cute!
thursdays i have italian philosophy and then italian and then after that i have thory of conservation. its an incredible class and probably my favorite! my teacher is a very well known and established, brittish art restorer. she is amazing! her name is nicoletta and she has so much planned for us! we learn how to look at something and we are going to restore and plan out how to go about doing it. morally and physically. we have to think about each step and each idea we think about we discuss why we would do it that way. if we want to stay true and honor the original artist, or if we are going to change something. how we alter it; if we put just enough to see the painting as it was before and intended, or if we clean it and reserve it how it is now. each painting and sculpture is different. it is honestly an amazing class! she is going to take us to a TON of different restoration sites all over florence that you can only get into if you are with a conservator working on that project. and she is working on a LOT of them!
fridays i have off as well, and this particular friday, michele came to visit =] it was so much fun! we went to the boboli gardens and to dinner and really bonded a lot more than we ever have gotten the chance to =] it was really nice. he is like family to me. all those boys are. they are my home away from home, family. on saturday night we went to the irish pub (the lions fountain) where my good friend Luca works, and watched the Milan soccer game. it is so funny to watch the italian men get SO passionate about the game and all the girlfriends and wives are not even paying any attention. michele and i were both very into the game and i had so much fun watching him get to hysterical when beckham wouldnt score or would do something stupid. its always silly. =]
anywho...its monday, so i came home from my class today with a new drawing under my belt. when it is done, i will post a photo =] so you can see what im up to as far as art goes.
i got my 'friends of the uffizi' card this weekend as well, which is a card that you can use to
get into any museum; or state park or something of that sort, in florence for free. its amazing. i go to museums everyday. you can also jump the line and bring whoever youre with along with you. so its great when i have a friend visiting and they want to see something. we dont have to wait in the lines =]
no i am just listening to music, doing laundry and writing this long overdue blog. tomorrow after class im going to lunch with Luca (my friend from the pub) which will be really nice. he speaks perfect english, but really helps me with my italian cuz he knows what im trying to say and can help me. he i also helping me look for a good apartment for next semester which will be a lot of help. im hoping to find something a little ways away from the center so that i can get a bike and ride to class and be away from all the commotion in the center. i love it, but im just looking. if there is a nice apt in the center that i love then i def will do that. but we will see =]
well, i love you all. please write! i LOVE getting letters!!
alexandra thrapp
c/o scuola lorenzo de medici
via del melarancio,6r
firenze 50123 italia
xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxo
ps - happy birthday big brother =] i love you
and
i really cant belive today is one year since jake passed away. i love you always angel...im glad youre with me wherever i go
2 comments:
Good morning Alexandra, reading your stories are so great, and the pictures you took are amazing. I'm surprised to see so many colorful flowers blooming this time of the year in Italy where it is so cold. Do they have snow in Florence?? I asked what you would like to have me send in goodies you can't get there. Please let me know so I can mail you something you could savor. All is good here, rainy today and getting pretty cold compared to what it was when you left. But we do need the rain, so I won't complain. We are so glad you are enjoying your classes, they sound so interesting and exciting. Your art expertise comes from parents who are so artistic, so I'm not surprised that you are so talented. Well, it's late, and I'm going to bed now. Remember always that we love you so much, always look around and take care of yourself. God be with you always. Love and kisses, Soey and Poppy
sweet potato......beautiful drawing! Brava! Loving the photos, and about those tulips....never ceases to amaze me.... so great to talk to you on Valentines Day, please take care of yourself baby, xo
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