Having done my senior thesis on a Fluxus artists (Yoko Ono), I studied up quite a bit on the main ideas of their art style. One main point was that art and life are so tightly interconnected that you cannot separate one from the other. I am finding that I agree with that more and more. Living a good life is a work of art in itself. A beautiful day is a masterpiece of God. And the list goes on and on. But what is really solidifying my belief in that idea is how life-changing art can be. Art has a way of transcending cultural barriers and speaking directly to the soul (much like music). It is part of life because it can so profoundly affect lives. That may not make sense but it is more of a feeling than a solid thought in my mind...like that makes any more sense than what I just said :P

Anyway...

Venice provided me with yet another life-changing, art historical experience today. There is a once-in-a-lifetime Manet exhibit currently at the Palazzo Ducale that is phenomenal. Seriously. Phenomenal. Many of the pieces displayed have been released by their respective museums for the first time ever! Some of the pieces have never been outside of France before. The entire exhibit is a counter-argument to the idea that Manet was mostly influenced by his travels in Spain and seeks to make more solid connections between his works and Italian art, particularly Venetian art.

The life changer was the moment I turned the corner and saw Manet's Olympia and Titian's Venus of Urbino, both originals hanging side by side for a comparison. In any beginning art history course, comparing those two particular works is a basic and infamous practice. To actually have both pieces physically next to one another was amazing. The compare and contrast technique was solidified in my mind as completely essential to the study of art. I noticed things that I had never even glanced at before (such as how the placement of the hands of each woman is distinctly different and sends opposing messages). It is always interesting to note that the color of the art is never exactly right in any photographic reproductions but is particularly important hen comparing Manet an Titian (again, something I had never truly recognized before this moment). It was really a neat experience. It is these kinds of moments that I am living for on this trip!

We also stepped inside the Basilica di San Marco to see the Byzantine style more fully than we have this entire trip. The elements of Byzantine art are: flat, formal, frontal, floating and full of gold (the five F's). San Marco did not disappoint. That was a lot of area to be covered by gold mosaics but man...cover it they did! For the record, I really wish I had brought a pair of binoculars with me. Maddie let me borrow hers for a few minutes but I could have spent hours carefully studying the tiny details. Mosaics are so beautiful from a far but even more impressive when you can see each individual piece. So much time and effort was put into creating every little detail! It truly attests to the dedication of those who helped create the church.

We also stopped at San Zaccaria, which was notable for the salon style positioning of the art. Rather than being frescos directly on the walls, it looks like the pictures had been framed and hung individually. I am not sure if that is truly how they did it but it made for a more unique decoration scheme within the structure.

The Gallerie dell'Accademie was full of quite a few ARTHC 201 and 202 pieces. I won't list them all off hit one of my favorites is Veronese's Feast in the House of Levi. It was originally intended to be a Last Supper scene and Christ can be clearly seen in the center, but because of all the inappropriate behavior surrounding Christ it was considered to sacrilegious to be accepted as Christ and his apostles on his last night with them. Personally I like it for the idea that we need to be able to find Christ despite of all the wickedness that surrounds us. I also just think that it is beautifully painted. And...it is huge. I am going to guess close to 20'x40'. Massive.

I am actually sitting in front of it as I write this. The group has gone off for free time but I really wanted to stay in the museum for a bit longer and enjoy this particular work. It really is incredibly impressive. I love noticing all these little details and facial expressions that are simply impossible to see in the tiny photo in a textbook. There is one figure that I am particularly intrigued by: a young black slave in the left-hand corner. He is the only figure making direct eye-contact with the viewer and his face is pulled into the most hateful and bitter scowl I have ever seen. I am tempted to try and sneak a picture to have for reference but we will see how brave I am feeling and how intensely the guards are watching me at the time. I just really want to know what his story is...I think I have been staring at him for at least twenty minutes total now.

And I chickened out. No photo for me.

And now I am siting out in the sunshine with my legs dangling over the edge of the canal, eating my gelato (tried a new flavor that is basically a cream and chocolate mix. I have yet to find a flavor I don't like...but I am pretty in love with the Marmo di Cariera that was a specialty flavor only at one particular shop (Gelato Cariera) in Florence). I am sorely tempted to wave at each boat as it passes but I know that would give me away as an American tourist ;) We try not to draw attention to that fact (at least, I don't. Several girls in our program could use some subtly training, hah!). It is a gorgeous day. The sun is warm but there is a nice breeze coming off the ocean that keeps it from being scorching. Love it. I could see myself coming back to Venice. It really would be a romantic honeymoon location. One thing that I have now added to my bucket list though is to kayak through the canals in Venice. I saw a group paddling through yesterday and just thought that seemed like such a good idea! I would assume it is cheaper than a gondola ride and, granted, less romantic but I like the idea of being in complete control of where I go exploring. I would assume you need a permit or some kind and I haven't seen any rental shops, so I wonder if you have to bring your own...? I am going to do more research on that.

It actually reminds me of this couple I met on the plane ride into Athens. They were an older, retired couple and super nice. The gentleman had noticed my travel/hiking pants and asked if I was coming to Greece to go camping on the islands. When I replied in the negative he said, "Oh! Well that's too bad. I thought maybe you were in our hiking group. We just finished a biking tour of Ireland and now we are going with an REI-sponsored group to go hike and camp on the Grecian islands for the next ten days." My jaw dropped. Here was basically the couple I hope my (future) husband and I will one day become. You could just see an undeniable, youthful energy behind their eyes and a thirst for life and adventure. They talked about how much they loved to explore and travel together because it brought them so much closer as a couple. As we talked more I found out they have been traveling the world together ever since they both retired. They have been all over Europe, the US, Canada, Mexico and I believe Japan as well. Their next adventure is hopefully a trip to New Zealand to visit a former foreign exchange student they hosted years back. They were still trying to work out all the details, but I told them I would keep my fingers crossed that it all came together in the end. I actually think of them quite often. Life has so much to offer and I want to be taking advantage of that until the day I die!