Rome is spoiled. You hear this often but Rome has been spoiled so many times. They were saying this when Julius Caesar made it a crossroads for cultural, political, economic and social exchange between Europe, Africa and beyond.
The city has no peers, nowhere else has been so used and re-used, with the past and present intermingled to such an extent. It lends itself to an intensity of observation and it’s history is in the stones. Wherever you turn, memorable deeds have been acted out and at night the past becomes solemn again. We notice this when we paint in the dark overlooking the fields of ruins at the Forum. Usually the rains are over by summer but this year we were caught painting in tropical storms and whether that helps the watercolor in progress is in the lap of the Gods. Either way you run.
Our students came from Australia, Turkey, USA, Columbia and the UK. They got used to the intensity of working every weekday and either traveling at weekends or recovering in bed and much compelling, significant artwork was made. Paintings made by 11 students were selected for a September show in Dubai at the American University. It was well received and the show will be mentioned in Studio International, while the paintings have now traveled to the Langford 120 Gallery in Melbourne, Australia where the exhibit opens in October.
Our field trips included Ostia, Tivoli, Florence and Pompeii where we marveled at the aspirations of the artists and architects; marveling too at the Velazquez portrait of the Pope in Doria Pamphilj, and the Caravaggios, thrown like gauntlets into the Roman churches. We’re actually marveling at the aspirations of human society, not discarding but adapting and reinventing traditions.
In Rome we get stunned and inspired by the achievements but we’re not nostalgic for the past. We don’t emulate it we celebrate it, and use it to take up the challenge of painting and drawing in the 21st. century. SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus) was on the standards of Roman legions from the Ancient Roman Republic. It’s still on coins, documents…. and manhole covers.
See what I mean about Rome’s past and present?
Carole Robb, Artistic Director, Rome Art Program
N.B: A review of the Dubai show will be published in the next couple of weeks.
Carole,
Wonderful, to hear about your work. I was especially delighted to see the choice of Velazquez’ portrait of Pope Innocent X as the centerpiece for your thoughts! Eleo chose this portrait to illustrate for his dancers the body tension as seen in the Pope’s hands as well as in his face. This was for a work Eleo called “Las Desenamoradas” which was inspired by Garcia Lorca’s “The House of Bernarda Alba.”
Wishing you the best,
Glenn