Travelling to Rome had always been a dream of mine, stemming from a manic obsession with Cleopatra and Marc Antony. Before leaving for Rome my head professor guaranteed me that Rome would change my life. I never imagined just how much it would. Though my own studio practice is very different to what I worked on during the program, Rome has managed to creep into my palette, and into the way I paint, my attitude.
Travelling to Rome had always been a dream of mine, stemming from a manic obsession with Cleopatra and Marc Antony. Before leaving for Rome my head professor guaranteed me that Rome would change my life. I never imagined just how much it would. Though my own studio practice is very different to what I worked on during the program, Rome has managed to creep into my palette, and into the way I paint, my attitude.During my time on the program I really learnt to trust my instincts, I think the most important thing that was reinforced to me was how intuitive and sensory the nature of painting is. I could gush and go on about all the things Rome has to offer, but my words cannot really do justice. Instead what I would like to stress on is how important this course can be for any artist who wants to challenge him or herself. Sitting in the blistering heat in Pompeii, wind blowing your paper away almost every minute, as frustrating as that sounds, producing work in these conditions will be an overwhelmingly rewarding experience.
Noor Qayyum, Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK
Summer 2015 Student