Rome and the Artist

Rome is an assault on the senses.  Even when it is good, and sometimes that means the world's best, it is a challenge to mind and body.  Too many people, too many cars, constant frenetic movement, sights everywhere.  Check the street map and plan your route and within a block you are lost.  Do we ask directions (Me: No!, Karen: Yes!) Take a cab?  Catch the Metro?  Somehow it all works out and the energy expended is worth the trouble. I'll mention a few topics hopefully of interest to the artist that serve to justify a trip.

Visiting Rome should always be on a figurative artists "to do" list.  The two genius artists of Rome, Michaelangelo and Gianlorenzo Bernini,  are always on display.  Not just at the Vatican but at assorted venues around the city.  There is nothing approaching this excellence anywhere.  The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica,  the Vatican museums, the Trevi fountain  to name a few.  Everyone has seen books, reproductions and references on Michaelangelo and Bernini before.  So why go?  Why spend the time and money?  The answer is the Grand Canyon syndrome.  Until you stand on the edge of that canyon yourself you just have no idea of the impact.  The same is true when you see the Sistine Chapel yourself, or stand in front of Pluto and Proserpina at the Borghese Museum.

And then there is St. Peter's Basilica.  I was not prepared for the spectacle.  The size of the sculptures took me back.  They must be 20 to 25 feet tall!  And don't let your mind's eye think that these figures are of the stiff, religious icon variety.  These beautiful monsters were created at the height of the baroque era - these saints have personality, emotion, and attitude!  They are looking and speaking to YOU my friend!  You better get right with Jesus!  It's hard to argue with a 20 foot marble giant that looks as if he is preparing to leap off the wall!  Especially when he has 6 or 7 of his saintly buddies to back him up around the basilica.  Very powerful stuff.  Made even more effective of course by the exquisite quality of the sculpting and the power of the room itself.

I was also surprised that the sculptures had a distinctive modern feel.  The presentation was so clean and graphic in nature - the designs had a simplicity and power that was palpable.  Not what you might expect for work done in the 1600's.  But good design is timeless.

The same might be said for the Sistine Chapel.  That work was an artistic tsunami that engulfed the entire art world.  The ripples are still felt today.  Given all the time and all of the artists that have come and gone since Michaelangelo, who can match his skill in painting (or sculpting) the heroic nude?  No one I can think of.

The Sistine chapel experience comes with a caveat to those of you who are considering a trip.  Book the Sistine chapel visit in advance.  Choose the earliest morning reservation you can get.  If not you will have to contend with 400-500 people, cheek by jowl, shuffling around, craning their necks, with the Vatican guards yelling "Silencio!", and "No photographia" every 5 minutes.  A contemplative atmosphere is impossible.  By the way, the only place in the Vatican that prohibited photographs was the Sistine Chapel.  Enforcement may prove difficult with all the smart phones and tablets.  I guess the Vatican doesn't want thousands of live pictures being emailed all over the world.  It might harm the exclusivity of the experience.  They must protect their cash cow - especially if it is a sacred cash cow!  (Can a christian church have a sacred cow?)

Another aspect of a trip to Rome is worth mentioning.  I've not found a better place to do take candid shots of people than Rome.  Because the side roads are small, winding and always lined with some type of retailing - most of the traffic is on foot.  The cars can only get by one at a time and they avoid these back roads unless they live or work nearby.  This makes for an airport-like parade of people that is always fascinating.  The open air cafes are picturesque.  And the piazzas with their fountains are another gold mine for people pictures.  The piazzas support fruit/vegetable and flower markets, street musicians and artists, and other assorted acts.  All in all a great place for the artists hunting landscapes with people or figurative genre work.

Don't miss the art reference opportunities at night.  This adds an atmospheric affect that is very appealing and paintable.

Much more can and should be said about the Rome experience for artists.  But now back to the easel!