Emily
Communications Major

In the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, I saw a painting by Pietro Perugino titled Crucifixion with the Saints. Out of all the paintings of Jesus' crucifixion, this one caught my eye because Jesus' body looked so strained and dead, yet fluid and beautiful, and the worshippers below him really added life to the painting. Mary's curly blond hair, with strands of gold, also caught my eye because it looked so real. Jesus' wounds also made an impression on me. In older medieval paintings, blood squirts grotesquely from his side, but in this one, it just looks like an incision, almost real enough to touch. The nail protruding from his feet looks so real and painful, and while I initially was grossed out by Mary touching his feet, as I looked closer, I almost wanted to touch him too. John the Baptist's finger, pointing toward Jesus, reminded me of the prophecy that said he would point the way to one greater than him who would follow after. It also served to draw my attention to Jesus' face, which had dark circles under his eyes and made him look vulnerable and tired. The painting made me reflect for a while on his suffering and I joined the figures in the painting, who were worshipping the Savior. The little symbols hidden in the painting also made it more interesting and added another layer of complexity, making me wonder what I would discover next. Thus, it rewards the viewer, in a way, for looking longer at the artwork.

Megan
Elementary Education Major

I'm sitting in the Botticelli Room at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. I like Botticelli, but have never been completely wowed by Spring, or The Birth of Venus. I understand why they are considered masterpieces, but they never really drew me in the way they did other people. The annunciation scene, in which an angel is telling Mary of her role in the birth of Jesus, is generally laid out the same way each time in paintings by other artists. Botticelli's Annunciation, however, had a personal quality to it I missed before. Maybe it is the mastery of depth, or the beauty of the lines and balance that makes me like it so much. I think what really reaches me is his use of fabric to create movement and enhance the scene. This painting made me think about how painters use everthing -- even clothing -- to make their point. It also showed me the great skill in the background elements. Rather than a flat background or a landscape, there is the closer background of the grey walls of the room and the added detail of the view out Mary's window. All these elements together in this painting captured my attention.

Rebekah
Nursing Major

We see signs and influences of ancient Rome all over the place. Our words, language and alphabet are so linked to the language the Romans used that we can´t really write or talk without hints relating our current language back to the language of the Romans.

Our architecture also reflects the Roman style and engineering. Our capital building in Washington D.C., is modeled after the dome of the Pantheon and many of our statues and memorials are Romanesque. This morning when I looked at our itinerary, I used the day and the month to identify what we would be doing that day. We have the Romans to thank for our calendar as well as our language.

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