Shaun Steele and Professor Linda Sullivan, Department of Visual Arts

Doctrine and Covenants 59:18 says, “Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart.” With that scripture in the forefront of my mind, I traveled to Italy to begin my ORCA Project.

The project I undertook was based around an idea from modern-day Philosopher Alexander Spirkin who once said, “In a certain sense, art, like philosophy, reflects reality in its relation to man, and depicts man, his spiritual world, and the relations between individuals in their interaction with the world”. In other words, Spirkin argues that, to some degree, art reflects the artist, and the influences that pervade his or her everyday life. With his words in mind I planned visits to numerous galleries and cathedrals in Rome, Florence, and Venice.

The first three days of the nine day trip were spent in Rome. During those 3 days I studied the Colosseum, visited countless cathedrals and monuments, and was fortunate enough to spend long hours in the Borghese Gallery and the Vatican Museum. In those visits I studied the works of famous artists such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Rafael, and many others. Before actually going to the galleries I had somewhat of an idea of what to expect, but my visits exceeded any expectation that I had possibly imagined. It was literally exhausting trying to soak in all the history and beauty of each sculpture or painting. Even just by walking the streets of Rome I was able to learn so much about the history and culture of the great artists who resided there so many years ago. Throughout my visits I took as much video and photography as was permitted. It was difficult to capture everything that I had planned simply because in many galleries photography is forbidden, in turn limiting the amount of content that I could get. After visiting the majority of the most famous areas of Rome I then traveled to Florence where I spent the next three days studying the architecture and artwork found in the Duomo and baptistery, the Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Santa Croce, and the Art Academy of Florence. In those visits I studied many eras and genres of art, along with the works of da Vinci, Durer, Caravaggio, and others. It was similar to Rome in that you couldn’t take pictures in many of the galleries and cathedrals, nevertheless, the photography I ended up with was sufficient for the purposes of my project. Since Florence is quite a bit smaller than Rome I was able to spend a little less time traveling from place to place and spent more time actually studying the art and architecture of the area. From Florence I traveled to the incredible city of Venice. Since I was only going to be there for the day, I spent the majority of my time studying the cathedral at St. Marc’s square to compare and contrast its outer-lying architecture and construction with those that I had seen in Rome and Florence. I didn’t really know what to expect when I get to Venice, but it was definitely a place full of history and culture that helped me round out the trip.

With the one full day I had remaining on the trip, I decided to travel back to Rome to begin outlining the conclusions that I had drawn during my time in Italy. Whenever I went to a gallery to study a painting or sculpture by one of the Renaissance masters, I noted their depictions of heavenly beings, dark vs. light, and good vs. evil. The first thing I came to realize is that the hundreds of remarkable works of art found in Italy are in fact directly linked to the architecture, surroundings, and lifestyles of the artists who created them. I came to realize this by looking at the correlation between the artists’ living circumstances and their masterpieces. I noticed that the artwork created in Italy during its times of prosperity tended to reflect hope, love, and strength. The artwork created during those low times in Italy generally reflected struggle between man and God, pain, and death. Noticing these correlations helped bring to light the importance of art in the lives of the masters. Art was definitely a strong outlet for those that created it and what they created helped record history in a nontraditional way.

After seeing the works of the masters I then reviewed art from this century. I came to learn that art today is far different from that of the Renaissance for many reasons. The dark, drab colors of the world around us have changed what kind of art is being created. We no longer have to travel great distances to witness a new art exhibit or sculpture, because art often comes to us in other forms, such as posters, moving billboards, and movies. Frequently, by the time it reaches us, modern art has lost its humanistic values. Comparing and contrasting these two very different styles has shown me how much art truly reflects reality. The differences between the works of the Renaissance masters and the art of today have not only shown me how Italian culture has changed over the years, but also that the depiction of the world at present is one leaning towards destruction and sadness.

• To be able to completely experience and understand the culture of Italy and the art found there, it was necessary to be there in person. Before witnessing works of art, such as the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s David in person, I certainly recognized the artist’s immense artistic ability, but it wasn’t until I saw them in person that I was able to fully appreciate them. It wasn’t until then that the art became a tangible part of my life that allowed me to explain to others their greatness and importance. What I couldn’t learn from pictures and classes I was able to learn by traveling to Italy and becoming a part of the culture.After documenting the art and lives of these historical artists through film and photography I originally planned to prepare a short motion graphics piece that included the findings of the trip. After looking over the type of footage that I had prepared throughout the trip I found that the images would be more impactive and accurately portrayed through a series of oversized posters. The final posters were complemented by photography and other ephemera that was collected throughout the trip and was all displayed as a small gallery show at a cafe on University Avenue in Provo called Vermillion Skies this past August.

  This project was an amazing opportunity for me to educate others about how the art that is being produced today reflects the world around us. It was a way to help myself and others become more aware of our surroundings, and the importance of making our world a better place to live. My hopes are that the gallery show will have helped others gain a greater knowledge of art and Italian culture, and also educated them as to where art may be headed in the future. It was a great responsibility and privilege for me to represent BYU in Italy and the outcome was something BYU can be proud of.

  Reference

  Alexander Spirkin. Dialectical Materialism. (New York: Progress Publishers, 1983).