This week’s exciting adventure in the field of architecture history was fueled by the notion of villa and garden design as seen through Villa Farnesina and Villa Giulia. Our first stop was Villa Farnesina which is home to one of Raphael’s great frescoes depicting mythological stories such as the relationship between Cupid and Psyche. The fresco illustrates the trials of Psyche that she must go through to be with Cupid, and in another panel, details the celebration held by all of the Gods along with the newly formed couple. One of the more amazing aspects of the fresco is the fact that it is not in a museum, but rather in its original location on the ceiling of a palace- something which is incredibly rare to find in the United States. Yet the fresco in the middle of the palace was not the only work of Raphael which was so prominently featured, as another distant room featured several murals on the wall which were created not only by Raphael, but by other artists as well. The overarching theme in these rooms and palaces has definitely been the notion of the grandiose and the elegant.
Yet, one of the greatest perks of being a student is the various nuances that you learn about, that would be completely avoided if one was simply a tourist. For example, in one of the paintings by Antonio Bazzi depicting the marriage of Alexander the Great and Roxane, there are little cupids hiding on the top of the bed, playfully interacting with the cloth of the bedpost. More importantly, however, was the discrepancy that Professor Blanchard had pointed out in terms of the murals. Had we been simple tourists, we surely would not have noticed, but with a discerning eye we were able to identify that one of the murals was a recreation done by a different artist in a style relatively worse than that of the original. Instances such as this one have been rather common, and an aspect of these murals which has enhanced our abilities to distinguish the real from the fake. Even though one of the walls was a mere façade, we were still appreciative of the work that was presented before us.
After discussing the various nuances of artists and their commissioners, we headed over to Villa Giulia. As we got off of the bus, it started to pour heavily and so we ran to our next location. Upon arrival, we noticed that the villa was reminiscent of a previous location we had gone to for a field trip- Hadrian’s villa! As the thunder was booming and the rain was falling, we couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the architecture and its natural landscape that was presented before us. As much chaos as there was, it was one of the most calming experiences that we have had so far. Even in poor weather, Rome is still incredibly beautiful and inspiring.