Journalism (my first choice) was not offered at the time, so I was looking for a program that interested me. I remember turning to my mother and excitedly saying: I think I've found the subject I'd like to study! Art History!
Absolutely not! she replied. Art History is for rich people who don't have to earn a living.
So I chose more mundane subjects: English, French, History, Geography and Creative Writing... (And I was unhappy!)
Now I'm not saying I'd have been happier had I studied Art History - but sometimes I wonder where following my heart would have led me! (And I wonder - as a parent - if I ever steered my children away from following their dreams.)
All this to say that I still don't know much about art history! But I did learn a little recently when I attended an exhibit of paintings by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, a 16th century Italian painter.
Rome was going through a time of urban renewal (perhaps not unlike much of our world today), and Caravaggio earned his living painting what his patrons requested - to decorate their homes and churches. His realistic portrayals of Biblical stories were shocking. His paintings contrasted darkness and light. He also painted fast - directly onto the canvas, without preliminary sketches. He seemed to manage pretty well financially - though his life was marked by anger and violence: he tore up paintings that people criticized, squandered his earnings on heavy drinking and was known for brawling... He died at the age of 37.
But what I found interesting was a comment I came across - that the violence he displayed now is recognized as a symptom of lead poisoning - perhaps caused by the lead in his paints.
How sad! His profession poisoned him!
Absolutely not! she replied. Art History is for rich people who don't have to earn a living.
So I chose more mundane subjects: English, French, History, Geography and Creative Writing... (And I was unhappy!)
Now I'm not saying I'd have been happier had I studied Art History - but sometimes I wonder where following my heart would have led me! (And I wonder - as a parent - if I ever steered my children away from following their dreams.)
All this to say that I still don't know much about art history! But I did learn a little recently when I attended an exhibit of paintings by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, a 16th century Italian painter.
Rome was going through a time of urban renewal (perhaps not unlike much of our world today), and Caravaggio earned his living painting what his patrons requested - to decorate their homes and churches. His realistic portrayals of Biblical stories were shocking. His paintings contrasted darkness and light. He also painted fast - directly onto the canvas, without preliminary sketches. He seemed to manage pretty well financially - though his life was marked by anger and violence: he tore up paintings that people criticized, squandered his earnings on heavy drinking and was known for brawling... He died at the age of 37.
But what I found interesting was a comment I came across - that the violence he displayed now is recognized as a symptom of lead poisoning - perhaps caused by the lead in his paints.
How sad! His profession poisoned him!
(And I was left wondering if any there are any toxins in our modern world that are unknowingly molding who we are...)
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