Day 28: Take the Challenge
Today’s painting was all about doing what I am not sure I can manage, just go ahead and take the challenge.
And why not? What is there to loose? Nothing actually. There is only gain in doing things that are difficult, especially the ones you’re not exactly sure how to do.
What I am talking about is painting a room full of paintings. And not just any paintings, but some of the most gorgeous frescoes by the Renaissance master Raphael Sanzio.
The Loggia of Galatea, Villa Farnesina
Watercolor on Paper
7.5 x 11″
$115 | Available
This was fun and exciting. It was also tedious I admit. It took me a long time to get the drawing in for this and when I went to paint it I realized that I could not sit there all day and fill in all of the little details. The painting was not about the details anyway, the painting was about the overall feel and color of the room.
So I went with blue, which to me was the overall feel and color of the room and tried to squint to keep myself from painting details and used my big brush and painted this in.
This is one of many rooms that will bowl your over with its opulence in the Villa Farnesina located in Trastevere. It is a splendid example of Renaissance architecture and painting, one of not so many in the oh so Baroque Rome.
Raphael was one of several artists commissioned to fresco the many rooms of this unique palace. This room in particular is about the nymph Galatea and was painted by Raphael, while the other decorations in the room were painted by Sebastiano del Piombo.
If you are ever in Rome, this is a wonderful place to visit. The gardens give you a unique perspective of the facade, which unlike other palaces from this time, is not facing square to the road.
Our urban sketchers group had special permission to come and sketch for just a few hours. I think a lifetime of going back to a place like this to challenge my abilities time and time again is the perfect recipe for growth, especially in such an inspiring environment.
