During the last semester of my undergraduate degree, I will be completing multiple projects. As part of the process, I am documenting key phases of each project which will act as a digital visual diary. The current project I am working on fulfills a specific requirement for graduation, the Alternate Educational Experience. The AEE is a concentration of knowledge and skills applied to a project outside of the traditional university classroom. This project will provide insight regarding how my newly strengthen skills impacts real-world contexts, beyond the AUR campus and community. As a result my project which is a painting, will center on reflection and my time spent in Rome, the Eternal city, continuous exposure of religious art and how to communicate that concept visually in a contemporary fashion.
The churches of Rome fill the city with art from multiple periods. Each church is a unique experience; from Byzantine mosaics, medieval altar pieces, renaissance fresco and my favorite, baroque marble reliefs, the art one experiences in Rome is monumental. The chapels that frame the naves of Rome’s grand churches are decorated with paintings and frescos. On the ceilings biblical stories command the viewer’s attention which are painted in an illusory tradition, the painting share the same physical space with us and they act as a portal to heaven or hell. The floors are decorated with elaborate geometric mosaics and inlayed marble crests, every inch of the church is adorned.
I am particularly interested in Baroque churches, the marble and stone reliefs which depict ecstasy and mysticism of the saints. The sculptures combined with rays of gold that depict the heavens, as well as the sculpted angels, cupids and saints and the sensation one experiences when viewing baroque art resonates with me; in my practice, I also explore shared experiences and connections. The foremost goal of baroque art is the combination of ecstasy, rapture, psycho-physical conditions and mystical activity paired with the stimulation and persuasion of the viewer at the same time. Hence, the beholder is motivated to partake in the mystical manifestations of the saints.
The personal connection I form when viewing baroque marble reliefs develops into a shared experience, which I work translate and present as a piece of art. The starting point for my first piece will be a fusion of baroque typology and my personal collection of images that will create a contemporary dialog. The methodology for my artistic process begins with an initial interest and a collection of images that illuminate a fixation. As a result, focused research can begin and concepts developed. Creating a visual result of my research is my purpose, my goal, my work. Consequently, my hope is to understand how my work impacts communities beyond the AUR campus, and how to continuously contribute to an audience beyond AUR.
tiffanie n peters 