While Rome may have had some beautiful artwork, nothing can compare to the exquisite craftsmanship in Florence. From the multitude of cathedrals, to the graffiti art if every corner, not one piece of stone has be left saga alone. While in Florence, we stopped at the Uffici museum and compared medieval art to the brilliance of the Renaissance. The medieval artwork was very somber and two dimensional, while the Renaissance artwork was vibrate and had a lot of depth. The pictures seemed to go on forever, using math to help build a focal point and then adding objects that faded into the distances. I loved Botticelli’s paintings of Venus and Primavera. He captured the look of serenity, establishing a connection between the earth and the gods of the old. Nature becomes a common form of symbolism used to make viewers ponder. The idea of the Renaissance was enlightenment. The fact that those people were able to understand the value of light and depth in paintings show great talent. The took something simple and beautiful, natural, and turned into something great.

A fine example is the statue of David. I don’t know what exactly made him special to me, but rounding the corner I felt this sense of peace and awe staring at one of histories most well-known pieces. I could feel the emotion in his eyes and see the scene of David and Goliath playing in my mind. His stony veins I could feel pulsing as my own.  I began to ponder what he was thinking. Was he scared? How does someone overcome there fears and do what they need to do. Then I began to wonder was David really David anymore? Here is this man, glorified in stone forever, the prime of the Renaissance, and all I could think of was how much his legacy towered over me. He was my Goliath. Here I am, in my own human condition, struggling to get over my fears of travel and living through experience. I want to let that go. I wonder if anyone else peered up at his towering gaze and felt that they were up to the challenge. Our generation has been too afraid to take a stand. How long has it been since we had a cultural explosion in a good direction? We have gone far too long with out a golden era of our own. Maybe we should look at Michelangelo’s David and find our path meant for use. Maybe we should continue to battle our fears and take the same stance David did.

Here is a quick sketch of David I doodled.