Spring 2018: Brianna Cooney

Over spring break, I had the opportunity to travel to Milan and Venice as part of the rFLA course The Italian Imaginary. This field study was conducted by the English department; however, it was incredibly applicable to my studies in art history. 


This trip was a truly eye-opening and transformative experience for me as I was able to connect things that I have learned throughout my four-years in Art History courses to physical artworks, churches, and cultural monuments. It is always so rewarding to be able to see the art that I study in person. 


This field study was perfect as we had the ability to visit museums and churches that contained amazing examples of Italian art. One of my favorite site visits occurred at the Duomo in Milan. The scale of the cathedral was incredible, and it is amazing how construction took almost six centuries. Our tour guide also studied Italian Renaissance art history when she was in school, so we immediately bonded. Throughout the tour she would ask the group “Where is the Renaissance girl?”, find me, and then point to a sculpture or stained-glass window that was made during the Renaissance period. After the tour of the interior, we climbed to the top of the cathedral where we were met with breathtaking views of the piazza below and to the mountains in the far distance. There are over 3,000 statues on top of the Duomo and each one displays the intricacies of the Gothic style. 


Italy has so much beauty to offer in terms of people, culture, art and architecture. I loved walking around Milan and Venice and just happening upon a museum or church around practically every corner. The Gallerie dell’Accademia museum in Venice is a great museum that houses so many works by leading Venetian artists. Bellini’s paintings were stunning because they each captured a particular Renaissance view of Venice. I also feel that they embodied the entire theme of the course: The Italian Imaginary. Seeing the artworks in person was so much better than viewing them on a computer screen because I was able to interact and appreciate the art more as I could see the textures and layers of paint along with the miniscule details created by the artist. I really enjoy visiting museums in Europe as it allows me to further understand how European museums display artworks as compared to American museums.