My two favorite classes this semester were Renaissance Art History and Oil Painting. I enjoyed them so much because, as a finance and accounting major, these are not subjects I normally get the chance to explore.

In Art History, each week we spent one day in the classroom and one day visiting different locations around Florence. Some of the places we visited included the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia, and many churches around the city. My favorite thing we saw was David. Obviously, I had heard of David before, but I did not know much about it. In this class, I learned that its placement in Florence was a very serious political message. I also learned how Michelangelo was able to make David’s body look relaxed while his eyes appear intense and serious. Before this class, I honestly had no idea how to read paintings. I could see famous works and enjoy them, but I did not really understand what I was looking at. Throughout the semester, I learned how artists draw the viewer’s eye and how art evolved over time. I also learned a lot more about how much painting and art is influenced by politics, something I was not fully aware of.

My Oil Painting class gave me the chance to paint, which is something I had not really done since elementary school. This class made me realize how much a creative outlet helps when I am busy with difficult classes. Painting also taught me more about working through challenges. I have a tendency, when something does not look right in a painting, to not want to finish it. Since this was a class, I had to keep going, and that helped me become more patient and persistent. Now, I want to continue painting in my free time when I get back to Pittsburgh.

Overall, these are two classes that I would not have been able to take in Pittsburgh, and I ended up really enjoying them. I am so glad that I was able to take classes abroad that made me appreciate the city I am in.