Author: Olivia Boykin | Major: Public Relations and Advertising | Semester: Summer 2024

First day of class overlooking the Arno River

The intricate beauty and timeless inspiration of Florence, Italy sparked my interest of studying abroad. I believe that art is a crucial part of life, and I pursued a place where others agree with that statement. Very quickly in my studies did I learned that art and life are not always just dependent on one another-sometimes they are one and the same.

I studied Painting en Plein Air in Florence, Italy for a three-week summer session with ISA Studies Abroad company. Painting en Plein air is a discipline of painting that requires the artist to be on site outdoors while constructing their composition. I pursued this course because of the restrictions on non-art majors at the university. Looking back, this restriction led me to an experience that has and will continue to enrich my understanding of culture, craftsmanship, and communication.

A regular class day in Florence for a student, like me, studying Painting en Plein Air consists of an early morning meeting with the professor followed by a walk through the city. We wound up in a new location every day, taking careful note of the artistic elements that are inseparable from the city of Florence. Linear perspective, for example, can be studied in a textbook anywhere in the world. However, spending my morning passing through narrow streets connected by cast shadows, open windows clad with clothes lines, and the fast-paced people, dogs, and pigeons of Florence could not be supplemented by a book. I thought I knew how to draw and paint. I did, but not in the way that the city was able to teach me.

The more days spent studying the more I saw art and life meld into one being. Sitting at the kitchen table of my apartment one afternoon, I watched as my Italian upstairs neighbor strung out colorful sheets and linens onto a clothesline across the wall we shared. Painting things exclusively from life was new to me, and so were clothes lines. The unfamiliarity of both may have scared me away before but this time I took out my brushes and captured what I consider to be a testament to Florentine culture. Something so simple yet so foreign to me inspired me to act on what I had learned in only 4 days of class. I employed the lessons of each day that had passed including the basics of painting en plein air: inclusion, exclusion, time management, shape, form, light, shadow, color, and value.

Another time I found myself reflecting on throughout the trip truly highlights the artistic culture of Florence. When I began my program there was a lot of talk about slow internet. The study abroad mentors spoke with students multiple times about how things may not load instantly like we are used to in the U.S. and that it was something we would just have to become accustomed to. We may think, at first, that this is a flaw of the city. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that this is a downside of the area that they should start troubleshooting immediately. I was pleased to find the reason for these differences we may experience was that changing the city is very difficult due to the art. The streets, for example, are made of cobblestone blocks. Each is unique. Many roads consist entirely of blocks covered in speckled indentions that make a beautiful reflection when they catch the rain. These intricate, artistic pieces of history make obtaining permits for drilling, installing, or construction very difficult because the people value the art that surrounds them. They consider it a part of life.

It was truly a privilege for Florence to take me in as her own for three weeks. The city asked nothing of me yet filled my heart, my sketchbook, and my mind. It is my hope that students recognize the importance of studying abroad. Although I had always admired it and hoped I would be able to, the true value of the experience became more and more obvious to me each day I spent in Italy. What I learned in my course can never be separated from my education. The value of creative thinking and listening to the world around you is a lesson I have learned in this experience. What I learned about the culture and people of Florence has and will continue to inform my ever-changing view of the world and all the ways people learn, live, and collaborate.