I lived in Rome with my parents in 1970-1971. I was taking a year off between high school and college, which I filled with Roman antiquities, Latin study, exploring Rome, and art. I had my watercolors and colored pencils there, and did a lot of architectural studies. We lived in a villa which was part of the American Academy in Rome campus. I did this interior of the villa's living room on a chilly, boring night, using my colored pencils to try to get as "photorealistic" a rendering as possible. What is interesting about this interior is that there is nothing in it that would indicate that this was in Italy, let alone Rome. Perhaps the only clue would be that shiny black pitcher on the fireplace mantel, which was probably made in Italy. Everything else could just as well have been in Massachusetts. Possibly this was designed to make the Americans feel at home.
Looking at this drawing decades later, I don't think I could do any better nowadays, colored pencils and all. It's kind of annoying to see work you did as a teenager which is as good, or even better, than what you can do now. If my life had gone according to what my parents and culture expected of me, I would probably have returned to the Academy as a classical scholar. But things did not go accordingly.
Colored pencils on sketchbook page, 12" x 8 1/2", winter 1971. Clickonthepic for a larger view.
2 comments:
Very impressive.
WOW! You lived in Rome!!I did not know that, you are lucky to have had that experience! The picture is very realistic and wll done! I think the main issue about you not following the plan you think was set for you is, are you happier now then you you might have been if you had "followed the plan"?
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