Abstract

Since I won't have time to write for a while, I thought I would post my abstract for my thesis. Still in the process of finishing the complete rough draft. I have a little over 8 thousand words so far, but I need at least 10 thousand, and what I do have is in need of heavy editing. I have until Wednesday. At least I really like my topic, or else I would be hating life right now. It will be worth it once this is all over and done with though: not only will I have completed a research thesis of a significant length, but I will have an excellent writing sample for grad school and a great feeling of accomplishment. Can't wait 'til it's done!!! 

Abstract:

Veronica Franco and the Enigma of Female Portraiture in Renaissance Venice

Despite the prolific nature of artists during the Venetian Renaissance, there are nearly no definitive examples of female portraits from this time available to modern-day scholars. While this problem has been acknowledge by the scholarly community, it has never been examined in and of itself. It is time to not merely acknowledge the problem, but directly address it. In order to fully understand this phenomenon, it is necessary to examine other examples of female images and portraits from this period. Paolo Veronese’s portrait of Laura Da Pola, Titian’s Flora, and his portrait of Caterina Cornaro serve as primary examples of women in Venetian Renaissance painting. Together, traditional Italian female portraiture, idealized images of women, and allegorical portraiture combine to both contextualize and influence Jacopo Tintoretto’s portrait of Veronica Franco. One of the few identifiable Venetian portraits, this painting provides unique insight into the fluid nature of female portraiture in Venice during its Renaissance. It is this very fluidity of the female image that is the key to the problematic nature of female Venetian portraiture of the 16th century. With such conflicting roles being dealt with in one genre, it becomes difficult to determine after the fact which paintings of women are indeed portraits, especially when documentation is scant. It is therefore possible that there are more Venetian female portraits in existence than previously thought; we are simply not able to identify them as such, thanks in part to the many roles reflected in female portraiture.

I present my research on May 18, and I'm pretty nervous. At least I have a lot of time to prepare!

London Calling

Ah, London. I had the very good fortune of going to London this past winter to do research for my thesis. It is what ultimately sparked my deep desire to travel, though I've always known that I would love it once I started. Yes, this was my first trip abroad!

Well, that's not entirely truthful. I've been to Mexico. But still.

London really is something else. I can't believe that I almost didn't go! It's all thanks to my thesis advisor, really. I had a meeting with her and we were discussing my application for undergraduate funding at my school, and she said that I should try and get money for travel so I could see the works of art I was writing about. She suggested London (surprisingly, since my thesis is on female Venetian portraiture). I hemmed and hawed. Wouldn't that be expensive?? They would never give me the money. There is no way they would take me, an undergrad, seriously enough to give me travel funds. 

Basically, I just gave tons of excuses. But she ultimately persuaded me to at least try. What's the harm, right? Right. And guess what?

They gave me travel funds.

And then I worked my butt off to fund the rest of the trip. But it was sooooo worth it. I can't believe that I almost didn't apply for the travel funding, and I cannot emphasize how much this trip changed my life, in more ways than one. I finally discovered the joys of traveling to a foreign country. I got to see my good friend from England, who I hadn't seen in 6 months, and establish an even deeper connection with her. I gained a new perspective on life. I experienced traveling by myself, and how freeing and wonderful it is. I gained more confidence in myself and my abilities.

I even found romance, in a way that you would only expect to see in movies. It was ridiculous and amazing at the same time, and I'm happy to stay that it's still going. You always find the greatest things when you least expect them and are not at all looking for them.

And now I shall post pictures, because who doesn't love looking at pictures of amazing places??

View from my hotel after waking up from a jetlag-induced coma. My first official morning in London!

The iconic red telephone booths.

The National Gallery, which houses a lovely collection of Venetian Renaissance paintings that I was studying. 

St. Martin-in-the-Fields, shortly before meeting an amazing person. 

Big Ben! 

Me in front of Buckingham Palace! 

View of the Thames. 

The London Eye on New Years' Eve. New Years is extremely fun in London, my friend and I didn't end up watching the fireworks show but we DID end up dancing the night away! 

St. Pancras. Goodbye London :(

Oh the places you'll go...

I am embarking on an amazing adventure this summer, and I am so incredibly excited that it is starting to affect my school work. Who can focus on thesis writing when they are going to live in another country after they graduate??? Not me. Nope.

So, backing it up, a few months ago I was thinking about graduation and what I should do with myself once I finished my bachelor's degree. I knew that I wanted to take a year off before heading to grad school. As much as I love school, I am WAY burnt out right now and I need a break. But what to do with that whole year before going back to higher education?

I thought about working full-time and saving money. It's the responsible choice I suppose. I already have a part-time job which could potentially turn into a full-time position after graduation. But then I thought about it more and realized that whatever job I got would most definitely not be in the field I want, and on top of that I would most likely not make that much and still have to live at home. Now, I love my family, don't get me wrong, but I've been living with them for 22 years. As an independent soul, this has killed me over the years. On top of that, I do not have the same values as my family, which makes home life very complicated and stressful. I don't think I could handle much more of this, especially as an adult with a job.

So I started exploring other options. Ever since I traveled to London (which deserves a whole bunch of other posts on its own!), I've had the worst case of travel bug. I knew I had to get back to Europe as soon as possible. I looked into working abroad programs through my university, but ultimately I would have had to pay first to join the programs, and then pay more for airfare, lodging, living costs, all that fun stuff, on top of having a meager payday. This is just not financially feasible for me right now. But that didn't deter me! I knew there had to be some other way to travel that would actually work for me.

Then I remembered hearing about au pair work. I hadn't seriously considered it before, since I wanted to do "real" work and use my education. But then I realized the value of living with a native family in another country, and I thought that if I could find the right family, the experience would be very much worth it. Plus, it seemed like the easiest way as a young, broke woman to get a full cultural experience in another country. I researched the different options for finding au pair work, picked the option that fit me best, and then actually found an amazing family who I'm really excited to work with.

So in short...I'm moving to Germany!!! I can't believe this is happening, and I am beyond stoked about this entire situation. I'll post more details about how I found my job and what led me to choose Germany later on, but first I wanted to share the good news :)

Now I have to at least pretend that I'm working on my thesis so I can actually graduate and get to Germany. Til next time!