My first foray into art history was during my sophomore year of high school. We had to take an “Art Appreciation” course and, honestly, I did not appreciate it. What I did appreciate, was Ancient Greek and Roman mythology. So, in my first semester of my freshman year of college, I took a classical class as an elective. It was about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to take another the next semester. Next thing I knew, I had changed my major from Microbiology to Classical Civilizations on the Art and Archaeology Track. I quickly realized that while I enjoyed the stories, I enjoyed the depictions of them even more. Ancient Greek and Roman subjects have constantly become an area of interest in the creation of art, so there was no shortage of classes I found interesting. By the end of my sophomore year, I had added Art History as a second major. Over my college career, I have had many opportunities to study various art periods, but I find my interest lies in researching the extent to which classical themes influence High Renaissance and Baroque art. This is not limited to only the archaeological finds of the time, but also the influence of Classical texts as well. Plato and Aristotle had an important impact on the depictions of both the ancient world and the then-current era of art. What else could have influenced the people of the Renaissance? For example: How did Athenian ideals, such as courtly and social life, affect the understanding of art? Did ancient artifact trade with other cultures have a drastic change of their understanding? With Indiana University’s access to the Loeb Classical Library and Eskenazi Museum of Art, I hope to explore the range of influence of classical ideals.
Education
B.A. in Art History and B.A. in Classical Civilizations, IU Bloomington
The College of Arts