By NIKKI DUKOFF
After instructing her AP Italian students on famous Italian artists and their different creative methods, Italian teacher Signora Bozzo decided to start a new project with her seniors. The class created their own frescoes, which Signora Bozzo believed would be an informative and relaxing enrichment to the AP workload.
“I had been talking to one of the art teachers, Mrs. Cosenza, about the art unit that I teach and the two of us came up with the idea and thought it would be a lot of fun for the students,” said Signora Bozzo. Both Signora Bozzo and Mrs. Cosenza have a passion for Italy. Mrs. Cosenza said, “I have a love for Italy, and going to see the frescoes in person is always amazing. It was fun to work with the students to recreate them.”
Mrs. Cosenza brought in pictures of a variety of options for the students to illustrate or they were able to bring in their own meaningful photos. There were different materials that were needed such as plaster, plastic trays, paint, brushes, water color, and water color pencils.
Senior Amanda Damon said, “I painted an image of a canal in Venice that I took when I was in Italy last year. I enjoyed the project because it was different than what I do in most classes and it was nice to express myself through art.” Senior Giulia Milana chose to paint the angels in Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna” because it is one of her favorite pieces of Italian art. Another senior, Randi Ziegler, said, “I enjoyed making a present for my parents. I painted the landscape of where they got married.”
Signora Bozzo believes that the project was a success. “I think that it gave the students a renewed appreciation for the work involved and the intensity of such a project and respect for the old masters of the Renaissance who did this on huge scale,” she said.
Ultimately, it is a project that Signora Bozzo would like to continue with her future classes. “I would really like to experiment next year, perhaps with painting on the wet plaster instead of waiting for the plaster to dry, and spending a little more time in the classroom selecting the images we want to replicate.”
Extraordinary article Nikki! Plus, the headline is super creative and eye-catching!