Roam around Rome: A Look Back

by Elizabeth Deans
2011 Rome Drawing and Painting Tour participant



A mystical place so rich in culture, so prolific in architecture, and so seductive in its ambiance creates the ideal destination for artists and architects alike. This is Rome. Over the course of one week, a group of fifteen architects, students, artists, and those captivated by the classical tradition participated in what was, in a word–inspiring. The architecture of this city possesses an unparalleled panorama of architecture creating poetry worth capturing on paper.

But this was perhaps the secondary mode of inspiration for those of us on this particular tour.  Our leaders, Michael Djordjevitch, Richard Cameron, Patrick Connors, and Leah Aron, together provided the greatest sense of inspiration anyone could have possibly asked for. With his profound knowledge and scholarship in architectural history, Michael Djordjevitch emanated a true love for Roman history, which I believe hereafter we will all embrace.  Richard Cameron’s enthusiasm for form, color, and light, and the symphony these elements generate simultaneously, prompted us to relearn how to experience architecture. Likewise, Patrick Connors provided us all with a practical knowledge of perceiving what we see in front of us and translating this onto paper. And how can we forget Leah Aron, whose sense of humor and supreme optimism set the tone for our entire group. Some say one will never fully comprehend the sophistication that the Romans cultivated, nor will one ever see the complexity manifested within this eternal city. All that remains of Rome is but a shadow, yet this shadow still beguiles modern man. Although our trip to Rome has come and gone, we still persist in emulating this shadow—in paint and in mind—at least now we know to always use more blue.