In class, we resumed our study of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. I really enjoyed our breakdown of all the elements within this painting, especially since it was a work I saw it in person when I visited Florence last spring. It is one of the iconic works of art that is very recognizable, so I feel it is often considered for its presence in its entirety. I liked how we paused and took the time to not only on the composition as a whole but each individual element, from the trees in the background to the floral designs of the dress and cape that the Horae holds. I liked the idea that the painting was a representation of spring, and that immediately made me associate the work with the sensations of a spring day. Moving on to the next chapter we began our discussion of some of the great artists of the High Renaissance, such as Leonardo da Vinci. Through Leonardo’s works, across both works of art and architecture, we see him return to the goal of understanding structure. Leonardo was constantly seeking to understand and solve problems through his art. I was particularly fascinated with the mathematics and order behind The Last Supper, as Leonardo expertly arranged characters and elements into groupings of 3 and 4, while still directly attention to Christ in the middle of the scene. We ended class by looking at some of the frescoes of the Stanzadella Signatura in the Vatican, specifically the School of Athens scene. I hope we can continue to discuss this work in our next class, as I find it to be such an interesting work of art that signifies the new status of artists in the renaissance.