In this class, we first discussed a lot about the spatial organization of our campus. It is interesting to notice that the new Athletic Center and Gordon Center are located at the two “entrances” of campus, which shows visitors our commitment and emphasis on both sports and art. It is also good to learn that the tower of Miller is the highest one, even higher than the chapel, which contains symbolic meanings like Colby is an educational institution and we value knowledge more than religion.
Then we move to the city of Florence. The region that is Italy today is not a country in Renaissance but consists of many towns and cities that speak the same language. The city hall in Florence is impressive, as it looks like a fortress and its building stones are all rough–a design called rustication. Such a design stands for the victory of Guelphs, the supporters of the Pope, in the power competition with Ghibellines, the supporters of Emperor. It is thus an overall defensive architecture built for more symbolic meanings than practical use. The “Competition panels” for the Florence Baptistery are also interesting, where artists compete with each other in creating a sculpture with the theme “the sacrifice of Issac”. Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti are the finalists, and Lorenzo wins eventually. I prefer Lorenzo’s artwork as well for he chooses the scene that the angel has not yet arrived so that spectators could have their own imagination of what will be going on.