Proctor’s European Art Classroom program heads into their final weeks together studying art and culture in Aix-en-Provence, France. Like any intensive group experience, there have been ups, downs, and remarkable growth within each of the eight students taking part in this winter’s program. Students continue to create art as they travel throughout Europe. Read reflections from Conrad ‘24 on the past week preparing for an excursion to Amsterdam in this week’s blog.
Conrad ‘24:
This past week, our group of eight were faced with the fact that our time in France is dwindling. It was a busy week before our stay in Amsterdam, working diligently on our book project and final studio art painting, the Bird.
On Monday, we began learning Dutch, which is full of humorous vocabulary and translations. Post-Impressionism was the focus of our art history lesson on Monday. On Tuesday, we got a "tour of our backyard," aka Mont Sainte-Victorie. On this tour, we met a friend whom it felt like we knew for a lifetime. We were blessed to interact with Monique and witness her craft and stunning property. She graciously let us plein air paint around her house. A soccer game commenced on her lawn, and the injuries were minor before we said our goodbyes.
During our in-house day on Wednesday, we had our last studio art lesson after we chose our birds. We returned to Le Festival on Thursday to discuss our penultimate book reading. Friday was rainy, but Rembrandt, Picasso, Van Gogh, Cèzanne, and Louis David all made up for the depressing weather. The guys sought a taste of home at Five Guys to fuel our day of three museums.
The day after, the weather worsened as we made our birds before we hit the town for our Saturday night dinner. Sushi, Pasta, and Steak filled our bellies before we set out to watch a movie. When we arrived at the movie theater, a comedy of errors ensued. First, we got the room wrong, and then when we got to the correct movie, a group of local university students stood behind us, confused as to why we were in their seats. A worker came over to engage in what sounded like a heated debate with Jen.
Eventually, we left the movie theater without receiving the entertainment we had hoped for, but a movie streaming site saved the night because we got to watch the movie in the end and in our PJ’s. This Sunday, we purchased our Super Bowl snacks and prepared for our all-nighter before our 6:30 AM flight to Amsterdam.
Check out more photos from European Art Classroom!
- European Art Classroom
- Off-Campus Program