Examples of Citizenship
I have learned a lot about citizenship over the past semester, in the house, on the streets in Venice, and in the various countries that I have been fortunate enough to visit over the past three months. In a week, I will be going back to the United States with a new perspective on how I act towards certain aspects of my life. Spending a semester abroad has been a life changing experience, and I hope to take what I have learned here over the past semester and apply it to my every day life back in the States.
I definitely think that my definition of citizenship has changed over the past three months. Before I came to Venice, I think I just viewed citizenship as taking pride in the place that you are from and there was not much more after that. However, after being in Venice and experiencing a different culture, my view of citizenship has definitely changed. I realized that being a good citizen requires a lot of effort; making sure that you are respecting others’ property and respecting the place that you are living, going out of your way to help others when they look like they are in need, and most importantly, giving every place you go and every person you meet a solid chance before you judge them.
One of the main things I learned during my semester in Venice is how to respect public areas. I am not saying that I did not respect public areas before I came to Venice; however, I have learned to respect them more. Living in a house with twenty people can be overwhelming, especially when people leave their stuff all over the place. When I am at home, my mom always tells me that she can always tell where I have been in the house because I leave a trail of my stuff wherever I am. I have done my best at Casa Artom to pick up all of my things before I leave the room, so the next person to come into the room does not know that I have been there. I plan on doing the same thing when I get home; taking all of my things with me when I leave a room, doing my dishes right after I am done using them, and taking my laundry out of the laundry room right when it is done, instead of leaving it in the laundry room for hours after it is done.
Another thing I learned during this semester is to always be willing to help others. During the first couple of weeks, I had a lot of trouble navigating the city, and most of all going to the grocery store. Thankfully, the people of Venice helped me out a lot, by being patient with me and guiding me in the right direction whenever I got lost. Before I came here and I was back in the states and saw someone that looked lost or looked like they needed help, I would just ignore them and hope that they would find their way, or if they were slow, I would get really annoyed. However, after being in a foreign situation, and receiving a lot of help from strangers, I realized that my experience here would not have been nearly as good if it weren’t for the people who helped me out in the beginning. After returning home, I am planning on going out of my way more to ask people who look like they need help if they need it, and being more patient when they are in new and different situations.
Finally, I have learned that you need to read the whole book, and not just a chapter. There are so many different sides of every city and country, and you cannot just judge a whole city off of one experience that you had, or judge an entire group of people based off an interaction you had with one person. There have been a couple of times when I talk to people about places that we have both been, and they enjoyed it a lot and I did not like it that much. I listen to what they have to say about that place, and most of the times they did completely different things in that city than I did. It always makes me wonder if I did those same things, if I would still dislike the city, or if I would love it as much as the other person did. Going forward, I hope to give everything I do, everywhere I go, and everyone I meet an unbiased opinion about it, and not listen to what other people have to say about it until after I have already done something, been somewhere, or met someone. Reading just a chapter of a book can cause you to miss out on a lot, and I do not want to miss out on anything after this experience.
Although I will be extremely sad to leave this beautiful, historic, unique city in a week, I am eager to get home and put what I have learned in Venice into practice and hopefully make my life just that much better. I do believe that I will be a better citizen of my city, state, and country by coming here and seeing citizenship from a new perspective.
I definitely think that my definition of citizenship has changed over the past three months. Before I came to Venice, I think I just viewed citizenship as taking pride in the place that you are from and there was not much more after that. However, after being in Venice and experiencing a different culture, my view of citizenship has definitely changed. I realized that being a good citizen requires a lot of effort; making sure that you are respecting others’ property and respecting the place that you are living, going out of your way to help others when they look like they are in need, and most importantly, giving every place you go and every person you meet a solid chance before you judge them.
One of the main things I learned during my semester in Venice is how to respect public areas. I am not saying that I did not respect public areas before I came to Venice; however, I have learned to respect them more. Living in a house with twenty people can be overwhelming, especially when people leave their stuff all over the place. When I am at home, my mom always tells me that she can always tell where I have been in the house because I leave a trail of my stuff wherever I am. I have done my best at Casa Artom to pick up all of my things before I leave the room, so the next person to come into the room does not know that I have been there. I plan on doing the same thing when I get home; taking all of my things with me when I leave a room, doing my dishes right after I am done using them, and taking my laundry out of the laundry room right when it is done, instead of leaving it in the laundry room for hours after it is done.
Another thing I learned during this semester is to always be willing to help others. During the first couple of weeks, I had a lot of trouble navigating the city, and most of all going to the grocery store. Thankfully, the people of Venice helped me out a lot, by being patient with me and guiding me in the right direction whenever I got lost. Before I came here and I was back in the states and saw someone that looked lost or looked like they needed help, I would just ignore them and hope that they would find their way, or if they were slow, I would get really annoyed. However, after being in a foreign situation, and receiving a lot of help from strangers, I realized that my experience here would not have been nearly as good if it weren’t for the people who helped me out in the beginning. After returning home, I am planning on going out of my way more to ask people who look like they need help if they need it, and being more patient when they are in new and different situations.
Finally, I have learned that you need to read the whole book, and not just a chapter. There are so many different sides of every city and country, and you cannot just judge a whole city off of one experience that you had, or judge an entire group of people based off an interaction you had with one person. There have been a couple of times when I talk to people about places that we have both been, and they enjoyed it a lot and I did not like it that much. I listen to what they have to say about that place, and most of the times they did completely different things in that city than I did. It always makes me wonder if I did those same things, if I would still dislike the city, or if I would love it as much as the other person did. Going forward, I hope to give everything I do, everywhere I go, and everyone I meet an unbiased opinion about it, and not listen to what other people have to say about it until after I have already done something, been somewhere, or met someone. Reading just a chapter of a book can cause you to miss out on a lot, and I do not want to miss out on anything after this experience.
Although I will be extremely sad to leave this beautiful, historic, unique city in a week, I am eager to get home and put what I have learned in Venice into practice and hopefully make my life just that much better. I do believe that I will be a better citizen of my city, state, and country by coming here and seeing citizenship from a new perspective.
Titian and Renaissance Art
Tiziano Vecellio, also known as Titian, was an influential painter during the Italian Renaissance. Although Titian was born in what is now known as Pieve di Cadore, Italy, he moved to Venice when he was around eleven years old to study under Sebastian Zuccato and Gentile Bellini, the brother of Giovanni Bellini, another famous Italian Renaissance painter from Venice (Tiziano Vecellio Biography). Titian could be considered to be a model of good citizenship because he was influential in making Venice an art mecca and attracting the attention of tourists who visit the city, as well as inspiring future artists.
Titian is considered to be one of the most versatile Italian painters (Tiziano Vecellio). Early in his career his paintings consisted of portraits and landscapes, followed by mythological and religious paintings later in his career (Titian Biography). There are several churches in Venice that contain some of Titian’s most famous pieces of artwork. He first became known because of his portrait and landscape paintings, but his most famous works are the religious paintings. Assumption, which is the largest altarpiece in all of Venice, is featured in the Basillica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Other places where Titian’s paintings can be found are the Accademia Galleries, Doge’s Palace, Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, along with many more (Tiziano Vecellio Biography). His works, along with many other Italian painters, attract thousands of tourists every year to go into historical churches around Venice. Being a good citizen includes allowing others to see past the beauty of the city as a whole and appreciating the irreplaceable individual elements that make up the city. His unique artwork does this by allowing the tourists to appreciate something beyond the gondola rides around the beautiful canals and the delicious food and gelato.
Titian influenced a lot of artists both while he was living and after he passed away. His home in Venice was a magnet for the city’s artists. Pietro Aretino, a writer, and Jacopo Sansovino, a sculptor and architect, were two of his most frequent visitors (Titian Biography). Part of his willingness to invite others into his home and helping others must have come from the fact that he learned a lot of his skill from being invited into homes and studios of other painters. His influence is clear in the works of Tintoretto, Veronese, Bassano, Ruben, Rembrandt, and Velázquez (NGA- Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice). Part of being a good citizen is helping others, whether it be volunteering for an organization or giving someone who is lost directions. Titian helped others by giving his artistic advice to those who sought it and helped guide their artistic careers.
In the later years of his life, he spent much of his time working for Philip II of Spain (Tiziano Vecellio Biography). His style of painting changed so radically in his last few years from his early paintings that many people could not believe it was painted by the same artist (Tiziano Vecellio). This could be considered an example of bad citizenship on Titian’s part because he was not sharing his work with Venetians; instead he was just painting for one specific person. Also, the paintings that he completed were not similar in style to his previous paintings. If the paintings are being kept secret, then they cannot benefit the city, and if they are not similar in quality than what he was not known for, the paintings do not have the same impact on the city as his early paintings. Overall, Titian was a good citizen because of his impact on Italian Renaissance art helping Venice become a historical art center, as well as impacting the works of other artists.
Works Cited
"NGA - Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice." NGA - Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <https://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg23/gg23-over1.html>.
"Titian Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/titian-21322389#synopsis>.
"Tiziano Vecellio :: Biography â–º Virtual Uffizi." Virtual Uffizi Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.virtualuffizi.com/tiziano-vecellio-called-titian.html>.
"Tiziano Vecellio (Titian) Biography." Titian Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.titian-tizianovecellio.org/biography.html>.
Titian is considered to be one of the most versatile Italian painters (Tiziano Vecellio). Early in his career his paintings consisted of portraits and landscapes, followed by mythological and religious paintings later in his career (Titian Biography). There are several churches in Venice that contain some of Titian’s most famous pieces of artwork. He first became known because of his portrait and landscape paintings, but his most famous works are the religious paintings. Assumption, which is the largest altarpiece in all of Venice, is featured in the Basillica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Other places where Titian’s paintings can be found are the Accademia Galleries, Doge’s Palace, Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, along with many more (Tiziano Vecellio Biography). His works, along with many other Italian painters, attract thousands of tourists every year to go into historical churches around Venice. Being a good citizen includes allowing others to see past the beauty of the city as a whole and appreciating the irreplaceable individual elements that make up the city. His unique artwork does this by allowing the tourists to appreciate something beyond the gondola rides around the beautiful canals and the delicious food and gelato.
Titian influenced a lot of artists both while he was living and after he passed away. His home in Venice was a magnet for the city’s artists. Pietro Aretino, a writer, and Jacopo Sansovino, a sculptor and architect, were two of his most frequent visitors (Titian Biography). Part of his willingness to invite others into his home and helping others must have come from the fact that he learned a lot of his skill from being invited into homes and studios of other painters. His influence is clear in the works of Tintoretto, Veronese, Bassano, Ruben, Rembrandt, and Velázquez (NGA- Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice). Part of being a good citizen is helping others, whether it be volunteering for an organization or giving someone who is lost directions. Titian helped others by giving his artistic advice to those who sought it and helped guide their artistic careers.
In the later years of his life, he spent much of his time working for Philip II of Spain (Tiziano Vecellio Biography). His style of painting changed so radically in his last few years from his early paintings that many people could not believe it was painted by the same artist (Tiziano Vecellio). This could be considered an example of bad citizenship on Titian’s part because he was not sharing his work with Venetians; instead he was just painting for one specific person. Also, the paintings that he completed were not similar in style to his previous paintings. If the paintings are being kept secret, then they cannot benefit the city, and if they are not similar in quality than what he was not known for, the paintings do not have the same impact on the city as his early paintings. Overall, Titian was a good citizen because of his impact on Italian Renaissance art helping Venice become a historical art center, as well as impacting the works of other artists.
Works Cited
"NGA - Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice." NGA - Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <https://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg23/gg23-over1.html>.
"Titian Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/titian-21322389#synopsis>.
"Tiziano Vecellio :: Biography â–º Virtual Uffizi." Virtual Uffizi Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.virtualuffizi.com/tiziano-vecellio-called-titian.html>.
"Tiziano Vecellio (Titian) Biography." Titian Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.titian-tizianovecellio.org/biography.html>.