Column: You mean art is still around?

I have a riddle for you. What do the government, business majors and 70 percent of all straight males hate? Art.

Throughout America it has become less important through the years. True to its rebellious roots, America is going in the opposite direction of the world’s most developed countries.

One country in particular is far more adept at highlighting the importance of this expressive way of communication: Italy. As a junior studying Italian abroad at the University of Bologna in Italy, I’ll be exposed to various types of art that are either not available, neglected or both in the United States. 

Attending the oldest university in the world is not without its perks. You’ll travel with me as I tour some of the top museums in the country, attend class at one of the most prestigious universities in Europe and discover the city’s most beloved landmarks. The best part? You get to avoid the increased tuition costs and dodge an infuriating exchange rate.

Although I like to think of myself as a capable writer, I’m not sure what I could do to fully share the experience of freshly baked Italian bread or creamy gelato.

As the fourth week of classes comes to a close at Indiana University and students return to late nights in Wells Library, I’d like to share a few details about this statue I will pass on my walk to the library when (but more likely, if) I choose to study.  
IU’s Fine Arts Circle boasts the beloved Showalter Fountain.

Similarly, Piazza Nettuno is the home of Fontana del Nettuno, a bronze statue depicting the Roman sea-ruling god, Neptune. This statue was designed by Giambologna, the French-born Jean Boulogne, who studied for many years in Rome.

Best known for pioneering the Mannerist style, which focused on the movement and limbs of the body alongside the emotion of the face, Giambologna eventually became a sculptor for the powerful Medici family. Giambologna works can be seen around the world, so it is likely that someone reading this article has done the ‘re-enact a statue next to it and take a photo with your friends’ routine more than once around his work.

Rarely straying from Roman and Greek gods or ancient biblical characters, he made a name for himself in the sculpting world by being one of the first to focus on the beauty of movement. And he was one of few to perfect it.

Unimpressed? Giambologna found a way to make the depiction of a woman’s breasts so real that the papacy began a surveillance of the statue after dark. Now, why is it that straight men are so opposed to art?