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“Creativity takes courage.” — Henri Matisse

Where would we be without Art?

Art adds richness to our lives.
Without “Art” The EARTH would be just “EH.”

Welcome to “The Art of Loving Italy,” your gateway to exploring the rich tapestry of Italy’s art and artists, from ancient times to contemporary masterpieces. But Art is more than a collection of creative works; it is a universal language that speaks to our souls, revealing unusual beauty, inspiring stories, and astounding creativity.

Did you know art will actually talk to you if you are open and stop to listen?

Engaging with art allows us to uncover new truths about ourselves and the world around us. It challenges us to look beyond the surface, offering profound insights and igniting our imaginations. Through art, we gain a deeper understanding of our identities and surroundings.

When we take the time to truly observe, we discover beauty everywhere.

Artists create subjective interpretations of the world through painting, sculpture, literature, or music rather than literal reproductions. By manipulating colors, shapes, words, and sounds, they evoke emotions, convey ideas, and tell stories. This freedom to express ideas is beautiful, reminding us that beauty is everywhere if we take the time to see it.

Let’s open our eyes (and ears) to what art has to say.
It will be a fascinating conversation!

Latest from the Art of Loving Italy Blog

Renaissance

The man who wrote the book of Love — Petrarch’s sonnets to Laura

The only love that lasts is unrequited love. You’ve heard of Heathcliff and Cathy. You already know the stories of Scarlett O’Hara and Ashley Wilkes, as well as Dante and Beatrice. You may also be familiar with Charlie Brown’s love for the Little-Red-Haired Girl. But, are you familiar with the story of Laura and Petrarca…

Modern, 18th, 19th, Contemporary

Umberto Boccioni and Futurism

As we turn the page and face a new year, I wanted to talk about an artistic movement that dared to break with the past and create a unique, forward-thinking expression of the world. The movement I refer to is — Futurism. In retrospect, Futurism might seem a little outdated — being over 110 years old…

Italian Festivals, Culture | Renaissance

The magic of the Magi.

‘Tis the season to be triumphant and jolly! It is also the season to embrace the spirit of hope and miracles of the human heart. When we do — miracles happen. There is no bigger miracle than the birth of a child. It is truly a mystery and wondrous thing, no matter what religion you…

18th Century

Bringing the “Grand Tour” home!

This is a post reprised from the Studentessa Matta Dual Langauge Italian Blog. To read the post in Italian Click this link Back in the day, to expand your horizons and see great works of art, you had to travel great distances to find them. It was called “The Grand Tour” — and no I’m…

Baroque, Rococo

Eternally Artemisia Book Video Trailer

Artemisia is here! Aside from working very hard on the story for over a year (getting the plot lines just right, writing, rewriting, proofing, and rewriting some more) in my case, since I am the author, designer, layout artist, illustrator, publisher, editor, and proofer and videographer—believe me—there are many things to worry about when I…

Melissa Book News

Eternally Artemisia is published!

I am very happy to announce I’ve published my third novel set in Italy! Eternally Artemisia Some loves, like some women, are timeless. After an intense year—yet at the same time a very rewarding year—of research, writing, editing, illustrating, rewriting, and countless hours of editing, I’d like to introduce you to my protagonists Artemisia, Maddalena,…

Meet Melissa

Welcome to “The Art of Loving Italy,” a vibrant blog site created by Melissa Muldoon—an artist, illustrator, graphic designer, author, and art historian. Here, Melissa shares her profound passion for Italy and its rich artistic heritage.

Additionally, Melissa promotes the study of Italian through her educational website, “StudentessaMatta.com.” As an acclaimed author, Melissa has written four novels set in Italy, weaving the stories of remarkable Italian female artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi and Sofonisba Anguissola