The art and art history group at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Toledo, Spain.
“A transformation happens when students study abroad. They’re able to see the world in new ways, and the work that they start producing afterwards is always remarkable.” – Professor Jason Guynes
Twenty students – 13 studio art or art history majors and seven from other majors – had the time of their lives in May studying historic art works and architectural sites in Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Córdoba and Barcelona. Led by professor of painting and department chair Jason Guynes and associate professor of art history Dr. Tanja Jones, the students took intensive courses in art history, painting and drawing.
Jacob Feibusch, a double major in art history and biology, said his favorite part of the trip was visiting centuries-old churches and cathedrals still in use. “People worship every week in the same building and same way they did five or six hundred years ago!” Feibusch said. He took “Masterpieces of Spanish Art” and “Southern Baroque Art” while there, and was able to see several of the works they studied in person.
Sarah Murphree, a senior double major in studio art and art history, said, “One of my favorite moments was seeing the Alhambra in person. Being able to look closer at the details and elements that you study in class is breathtaking and was truly a highlight of the trip.”
Murphree took art history in high school but explained that, at UA, the first art history class she took was a non-Western survey. “It really opened the door into that entire world of art [that is] so different than any Western art!” Because of that course, Murphree is focusing on Islamic Southeast Asian art in her art history major, with plans to continue her studies in graduate school and ultimately work in a museum.
