History and Art Intertwined

Hello, my name is Ana Martin, I am currently a senior at Sacramento Charter High School. I am applying to the Transforming Youth Through Travel Scholarship due to wanting to experience another city and learn about a culture outside of my own. In Paris, I am looking forward to the walking seminars related to the culinary, art, and history aspects. In the first seminar there was a large emphasis on historical events tying into art and other parts of the culture. To be more specific, the WWI social trauma influenced many writers and artists such as Wilfred Owen and Pablo Picasso. Reading a poem called “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen really caught my attention. The poem was straightforward with strong imagery of a man in war. I have taken AP classes in both literature and history, it is amazing when the two humanities collide in a single piece of art. One of the walking seminars I am excited about taking in Paris is related to history and literature, discussing the life and influences of the writer Ernest Hemmingway. Learning about the war’s influence over culture gave a whole new perspective beside the battles, loss, and victory. Also learning about artists and their different styles such as Picasso’s sharp and geometric art or Sidney Bechet’s non-traditional, rebellious and soulful jazz music was an eye-opener. In summary, the seminar was both informative and interesting, it was like learning the history of Paris through the artists and writers interpretations. If given the chance to travel to Paris, one should really pay attention to the connections and influence of events occurring in a time period and how it is reflected or interpreted in art.