It was Vasari who described art as resembling human nature, having a birth, growth, age, and death. This was in the hope of recognizing the progress of its own development, the surge and impetus for perfection, and the desire to achieve immortality through its own history.

As art historians, we narrate the journey of artists and their work, providing a vernacular for the world to discuss and critique. This language captures the tone and aesthetic sensibility of the time, recounting it for the present, but also for the future, as art history is truly our own story, narrated through the chisel, brush, and pen.

The papers in Alla Prima, written by students in the School of Art History BFA and MA programs, demonstrate the depth and breadth of the field, addressing artists and periods that span centuries and continents. Wide-ranging questions are asked regarding artistic inspiration, appropriation and influence, and showcase the rigorous caliber of the author’s scholarly work.

The first volume of Alla Prima was envisioned and constructed through the support of many. The editor is particularly grateful to Stephen P. Williams, Associate Editor of Alla Prima, for his tireless work on the journal, and to the Art History Student and Faculty Editing Boards who, together, shaped the very nature of this volume, and in doing so produced a beautifully varied compendium that shares but a small corner of our field.

Gabriela Sotomayor

Director, School of Art History

Academy of Art University