Culture at Cathedral | Art Students Visit the Met’s Siena Exhibition

The city of Siena, Italy is often overlooked as an influential hub for artistic innovation because it stands in the shadow of Florence. However, the Met exhibition Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 seeks to reclaim Siena’s influential position and artists. The exhibition includes more than 100 works that influenced and defined Western painting.

Four Cathedralites learned about the history of Sienese art, looked at the gallery, sketched some compositions, and even recognized the curator of the exhibition from having watched videos of the exhibit beforehand! He was very gracious to take some time away from condition-checking the exhibit to answer their questions. The curator explained that “the placement and architecture of the space was designed to follow the progression of the artworks,” recalled Mairin W. ’26. “Speaking to the curator was such a special opportunity and made my experience of the exhibit that much more special.”

Mikala M. ’26 shares a beautiful reflection on beholding a painting titled “The Annunciation.”

“Going to the Met was definitely a transformative experience for me. I've only walked past it, not really understanding its significance.

Then my eyes beheld "The Annunciation" by Duccio.


It was the only thing that really stood out to me, and I still can't put into words why. Maybe it was the golden guild, or the expressions so delicately drawn, but I fell in love with it. I decided to draw Gabriel's face for my art activity, and I felt closer to him as a result, as if I could feel what he was feeling.

I also enjoyed learning about the history of the obscure Siena regions. The artists there had a tremendous amount of talent that absolutely blew me away, and I would love to go to the exhibit again so I can process everything. Talking to the curator of the exhibit really immersed me in his line of thinking as well.

Overall, I think the exhibit is wonderful, even if I'm not an art fanatic. If you're not there for the art, you should definitely go there for the architecture and history. It will inspire you, even for a few seconds.”

Thank you to Ms. Cynthia Chen, art teacher, and Ms. Rebecca Morris for accompanying these students on this trip to the Met—an incredible collection of art, culture, and history right in our neighborhood!