Camille S. Mathieu is the winner of the Donald and Maria Cox/Samuel H. Kress Foundation Pre-Doctoral Rome Prize (Year Two of a Two-Year Fellowship) in Modern Italian Studies and a PhD candidate in the Department of the History of Art at the University of California, Berkeley.
Why did you apply for the Rome Prize?
My dissertation project concerns the work of artists living and working together in Rome at the French Academy (at the Villa Medici, across the Tiber from us). The relative isolation of the French Academy from Paris during the period of Napoleonic domination in Europe (1800-1815) encouraged its young pensionnaires (fellows) to interact with each other’s work across disciplines. Sculptors attended live drawing sessions alongside painters; architects, painters and sculptors went out into the environs of Rome to draw the landscape and the local monuments together, sharing their work. My dissertation asserts that the lived experience of Rome dynamically transforms the work and outlook of foreigners who study there together. Abounding with the kind of cross-disciplinary intellectual and artistic interaction that my dissertation declares vital to innovation, the American Academy in Rome seemed for me an ideal environment in which to complete my thesis. And it has, in every way, lived up to my expectations!
Describe a particularly inspiring moment or location you've experienced in Rome thus far.
The above-ground Claudian aqueduct on the outskirts of Rome was drawn over and over again by French artists in the early 19th century. Visiting the park on a sunny day with the indefatigable Anna Celenza, we were commenting on the imposing nature of the arches, bounding on in perfectly measured fashion towards Rome, when we were interrupted by a clanging of small bells and a shuffling noise. There, in the middle of this extra-urban park, a shepherd was heading his flock of sheep towards us! We moved to the side, standing in the shadows of the arches until the boisterous group, replete with barking dogs, had passed, all the while laughing together about our now genuine “Grand Tour” experience of ancient Rome.
To what extent, if any, has your proposed project changed since your arrival?
To the extent that it is possible, my project has become even more Rome-centric! The complex history of the French presence in Rome from 1800 on—and ultimate governance over the city from 1809 to 1814—has not been fully explored by academics, especially as concerns its cultural manifestations. One of my chapters has now been enriched by a discussion of the cultural landscape of Napoleonic Rome, culled mainly from the archival materials available here.
Have you had any "eureka!" moments or unanticipated breakthroughs in the course of your work here?
The realization that Rome is really more of an exceptional case in Napoleon’s Empire than even I originally thought it was. Take, for instance, imperial iconography. In Mantua and Milan, Napoleon left visible marks on the city and its palaces. The iconography of France (as Marianne) or even the Emperor himself accepting various kinds of tribute from the meek personification of Italy present in the northern cities was not co-opted for any Roman space, nor does it appear here in any of the work that the French government managed to carry out such as the creation of the Piazza del Popolo or the redecoration of the Quirinale Palace.
What part of your project has been or do you anticipate will be the most challenging?
The most challenging part of my project is balancing the historical information I’m uncovering with the art historical record. While looking for documents related to the presence of French artists in Rome, I have found so many interesting and informative documents in the Archivio di Stato about the daily logistics of the Napoleonic government in the city that it pains me to not include them.
What's surprised you most about living in Rome?
The light. It changes throughout the seasons, but it’s always beautiful. There are days when it exactly replicates the red haze of a Corot setting sunset and days when it is the intense yellow of a Sicilian lemon. But whenever it appears, it is always a warm color, never tinged by the wan blue of more northern climates and always welcoming.
How have you managed the balance between your work (time in the studio/ study) and engagement with Rome and Italy (travel, sightseeing, interactions with locals)?
I frequently do research in the Villa Medici archives, which are all the way across town from the American Academy. Getting there via public transit takes the same time as walking, so I often walk in at least one direction and organize my route to stop by a church or a landmark that I haven’t yet visited—or else one I love and do not get the chance to visit enough. I enjoy this city so much because every street seems to lead towards a chance encounter; the other day I wound up accidentally in front of Bernini’s Elephant!
How do you anticipate your Rome Prize Fellowship will influence future work?
The Rome Prize experience has only deepened my love of the Classical—I can’t wait to co-teach a class on Neoclassicism with an archeologist.
What is your favorite spot at the Academy? Or in Rome?
I have three favorite spots at the Academy. The first is in the Salone, in the sofa by the fireplace. I prefer the spot closest to the window to curl up with my laptop and work, as the sun warms it nicely in the early morning and the fresh breeze coming through the window keeps me alert. The second spot is on the fourth-floor terrace closest to 5B, which is little used as it is a smaller space than the main terrace looking out over the city. I often take my reading out there and work. The third spot is where the grills are in the Bass Garden. I am always up for a barbeque!