Born in the Paleolithic, Professor Lauren Golden has studied Art History... forever, and is still the ‘Eternal Student’ with a passion for all things Rome - where the saying ‘non basta una vita’ (one life is not enough) is absolutely true.
Developing a specialization in Raphael (and, after 7 years, still intermittingly writing a biography of the artist!), Professor Golden eventually became entangled in the tentacles of the Renaissance that reach back to Ancient Rome and then forward to the Baroque. This led to reading nothing but factual books about Rome for over 20 years!
For 10 years, she taught students on annual trips to Italy and then, finally, fulfilled her dream of moving to this, "the city of my heart".
The courses that Professor Golden teaches reflect her life-long passion for the art and history of Rome. ‘Sacred Space: Religious Architecture of Rome’, ‘Art, Power, and Propaganda’, and the soon to be launched ‘Art of the Romantic Imagination’ all include material and aspects Rome spanning the ancient to the modern.
"For me, the joy of teaching is everything and these courses allow me to pass on to students an understanding of the eternal influence of this magnificent city, where through our study together we experience the ‘eternal return’ of Mircea Eliade. But then, in the words of T. S. Eliot, at “the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
Q. When were you happiest?
Every trip I made to Rome before moving to Rome.
Q. What is your computer and/or phone wallpaper?
Laptop wallpaper – A photo of a sign to ‘Base Camp Everest’.
Q. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A poet or an artist
Q. Which word of phrase do you most overuse?
"Nothing is is ever obvious."
Q. What is the worst job you’ve ever done?
A cleaner for private residences as a student to earn money.
Q. If you weren’t a professor, what would you be?
A mountaineer or an astronaut
Q. What trait do you most dislike in yourself?
I don’t do enough house cleaning!
Q. What trait do you most dislike in others?
Lying
Q. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Reading Fiction that takes place in Rome – any period.
Q. If you could travel back in time just once, where and when would you go?
Tricky! Either Late Republican Rome or Rome c.1511
Q. How do you relax?
Drawing, painting and playing guitar.
Q. What is the most important lesson that life has taught you?
Ad astra per aspera - Keep going!
Q. If you could bring something extinct or a deceased historic figure back to life, what/who would it be?
Raphael
Q. Tell us a secret…
Many, many years ago, I once illegally climbed onto the Palatine Hill at night!
If you'd like to know more about Professor Golden, read her academic biography here.