Coming of Age as a Traveler

This is a picture from the inside of the John Soane Museum that gives an idea of how much he collected over his years and his dedication to the arts as both an architect and collector.  John Soane was thought to be the "golden boy of architects" and was able to accompany some of the wealthiest men on the Grand Tour.  Both John Soane and Lucy Honeychurch saw the importance of travel and the effects it has on expanding ones world views.

The library and dining room at the John Soane Museum had an abundance of history, democracy, and beauty as seen in the art pieces, leather-back books lining the walls, and imagining the people that would have spent time in this area.  John Soane was able to discover his style and taste while he traveled through The Grand Tour, just as Lucy was able to grow as a person in enhancing her world views. 

Antonio Del Pollaiolo's Apollo and Daphne from the National Gallery can be interpreted as a strong representation of Lucy's relationship with Cecil.  Cecil had a tight grasp on Lucy and believed that she needed to be completely pure before their marriage.  The woman turning into a tree is supposed to represent the transformation from living to static, just as marrying Cecil would have done to Lucy. 

Joseph Turner's picturesque painting of Bridge of Sighs, Ducal Palace and Custom-Home, Venice: Caneletti Painting at the Tate Britain Museum shows Turners first view of Venice as the way he had imagined it.  Lucy and Turner both viewed Italy to be a place filled with beauty and passion.  Turner’s painting is the ahh-inspiring view that Lucy had imagined for her view in Florence.

Another painting of Turners, Venice with the Salute, gives a different view of what Turner believed Venice to be like.  The unfinished and atmospheric version suggests that after visiting Venice Turner was able to come up with own interpretation of the city.  This is relatable to how Lucy only knew what she had been taught and how once she left that environment she was able to see the world through her own perspective.