College of Architecture + The Arts alumna Maria Cristina Trujillo (FIU BA ’09, UF MA ’11) has recently published Lost in the City of Flowers, an art historical fiction novel about a young, aspiring New York City artist on a time-traveling excursion to Renaissance-era Florence, Italy.
In Lost in the City of Flowers, Viola, a fourteen-year-old girl dreaming of becoming an artist, suddenly travels 544 years back in time. In 1469 Florence, Viola faces the threats of Lorenzo the Magnificent, befriends Leonardo da Vinci, and gains the affection of the handsome Giuliano Medici. However, armed with Idan, a mysterious pocket watch, Viola must find her way back home. The only way for her to return to present-day New York City is through the self-discovery of her artistic vision, as she works in an artist’s workshop and encounters the masterpieces of the Renaissance artists.
“Using time as a tool,” said Trujillo, “I provided a current perspective on Renaissance masters and their techniques. Lost in the City of Flowers operates in a strict framework of historical material and includes a glossary of art historical terms and short biographies.”
Trujillo graduated from FIU in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and from the University of Florida in 2011 with a Master of Arts in Art History. Trujillo said that since earning her MA, “it has been [her] goal to expand the accessibility of art history and to present the subject in a more engaging light.”
A book launch and signing will occur on Friday, May 9th, 2014 at 8PM, at Books & Books Coral Gables: 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, Florida 33134.
Lost in the City of Flowers is available for purchase on Amazon. For more information about the novel, you may visit its Kickstarter and Facebook pages.
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