Rome via Brooklyn

521 words, 3 minutes read time.

The Capitoline Museum was a beautiful museum with an enormous collection of amazing art. From colossal statues, to small porcelain replica figures, the Capitoline had a very wide variety of art from different periods of Roman history. Despite being on “the smallest of Rome’s seven hills in the area,” the museum has quite a huge presence and houses some of the largest pieces of art I’ve ever seen, while also carrying huge symbolic significance for Rome (Aicher, 43).

The colossal statue of Constantine I is one that I had frequently seen pictures of, and was mentioned in a previous art history class of mine. Seeing it in person (and getting to take a stupid picture in front of it) was awesome. In person, the huge scale of the head and hand, and the massive size of the reconstructed Constantine outside is larger than I ever could have imagined and really fun to experience.

After our walk around the museum together, Nico, Dante, and I headed to the Renaissance art where we saw some absolutely beautiful paintings that really left such an impression on me. Despite the modest size of some paintings, the use of chiaroscuro and proportions had a way of drawing me into the painting, pulling me into the depths of the deep black and expanding beyond the borders of their frames. One huge piece (which I unfortunately did not get a picture of because I was too lost in the moment) spanned essentially floor to ceiling and was so beautiful. It completely commanded the room it was in and was so mind blowing to look at. Regardless of physical size or scale, these artworks were so attention-grabbing, whether through the use of color theory or masterful sculpting, they commanded the spaces which they were in and made for an incredibly enjoyable museum experience.

I did get confused trying to keep track of the different emperors and rulers, and I found it impressive that people could so easily tell what individual or god/goddess someone was from a quick glance at a statue. If anything, it served as more inspiration for me to recognize these more famous and well-known symbols so I can also recognize patterns in the art I come across.

Similar to my trips to museums in NYC, I sometimes feel disappointed that I’m not creating something like these incredibly talented artists of the past, or the museum curators of the present who have a very important role in cultivating a meaningful experience for the viewers. Standing across from a work that I know I could not attempt to create definitely can make me feel small. However, reminding myself of the fact that I’m in Rome, having been selected from a large group of candidates, recognizing who and what I can, learning about who and what I can’t, and still motivating myself to make blog posts despite being tired out of my mind with “real world” tasks yet to be done, is an accomplishment in and of itself that should make me feel just a bit bigger.

Khadija Fall ❤