Rome via Brooklyn

427 words 2 minute read time

When I first visited the Capitoline Museum, I was impressed by its sheer size. The walk was kind of insane due to the stairs, and when my roommate and I got there, we were assigned to name which rivers the gods. The gods of the rivers are the Tiber and the Nile River, which was cool, especially since I took Egyptian Art last semester, so I can see the syncretism between the Romans and the Egyptians. 

I loved that as we walked around, we saw all the different views of the archeological ruins, and I was happy that I got a good picture of them. The archeological ruins were stunning, and we don’t usually see them while walking around NYC. One of the things that I appreciated about Rome is its dedication to cultural heritage and its maintenance. I wanted to see The Dying Gaul the whole time because it was the first piece that made me cry and connect with art history. That’s when it clicked: Art makes you feel things when you view it, not only when you’re creating art. I was just ecstatic to see the piece in person. Viewing the giant Constantine made me reflect on the Christianization of the Roman Empire and how I wanted to look more into it. 

I saw a lot of different art, such as the cast of Romulus and Remus, which I thought was fascinating because of the story of the creation of the roman empire. My brain kind of connected it to the bible story of Cain and Able. Towards the end of the walk through the museum, we finally approached the dying gaul and I loved it so much. This is the only piece that can make me cry genuinely and I am so happy that I actually had the opportunity to see it. When class ended I went back into the room to take pictures and just sit in its presence. I love things that surround death and this piece shows the commemoration of it and of a fallen solider. You feel the emotions behind the dying gaul facing its ultimate fate. 

I ran into Joseph and we wandered the museum trying to get to the renaissance section. We ended up at the cafe and I had a fruit cup and sat and stared out at Rome. Then we saw this altar piece which was huge and I realized I liked spaces, things, and ideas that sort of overwhelm me in a way. I like to deconstruct them bit by bit and savor them.