21 Days, 3 Credits, Eternal Memories

Rome via Brooklyn

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    fannie

    2–3 minutes

    10: everyday life as art

    477 words, 3 minutes read time.

    After having some bad cappuccino luck and eating some yummy suppli for breakfast, Dakota and I made our way to the cat sanctuary before class. I thought we were going to hang out with the cats in the ruins where Julius Caesar was stabbed but they were all in a room inside. It was extremely hot so the cats probably wanted to stay inside anyway. They were so cute and I bonded with one of them right away. She jumped on my lap and was purring from my pets, reminding me of my cat back home.

    Fresco spotted in Largo di Torre Argentina

    We made our way to the meeting point to a nice garden outside the Baths of Diocletian. There was a water station near us so I filled my bottle with frizzante for the first time and it was very refreshing.

    Baths of Diocletian

    These sculptures reminded me of each other because they both capture private moments, a sleeping child and someone picking a thorn out of their foot. The ordinariness of everyday life is memorialized, things that happen when you think no one is looking put on display.

    Capitoline Museum

    We saw a bunch more sarcophagi today, reiterating how many were pre-carved, having the same carving of myths, angel babies making weapons, etc. I even got to see two of Euripides’s Medea sarcophagi which I was giving my presentation on. I liked how Professor Yarrow pointed out that Jason was idealized on the sarcophagus, appearing unaffected when witnessing the murder of Creusa. Stoic philosophy taught that not being affected by emotions or not allowing things to affect you emotionally was the key to living a good life, so it makes sense that Ancient Romans would idealize a detached Jason.

    Angel babies making weapons, maybe emphasizing an artisan quality of the individual buried.
    A pre-carved sarcophagus with space for a portrait. This person probably didn’t have enough time or money so they requested writing in the portrait space. This emphasizes that the individual consumer still had choice even though sarcophagi were commonly pre-made.
    The curved lines are an example of the strigil motif, the same tool used for cleaning the body. This was easier to carve.
    Psyche with clock-like wings, holding cupid.
    A menorah as the self-portrait

    In the Palazzo Massimo we saw so many beautiful frescos, mosaics and opus sectile. The panorama above is of the garden room from the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta. “Detailed study has shown that all the species of plant and bird are accurately represented, but all four seasons are shown together– it is both real and impossible, a fantasy world drawn from life.” This part of the text struck me because it feels poetic to have fantasy and reality coexisting.

    mosaic
    opus sectile
    mosaic
    fresco
    fresco
    fresco
    opus sectile in Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri

    5 responses to “10: everyday life as art”

    1. Safa Hidais Avatar
      Safa Hidais

      Hi Fannieeeee, I really enjoyed reading your post. I have to admit I skipped the cat sanctuary because I’m absolutely terrified of cats, so it was fun getting to read about your experience instead. I also really liked the part about the garden room fresco and how you described fantasy and reality existing together, that perspective made me appreciate it even more :)!

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    2. hamood92306 Avatar
      hamood92306

      I loved going to the cat sanctuary with you and Dakota! I know we mentioned that we would eventually go back, but knowing it didn’t end up working out with our schedules, I’m glad I got to at least see it once! You also made a great connection between the statues; I hadn’t even considered that!

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    3. ramonhbgraupera Avatar
      ramonhbgraupera

      I really liked your point about Jason being portrayed as emotionally detached because of Stoic ideals, that was an interesting connection. Also, the cat at the beginning definitely sounds like it made your day!

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    4. timurkhakimov24 Avatar
      timurkhakimov24

      Really cool pictures and descriptions of the art work but whats even better are the pictures of the cats and cat mosaic depictions. Also thank you for reminding me of the consumers choice on premade sargophagi because that was truly one of the most interesting things we saw!

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    5. lucyacurran Avatar
      lucyacurran

      Hi Fannie 🙂 I’m sorry about all the cappuccino trouble you had on this trip and I hope now that you’re back in the US you have some better luck! I agree that the customizable sarcophagi were so interesting, especially the one who had only text and not a portrait engraved. It’s a reminder that the people who bought and used these were real people, with their own preferences and quirks and lives 🙂

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