Yes, I Am Learning

Rome is relentlessly breathtaking. I am amazed that to the people who live in Rome, Rome is simply home, just as Arkansas is home to me. Life here has slowed down from the first week, and I am enjoying it more. While during the first week we were able to see the main "highlights" of the city, I felt mostly like a tourist. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Colosseum and Roman Forum, Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. Each of these are monuments to a time and place in which by human efforts the human race was able to create beautiful and powerful things. However, by transitioning from tourist to student, I have been able to find the small things about Rome, which contribute to its beauty in an equal amount.

First, as the days continue to pass, each new day on my walk to class I feel more at home in this Eternal City. I get unlawfully angry at tourists (of which I suppose I am one as well) who stand in the middle of the road staring at their phones, usually trying to find the Pantheon or Piazza Navona. I stop for my lemon-filled croissant and espresso, which will put a patch of hair on your chest if you didn't already have some. I still feel awe, but it has subdued substantially. Brock and I cooked dinner and no one died. It was a nice meal if I do say so myself.

In Preparation

We were proud 

Life is still life here in Rome. People, just like you and me, get up, go to work, raise a family, and so on, all here in the city. Life is so similar here, but also so different. I am continually reminded that words like "normal", "regular", "right", "correct" are not appropriate to describe my life or anyone's life. The United States does not encompasses the world. The world is the world. My life is not "normal" or "right", but simply American. The people of Rome's life and culture is not "different" or "wrong", but simply Italian. But nevertheless, I'll stop my musings there.

Second, our site visits during classes have shifted focus from the "main" attractions to the more specific, less popular places which are just as fascinating. In this post, I plan to incorporate an assignment for my Art History which I would have had to post on Facebook any ways. So, if art is not your cup-of-tea, this is where I bid you adieu. In the last two class periods we have made the transition from Ancient Greek and Roman art and sculpture into the realm of early Christian art. We have visited Palazzo Altemps and Massimo, Ara Pacis, San Giovanni Laterano, Sancta and the exterior of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Palazzo Altemps and Massimo were both impressive collections of Roman sculptures. During our time at these fantastic museums, the facilities were nearly completely empty. This is very different from the "sardines-in-a-can" atmosphere of other museums such as the ones at the Vatican. In class, we had spoke of contrapposto--the idea of a torsion in the torso of a sculpted figure. Going to these museums, we were able to see the progression from very static, upright sculptures in the Early Greek periods to the dynamic, conquering figures of the Hellenistic and Roman times. Similarly, we talked of the use of different "grounds" and perspective to give depth to some of the work. In particular, the most famous sculpture (rightly so) of these two museums was a figure entitled Discobolos. It depicts a man in the process of throwing a discus. Due to the palpable nature of the sculpture, it seems as if the man is literally about to let go of the disc and throw it. In relation to my poor artistic talent (limited to stick-figures only), I was left in awe. Also, in terms of the balance of the sculpture, since the man has both arms extended in "motion", the Discobolos is a literal balancing act which utilizes precision and skill in making sure the figure does not fall over. The Discobolos was one of the most copied figures in the ancient times due to the recognition that it took a true artist to balance all of the necessary elements at play. The following images showcase the changes over time in contrapposto.

A brilliant use of depth

At Palazzo Massimo on the top floor, the exhibits focused on the wall decorations of Imperial Roman homes. Specifically, the most prolific of these pieces were pieces from the walls at Livia's Villa. Livia was the wife of Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of Rome (not to be confused with Julius Caesar). These walls, again, were the prime example of the Roman's use of perspective to create depth in paintings. The walls of Livia's Villa depict a beautiful scene of nature, utilizing bright vibrant colors to showcase the realism behind the paintings. It is amazes me to think that this and similar brilliant uses of depth and color were all but forgotten by Christians, who favored flat, darker, one-dimensional art work.

A bust of Livia

The Walls of Livia's Villa

As a Math major, these tessellations and space-filling curves were impressive

On that note, we also talked about the use of iconography in early Christian artwork. In particular, the Icthus (fish) and Chi Rho were among the most prominent figures that distinguished the art of Christians from that of Pagans. Both are Greek symbols of Christ, which could not have been interpreted by Romans who did not speak Greek or any other language but their own, which was Latin (reminds me of another country in our world today **cough cough** America). Other symbols were established to represent various saints and patrons of the early Church. This use of language and iconography was seen in the Baroque sculptures at San Giovanni Laterano. Peter, with keys. Paul, with a sword. Bartholomew, with his own flayed skin. The traditions had carried to modern times. On our way home, a friend and I stopped by Santa Maria in Trastevere to complete our assignment. We were told to look on the exterior for these symbols, specifically the Icthus and Chi Rho. We found the Chi Rho and were satisfied, so I left and got gelato.

Facade of San Giovanni Laterano, one of the Papal Archbasilicas and the Seat of the Bishop of Rome

Bartholomew and Skin

Peter and Keys

Paul and Sword

Chi Rho

Anchor

Figure of a Bird

This is just a taste of what two days of learning in Rome have taught me. The city is the best teacher I have ever had. It holds its arms open wide asking us to discover its history and culture. I love this city. It will always be a small piece of home.

Until next time,
Jacob Maestri