225 August 30: Statues of Great Importance

Tall and Proud- The She-Wolf

Walking around the Capitoline Museum, I was surprised to find myself drawn to a statue known as the “She-Wolf,” also called the Capitoline Wolf.  I am not normally drawn to statues, viewing them typically as a dedication to an egotistical ruler wishing to show his “greatness” to his city.  Though many statues do not exhibit that stereotype in my head and those that do are still important, I have never been that compelled by any.  However, standing in front of the She-Wolf and listening to the tour guide, I became intrigued by the story behind her.  At 75 cm high and 114 cm long, the She-Wolf stands boldly with her strong bronze body on guard, ready to pounce on any threats to her newly acquired young (Wikipedia.com). The historical importance behind the statue is remarkable and still controversial to this day.

The wolf is said to have saved Romulus and Remus from death by picking them up from the Tiber River after they were discarded by Amulius.  As they grew up, she nurtured and protected them from harm until they were able to care for themselves.  Ironically, Amulius sent them away for fear they would overthrow him as they grew older, and he was killed by Romulus and Remus upon their return for revenge.  The twins returned to where they were raised by the wolf and built Rome (http://www.unrv.com/culture/romulus-and-remus.php).  Had it not been for the wolf raising these twins, Rome may never have been founded, proving the importance of the myth to Roman culture.  Astoundingly, this simple sculpture is able to tell a story so deeply rooted in this grand city. 

However, the composition of the sculpture creates controversy which greatly disturbs many artistic followers behind the She-Wolf.  According to http://www.unrv.com/culture/romulus-and-remus.php, the statue was believed to be created long ago by the Etruscans.  The Etruscans built statues in parts and then welded those parts together.  However, the statue is made of one piece, leading people to believe it was composed later on during the Renaissance.  Even Romulus and Remus are known to have been created later to better portray the magnificent myth.  Regardless of when the sculpture was made, the myth stands the same and the sculpture can speak for the past, creating a marvelous piece of work.

Statue of San Sebastian

In honor of my new appreciation of sculpture, I chose to also do the statue of San Sebastian, located in a church along the breathtaking beauty of the Appian Way.  The statue is life-size but of unknown composition, created by Antonio Giorgetti.  The student of the famous Bernini did a wonderful job portraying the writhing, twisting, and turning of the saint as others try to kill him. 

The formal aspects of the statue are what made it stand out to me.  First off, the colors of the statue pull you in.  The white statue of the saint is offset by the gold/copper colored arrows striking him and being immediately brought to the attention of the onlooker.  The elongated, horizontal body with arrows going in different direction also brings contrast and attention.  The well lit enclosing makes the statue stand out from the rest of the church and brought many students to it as their first stop.  The detail in the statue from the muscles to the wrinkles of the clothes make the statue real and you can almost feel the saint’s pain as he struggles to live through the endeavor. 

However, through the statue, you do not necessarily get the full understanding of what happened that day in history.  Through other paintings and images of the same event, you typically see Sebastian still standing strong and enduring the pain presented to him, but in the statue you see him sprawled across the ground, eyes closed and potentially deceased.  San Sebastian is commonly known for his strength and survival of the episode, and only later is he killed when the emperor has him clubbed to death (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/988975849/).  Even though the full story is hard to get, the statue is a brilliant moment captured in time and will be cherished for years to come.  

Hum 325, August 25: A Needed Discomfort

The history of Rome, according to British Journalist H.V. Morton, is both “exhilarating and oppressive for the traveler.”  What ways have you found Rome exhilarating and oppressive?

Rome has a way of touching people’s senses, creating a charm that is exhilarating, invigorating, and irresistible.  In Rome, one can experience the taste of freshly made gelato, smell of flowers in the breeze, the sight of a vast vineyard, the touch of a finely made scarf, and the sound of church bells and children laughing all at once.  However, the hustle and bustle of the town, the strange tongues one is not accustomed to, and forceful strangers coming up from off the street can be intimidating.  In The Italians, Barzini discusses how tourists come from all over to Rome in search of beauty, food, religion, historical knowledge, and potential love.  As exciting as the search can be, tourists may find it just as demanding.   

Whoever does not walk into an immense city such as Rome and experience some sort of culture shock baffles me.  The metro station alone exhibits such oppression perfectly.  First, standing to buy a ticket to your destination, a band of gypsies comes up to hustle you.  You look around confused and nervous, wondering what to do when luckily you are able to grab your ticket and money before they reach their greedy hands in to see what is left behind.  You rush away as they move onto their next victim, and sadly you find yourself relieved at the expense of another innocent tourist.  You hold onto your bag tightly hoping someone else does not try to pull a fast one on you.  You run to make it to the metro which comes exactly on the dot and waits for nobody running behind from the previous struggles.  I have personally witnessed and been a part of such experiences in the past week in Rome and am not surprised that it can bring anxiety to travelers.  Catching transportation, however, is not the only problem.      

Have you ever had that grandparent or relative who insists on you eating more and more until your seams are ready to burst?  You plead that you are really ok and are no longer hungry for more.  One plate down, the second plate a struggle, and the next thing you know, you look down and your plate is full yet again, waiting for your intake.  What do you do with that vast quantity in such a short period of time?  When traveling to the city of Rome, I can sometimes feel that same way.  The first “bites” of Rome are rich and I long for more.  However, when I look around and realize that I have merely made a small indent on my plate, apprehension sweeps over of whether or not to continue on.  Rome has so much to offer and with that can become oppressive to those not ready to handle all that the city throws on one’s plate.  People standing around looking at maps, people left behind from their tour guide from stopping to capture a moment of beauty, and people trying to communicate, frustrated with not being able to speak the way they always have are all experiencing part of Rome’s oppression. 

Lost tourist trying to ask for directions

But what defines the act of being oppressive and why does it resonate so easily with new travelers to the city of Rome?  After all, the native Romans seem to be doing just fine.  According to www.yourdictionary.com, oppressive is an adjective used to describe something that is “hard to put up with, causing great discomfort or fatigue… weighing heavily on the mind, spirits, or senses; distressing.”  To say that I have not felt any of these emotions throughout my stay would be a blatant lie.  From class in the morning until dinner at night, I constantly find myself holding back yawns and working incredibly hard to keep my eyes open.  Sometimes it feels like an exceedingly long race with no cones to guide you and no finish line in sight.  Not only is Rome physically taxing, but mentally as well.  For example, you pride yourself in spending time memorizing key Italian phrases.  Moments later, you are confidently strolling up to a native Italian and the words flow off your tongue with ease.  You stand there with a smile, proud of how much easier the task was than you thought it might be.  However, just as soon as you are contented, all that confidence is stripped away when the Italian language is thrown back at you and you realize you do not have the slightest clue how to translate what the Italian said in return.  The language barrier has quickly turned from being your friend to your brutal enemy.  A blank face is all you can muster up, and a frown grows on the Italian’s face who is tired of coddling tourists.  The sense of failure hits home and you are now a puppy with your tail between your legs.  I have found myself in this position many times and we have only been here about a week.  The positive is that you are not alone and share these disconcerting moments with others walking in nearly identical shoes.  Tourists, unlike native Romans, are not at home.  When it comes down to it, we are simply people taking in a much different culture that can both enlighten us and wear us down to our very core.      

However, when you go beyond the insanity of the metro and look beyond the crowds, Rome is truly a place of beauty.  Everywhere you look is history waiting to be incorporated into your person.  Every stone left unturned and every single person has a story that they are waiting to tell.  All you have to do is listen carefully, take a deep breath, and learn.  From the moment I stepped off the plane, my exhilarating journey began.  Even those oppressive struggles are exhilarating when you take a long, hard look.  I cannot say that the gypsies and the hectic streets have not taught me some of what I needed to know.  The whole reason they are oppressive to begin with is that I am not accustomed to the ways of Rome.  Rome is not the only place I will experience these struggles, and by adapting and learning from it I can be more prepared for my next endeavor. 

Intelligently stated about Rome, “Whether caused by the sun, the climate, the sky, the light, or by anything else, the sensation was a powerful, almost an overwhelming one, often strong enough to change a man’s life” (Barzini 36).  Rome is so great of a power over one’s being that it can overwhelm us and take over how we feel, leading us to sometimes question who we really are.  Rome is a beautiful oppressive force- one that takes our comfort away, bringing us back to the basics so we are able to start asking questions that really matter... questions that turn a simple trip into an exhilarating journey.       

225 August 17

The Illusion- Can you spot the difference?

Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto are so called “twin” churches located in the Piazza del Popolo of Rome.  Though I searched for quite some time, I was unable to find the exact measurements of the churches.  What makes them interesting to begin with, however, is how similar the churches look nearly identical but are actually different dimensions.  The insides are composed primarily with white stucco and the domes have been restored decades later with slate (http://www.romaspqr.it).  The art of these churches is primarily in the illusion it portrays of symmetry.

My first focus will be on the biographical influence on the sister churches.  Carlo Rainaldi was the initial architect for the design of the churches.  However, when changes needed to be made, Bernini and Fontana stepped onto the plate to provide the remarkable, well thought out architecture that we see standing today.  At the time, it was said the project should have been more Neoclassical based on artistic influences going on.  However, the churches had to be built based on the location of the roads, rather than building the roads after the churches.  Due to this fact, Bernini had to reassess the design of the church.  Upon doing so, the churches faced dissimilarities and became more of a Baroque style (http://www.flickr.com/photos/luigistrano/3916172102/). 

The Piazza del Popolo was initially being modified as a result of the history going on in Rome.  When the Queen of Sweden decided to turn to Catholicism, the Pope wanted to improve the city’s appearance since she was coming to visit.  This started with altering the famous church Santa Maria del Popolo.  The revamping continued on as they wanted churches built in the street corners (http://www.romaspqr.it).  The Pope wanting to show off this area of Rome to others is how the two “sister” churches we admire were acquired in the positions and form they are in.  

The Beauty and Cruelty of Ancient Rome 

The Colosseum is an important part of Roman history that was used for gladiator fights.  Located in nearly the center of Rome, Italy, it was the perfect place for Roman citizens to be able to gather together.  According to Wikipedia, the Colosseum is 189 meters long, 156 meters wide, and has a base area of 6 acres.  Size was important due to the large population in the city.  In ancient Rome, the Colosseum was composed of travertine stone, bricks, cement, marble before it was removed later to be reused, and a wooden floor which was covered up by sand to absorb the gladiator’s blood.  

The formal aspects of the Colosseum were very important.  The Colosseum’s style was meant to mimic Greek culture to show how powerful the Romans really were.  The style and seating allowed for all of the Roman citizens to gather and fit together in a single structure.  The passageways within the Colosseum alone are astonishing due to the way the crowd could be managed and able to get through.  In order to assure the strength of the structure, the architects composed the Colosseum with vaulted arches (http://www.roman-colosseum.info/colosseum/building-the-colosseum.htm) to hold the ceiling up which blocked people from the beaming, hot sun. 

The Colosseum had a very strong historical importance.  Vespasian, the emperor of Rome at the time, initiated the construction of the well known monument.  Throughout this time, Rome was conquering Jerusalem and thus had the means to build the extravagant gathering place.  According to www.roman-colosseum.info, the religious influences in the era had an impact on how the use of the Colosseum and gladiator fights came to be.  Previously, Romans had believed in sacrifices to the Pagan Gods and would use slaves as some of their sacrifices.  As time progressed, people began to teach them how to fight and it evolved into what we know now as gladiator fights.  These became entertainment for the people of Rome and the Colosseum was the perfect place for this to occur.  Romans were also greatly divided up by economic status.  As a result, the lower classes and those sentenced to death were chosen to fight for the entertainment of the upper classes.  

325 August 16: What Will We Leave Behind?

People that are apt to follow other’s opinions and stereotypes lose out on forming their own judgments which can enrich their lives and transform their spirit.  In Castel Gandolfo, our class sat and discussed various writings and touched based on topics to help us enhance our stay in Rome.  When reading The Italians foreword and contemplating how the author claimed to tell things like it is, the class noted how there is no one truth and way things are.  One must step outside those boundaries that other people’s opinions form and into a new box, empty and waiting to be filled by one’s own experiences- a box that one can modify and readapt throughout the course of such an experience as traveling abroad.

When stepping onto the aged stone roads and taking in the expansive city of Rome, I tried to set aside some of what others informed me of before my departure.  Some spoke as if Rome was just a tired old city while others viewed it as a complete spiritual transformation waiting to happen of which I obviously cannot force.  I put on my fresh eyes and through the story told by the tour guide, tried to picture Rome the way it was so many years ago. 

Before the tourists who created all these opinions, before the gypsies one must always be wary of, before the fall and destruction of the wondrous architecture, I was able to experience a day in the life of ancient Rome.  Through untainted eyes I was a gladiator waiting for my impending doom with nothing but a relentless cheering crowd unwilling to stop the madness and undaunted by my fear.  I became a Roman citizen in the center of Western civilization shopping in the market and praying, carrying out everyday rituals.  I was a Roman soldier returning from a victory and could also be a slave being brought back from defeat by those Roman soldiers.  I tore apart architecture for money to recycle and use again.  With these fresh ideas and own outlook I could build my own empire in my box instead of just recycling someone else’s experience. 

The quote that affected me most during the class was from The Smiles of Rome which stated “…when we find that living, we cannot fill the footprints of the dead (60).”  As I walked around Rome I saw the beauty the Romans left behind.  Architecture so brilliantly designed with inscriptions for all to read allows a story to be told for the future generations and lessons to be learned.  The world must not allow those footprints to be destroyed for they have helped form society and after hundreds of years continue to teach eager minds.  People need the past in order to move progressively through the present. 

I considered how the world today is so technologically dependent that many works may not be there for others to witness.  Atomic weapons alone could wipe out much of the world’s population, surroundings, and information, and we would have no footprints left for people to learn from.  No footprints for people to even remember what the Romans left behind and did for our own culture.  Not only would screws be missing that held together the marble of the Colosseum, but the entire Colosseum itself.  How can one reconstruct how the Romans lived without any evidence anything even existed?  The class helped me to realize how vital these ancient Roman forums and buildings are and how we must build our own legacy to leave behind for others to cherish.  Rome is not just simply a city.  Rome is a place full of culture that uses the past to enhance their future as well as ours.  Where would we be now if we had no idea what had happened all those years ago?