The Bust of Medusa
A.) 1. The Bust of Medusa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
2. In the Palazzo dei Conservatori in Sala Della Oche.
3. It is made out of white marble and is 50 by 41 by 38 centimetres circa and is a Baroque style of art. And the pedestal that her head is held up by is made out of portoro marble and the height of it is 18cm, the diameter is 20cm. Inscribed on the front of the sculpture is, "The head of Medusa, in ancient times used as ornamentation on the shields of the Romans to terrorize their enemies, today shines brightly in the capitol in glory of the renowned sculptor, donated by Marquis Francesco Bichi, in the month of March in the year of the Lord 1731."
Historical Essay:
From the tour given by Barbara at Capitoline Hill, The head of Medusa is the most beautiful but deadly monster of all. She had the power to turn anyone to stone who looked into her piercing eyes. In greek myth, it is said that after Perseus found Medusa he killed her by cutting off her head and used it in battle to defeat his enemies and then awarded it to the goddess Athena who cast the head into her shield where it then would remain.
Bernini sculpted the head of Medusa because of the emotion on her face when he head was chopped off. According to the main website of the Musei Capitolini, "Medusa, with a classically beautiful face and delicate features, sees herself in an imaginary mirror and is caught in the moment when she realizes the atrocious trick of fate, and before our eyes, her soft skin changes color, the writhing serpents in her hair paralyse and her expression of pain and anguish are forever captured in marble." This is one the of first works of art during this time period where a woman was shown as having any kind of emotion.
When I saw the head of Medusa for the first time at the museum, a feeling of sadness came over me. I automatically felt pain for Medusa because she was killed for being viewed as a terrifying monster. I also felt petrified. This work of art by Bernini is spectacular because he depicts her emotions so well. In my opinion, the fact that the Medusa was able to turn people into stone who look at her, symbolizes the amount of strength she she had which also showed me a bigger picture; women really did have strength even though during that time period it was hidden because women weren't important to society.
The (Original) Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
A.) 1. The (Original) Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
2. In Rome, at the Palazzo Nuovo
3. The original is made out of bronze and gold and is 3.5 meters tall and is larger than life-size
B.) Historical Essay:
The Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius depicts power and his strength. his left hand suggests him holding the reigns of the horse, but reigns did not exist during this time. His right hand is raised up high to grab peoples attention and show peace. He is also shown to show no weapons in either hand because he was said to be a peacemaker and when this was sculpted it was to show he was entering, "The City of Life."
If you look close, you will notice that the horse has its right hoof raised. According to our tour guide Barbara, “It suggests that a small figure of a bound barbarian chieftain once crouched under the horse's right front leg trying to kill himself." Marcus Aurelius was a man of peace and did not want this man to die.
According to the Musei Capitolini's website, there were many imperial statues during the time Marcus Aurelius's statue was made. But, Marcus Aurelius's statue was the only to survive because in the middle ages it was incorrectly thought to portray the first Christian Emperor Constantine. Today, it is the only fully surviving bronze statue of a pre-Christian Emperor.
No comments:
Post a Comment