The Last Days of PompeiiA friend who could not take the time off work gave me her member tickets to see Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples at LACMA (Los Angeles County Art Museum). I invited TL to go with me on April 30.
When I visited Italy in 2005 (was it really that long ago?) one of the reasons I picked that particular Globus tour was because I wanted to see Pompeii. Our tour guide turned out to be mediocre on his good days and one of the many disappointments was that several people on the tour asked to get to Sorrento earlier than scheduled (to which he acquiesced). This meant a hurried trip to Pompeii.
(However, I do want to say that despite our guide, I had a great time visiting Italy and would take that same tour again in a second.)
Even worse was that the local guide spent 45 minutes of our time standing in one spot giving us a history of Pompeii when we could have been walking around seeing the place for ourselves. I wandered off, missing most of the information. So one day before leaving the planet for good, I have to go back on my own.
But happily, the exhibit at LACMA gave me the opportunity to make up for what I missed on that tour—and much more.
On my last day in Rome by myself, and after my travel companion left, I was able to visit the National Museum. Among other magnificent treasures, I saw room after room of frescoes rescued from Roman villas. And many magnificent floor mosaics laid out as they were meant to be seen, horizontally. I'll never forget that experience.
The LACMA exhibit is eclectic in its selection of art objects from sculptures to frescoes. Approximately one hundred and twenty items make up the exhibit, giving an impressive example of the art enjoyed by the wealthy Romans of that era. As far as archaeology goes, the Roman Empire happens to be my favorite period. If we have multiple lives, I must have lived in that time as I always feel so much at home when surrounded by the art and artifacts of that era.
After returning from my trip to Greece, I took a class in the UCLA Archaeology Program in 2008 entitled Art at the Getty Villa, one of the most enjoyable classes in the program. It was taught by Kenneth Lapatin, Associate Curator of Antiquities at The J. Paul Getty Museum, who happens to be the guest curator for this exhibit at LACMA. I had the opportunity in that class to talk about one of the mosaics at the Getty Villa as well as researching the production of ancient glass.
I was a little disappointed that only one mosaic was represented at the LACMA exhibit, as that art form was such an important part of Roman life (but at least it was displayed horizontally!). However, there was a nice representation of glassware from the Getty collection.
As a LACMA member myself I am fortunate that I will have a second opportunity to view the Pompeii exhibit again before it closes. In the meantime I am reading the catalog that I just had to buy. By the time I return in August I hope I will have been able to read it from cover to cover—I am well on my way.
If you have any interest in the Roman Empire at all (and I find it hard to believe that would eliminate anybody!) you must make the effort to see the Pompeii exhibit.
After seeing the exhibit I rented the 1935 movie The Last Days of Pompeii. It was pretty hokey by today's standards but it offered some groundbreaking special effects and gave some insight into how tough life was for the average citizen during that time. And who knew Preston Foster was such a hunk? {:>)
Out of their ashes we have learned so much...
(Photo copyright roslyn m wilkins)
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