Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Carpe Diem aut Hortos Antiquos

     
Hey Latin people, you may not have used it lately, so remember that you can use the Walter's online resources for Roman art from the Empire.  The figurine at the left is one of my favorites, since Plautus still cracks me up!


Happened into the Wall Street Journal (in print form) this morning, left by Big Daddio on the table, and in the Leisure and Arts section, found a gem.  A review entitled, "Heaven and Earth" by Melik Kaylan gives a savory peek into an exhibition at the Walters in Baltimore.  Love the Walters Museum, its manuscripts are amazing to take in.  


This installation, focused on the garden in the Islamic and Christian world seems brilliant from its description.  27 pieces in 8 themes.  Here are some of the themes:  The Structure and Composition of Gardens, The Garden and Regal Authority, The Garden Where Lovers meet and the Garden in Religious Texts.


Best line from the review was "the eye feels intoxicated, beguiled and intensely cultivated", which appealed to my interest in chaos vs. structure in art and literature, and she also mentions that viewing the items repeatedly may be like "absorb(ing) a dense sonata over time", which is how highly detailed art like this must be examined.  

The piece that I would love to see is the Rubens Vase, certainly deserves a place in this exhibition. Note the dimensions, height 7.3", width 7.3", depth 4.7", and made from a single block of agate.

cf. the Waddeson Vase from the British Museum, which is of late Roman origin:


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