April 5, 2010
Make Your Walls Pop with Wall Sculptures
I had been to a friend's house a short while ago and, though I don't usually take note of such things, I had been interested by his furnishings. The style was something he described as steam punk, a sort of futuristic Victorian, that sounded as if it came straight from Jules Verne, a a little like Captain Nemo meets Robur the Conqueror, all shining brass, leather, futuristic technologies, and clockwork. My friend's variation was a lot more 'Indiana Jones', with his steamer trunk table, collection of intriguing artifacts, statues and interesting ancient wall reliefs. It went with his home, originally built in the 1920's and created a warm, fascinating inside properly suited to his huge collection of books.
My house is somewhat more contemporary, so when I thought about ways of furnishing my home (something I was advised was 'up to me') I declined the steam punk concept. While I am no interior designer I can see that a certain harmony between interior and exterior is useful. While modern day houses are spacious they are often really bland, i quickly noticed this gave me more range to be able to put my personality on the space, and that thought gave me the concept to use wall art and wall sculptures to supply my room some personality, but what to choose?
Old Greek buildings were not what we understand today. Many people realize that they were stunning buildings which stood, oftentimes for centuries, before suffering damage we see now, but do you realize that they were multi-colored? You probably would not think so to look at the remains in a museum. I used to take my lunch while appreciating the huge Assyrians gateways within the British Museum in London, just along from room 18, home of the 'Elgin marbles'. These famous sculptures were taken off the Parthenon in the early years of the 19th century by the Earl of Elgin, the Greek government continues trying to get them returned to Greece. The sculptures tend to be stark, white and very stunning, exactly what we think of when we think 'classical art' yet exactly what might the ancients have thought of them? Euripides give us a clue in his play 'Helen of Troy' when Helen says 'If only I could shed my beauty and assume an uglier aspect, the way you wipe paint off a statue'. Those stunning marble statues in their gleaming white were once bright and colorful. So different from what we see today and connect with the ancient world, it's truly difficult to picture.
We look at the ancient gods as abstract, the result is that ancient wall sculptures like Poseidon in his chariot are 'classical' and also completely at home in the modern room. It was only at the Renaissance that, discovering ancient statues removed of their color by time, the sculptors believed they had originally been white marble, and attempted to emulate them. In antiquity the Greeks believed in living breathing Gods;their particular statues were painted brightly in order to reflect that. Although we enjoy the incredible workmanship of the Parthenon statues the ancients admired their realistic quality so much so it had been said that at certain times during the day it was like the gods in their friezes actually moved. The sculpture and painting techniques had been made to come together and boost the three dimensional quality of the natural stone, bringing the subject alive. Archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann is working hard to analyze ancient sculpture and build authentic reproductions. These, detailed with intricate paint techniques and colors are as near as possible to those used in ancient times and the final results are fascinating; the ancient world won't ever seem the same again.
What exactly should I do? I could decide on time-honored Greek wall art that will create a modern room, making my choice on the basis of meaning. Hercules wrestling the lion might remind me that even if my todo checklist is often a bit lengthy, it isn't the Labours of Hercules, whereas Dionysus on a donkey might help remind me that the point of work is to provide for the enjoyment to come. Being an inhabitant of the New World I could use Mayan wall reliefs, but I think my selection could be more ancient still. From Ramses who drove out the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh, to the thought of Maat, goddess of justice and order, the wall sculptures of the Ancient Egyptians have a limitless captivation. We're more familiar with color when it comes to Egypt, and therefore see these more as they really were, vivid and extraordinary in the desert sunlight.
For my Den the primary options are evident; Thoth, the god of writing and wisdom, to help keep me right always!
Filed under Ballroom Dancing Lessons by Sophie