Today in the morning, Mary, Meagan, Lisa, and I went to Museum Insel. First we visited the Altes Museum, because I really wanted to see the Greek and Roman art. The Greek art was interesting, though the Roman stuff is what I really wanted to see. The museum was smaller than I expected, though they definitely saved the best room for last. The viewer was lead through the museum in chronological order, moving through the Greek period, to Etruscan art, and finally on to the Romans. Here is a cool architectural detail in the center, a rotunda with about 15 different statues of Greek/Roman gods and goddesses.
The last room dealt with the Roman Empire, my favorite period of history. After taking multiple classes on Roman art history, it is fun to actually see some of the objects and images of people I had studied.
Here is Gaius Lucius, grandson to Emperor Augustus. He was adopted by Augustus as his heir, though he died at a young age before he could ever be Emperor.
Emperor Marcus Aurelius as a young boy.
Wooden funerary tablets of Roman soldier in Northern Africa. These were placed over the head of the coffin or sarcophagus.
Next I went to visit the Neues Museum again after the others went to the Alte National Gallery. I wanted to see the third floor of stone age artifacts, but it was closed! So I ended up just wandering around, checking out the bust of Nefertiti again, and some of the other Egyptian work.
pondered to myself recently what were the most important things in my life. The answer seems to be clear that art was up there in importance. Why? Frankly, I don't really know. May be someone here can enlighten me?
ReplyDeleteAs was my wont w
hen I have some free time, I browsed the marvelous site, wahooart.com, where they keep thousands of digital images for customers to select to have printed into handsome canvas prints for their homes.
This image jumped out to jolt my reveries: Still life with bread, by the Cubist Georges Braque. Is art like this picture, as essential as bread and water, or should I say bread and wine?