Pompeii: Tales from the Eruption Essay

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston had an art exhibition entitled â€Å"Pompeii: Tales from the Eruption†. There are almost 500 artifacts and cast of the remnants of dying people that were showcased. It also included a documentary film about the discovery of these artifacts and footage of the fierce eruption of Mt Vesuvius. The artifacts presented are tools of trade, jewelries, like necklaces and bracelets, murals and paintings, marble statues, and mosaics. One of the jewelries displayed is the golden snake bracelet. It is designed with a two headed snake biting the rims of the circle with an engraved figure of a lady, it maybe a goddess worshiped at the time. The helmet of the gladiators is also displayed. Gladiators are like wrestling superstars we idolized today, they are brave fighters who kill one another for freedom. They are the pitiful warriors used as an entertainment by the emperors and the people. There are also statues like the Statuette of Mercury which is made form gold and silver. Mercury is wearing a golden hat and a golden bag hanged over his neck. He carried a staff with wings and snakes, it is like the medical symbol, caduceus. And beside him is a cock with a golden collar. On the other hand, the Head of an Amazon is made from marble in mid-1st century AD. It was founded at the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, the city beside Pompeii, this is one of the best Roman copies of a type of Amazon of the Classical period. One of the amazing artifacts is the Triclinium A founded in . It is a mural of the god of music, Apollo, playing his lyre with his two muses on his side, Euterpe and Cleo. Apollo wears his cloak over his shoulders, he carried his lyre on his left arm and his head was adorned by laurel leaves. The mural is a fresco brightly colored in red, which was once displayed in a dining room. In connection with the dining room, is the silver Kantharos. It is a wine cup embellished with olives. In Roman beliefs, olives and wine are symbols of wealth. It can be predicted that these objects are used as status symbol by the rich citizens of the old city.   The Mosaic with Gorgon, House of the Centenary, Pompeii, is a floor mosaic from glass and stone tiles. It was designed and intricately arranged with different figures in the upper and lower portions. At the center inside a circle is the face of the gorgon Medusa, in Roman culture gorgon is an ugly creature. Medusa as we commonly know is a women cursed with snakes in her head. It is believed that anyone who looked into her eyes turned into stone. That is why; the floor mosaic at that time is used to ward off evil spirits and intruders alike. These objects provided a glimpse of the culture and lifestyle of the people of Pompeii. As the artifacts suggest, inhabitants of Pompeii are elegant people, they are the type that loves entertainment and jewelries like the ones we see in epic movies about Rome. These golden bracelets, statues and murals we see today were once flaunted by the gorgeous people of the old city. It reminded me of the rich city before it was devastated by the gruesome lavas that burst out from Mt Vesuvius. The eruption of the gory volcano was painted by Pierre-Jacques Volaire in 1777. The oil painting depicts the violent upsurge of molten lava from the mouth of Mt Vesuvuis. The lava is like a monster engulfing everything that comes his way living or non-living. There are people crossing the bridge, scurrying and running helplessly to save their lives and over the sky hanged the black clouds. The painting looked alive to me. I felt like I was there, struggling among the throngs of wallowing children and shrieking men and women.   It felt like the 911 incident although it does not relate from nature but the catastrophic event and the devastation. The eruption of the volcano in Pompeii was experience by the people; my experience in the 911 incident is only through media coverage. However, it still felt achingly the same. There are other depressing objects showcased in the museum. The plaster cast of a mother and her child that was found on the same house where the golden bracelet was discovered was totally heartbreaking. I can almost feel the terror the mother would have felt and how she fervently prays for God to save her daughter. There are more remnants of people found, in the large Palaestra and the Via Stabiana. The picture of the cast from the staircase of the House of Fabius Rufus showed how desperately people tried to escape from the wrath of the volcano yet they were ferociously burnt by the sea of molten lava. If I were caught in that deadly situation, I would probably feel as if the world was coming to an end as described by all religious denominations. I would have been praying so hard for God to come and rescue me, although I could imagine, at that time all you can hear were the terrifying screams and cries from all the inhabitants running for their lives over the thundering rage of the volcano. And although it happened years ago, I still felt sorry for them, I hope that their soul will find peace someday. My visit at the museum is an experience that will never be forgotten. It arose a state of awareness in me that made me realized how tragic life could be, I remembered the different tragedies that had walk and distraught the different life forms in earth; hurricane Katrina, World War 1 and 2, the tsunami in Indonesia, and the 911 incident. It made me feel angry and anxious because I know when this disasters occur we cannot do anything about it but I am thankful and happy because after all those catastrophes we have move on, we are still continuing to live our life until the end. All these mixed emotions overwhelmed me as I watch all the objects presented in the museum. It has been a sensible learning experience that relates the world today and the city that once live gloriously, the city of Pompeii. Works Cited Focus work of Art: The Eruption of Mt Vesuvuis. North Carolina Museum of Art. 14 April 2008 < http://www.ncartmuseum.org/artnc/object.php?themeid=1&objectid=1>. Houston, Museum of Fine Arts â€Å"Pompeii. Tales from an Eruption. 2 Mar 2008. Eosarte.eu. 14 April 2008 . Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. 14 April 2008