A Day in Pompeii Performance - Essay Example

? A Day in Pompeii 9th, November, A Day in Pompeii Art has a significant role in defining the identity of a community. Through artifacts, a society is able to define its culture religion, beliefs, and ways of life. My visit at Denver Museum of Nature and Science was driven by anticipation and need for discovery. As much as I wanted to have a firsthand experience of life in ancient Rome, I was interested in identifying the unique aspect of the ancient artifacts or a secrete feature of style that has not yet been discovered by present day artists. This paper presents my experience with A Day in Pompeii through a descriptive and critical approach. The title of the artifact was coined from an ancient roman city that was buried under volcanic ash following a volcanic eruption of Mt Vesuvius in AD 79. Although the eruption was a natural disaster, it preserved a lot of information concerning life in the ancient city. The newest exhibition is a Day in Pompeii, which, is at exhibition in the Denver museum of nature and science. The display consists of actual artwork excavated from the site. It contains multiple facets of everyday life in the ancient city and, is a necessary watch for every art student. The artist had varying ideas that he wanted to propagate through the artifact. Firstly, the artist wished to display superiority and prosperity of the Roman Empire. The artist was trying to depict prosperity and strength that characterized ancient Roman Empire. In ancient monarchies, artists, astronomers, and philosophers had a close association with the ruling family. This is because they were considered as the custodians on the society’s intellectual property. Unlike scientists and philosophers, artists were closer to the rulers since they could tell stories beyond their generation. For instance, the artist of “A Day in Pompeii” tells the story of Pompeii, an ancient roman city. The artifact depicts people who wore brightly colored clothes, which is a sign of wealth and high standards of living. In addition, the artifact captures a well-organized society that had respect for human rights and gender equality. Close association between men and women as depicted in the artifact is an indication of gender empowerment that flourished in the society. The exhibit is also trying to demonstrate the presence of a strong government that had a mighty army. In addition, the artifact depicts the government as the final unit in the decision-making hierarchy. The presence of a strong government is exhibited by the presence of a respected and authoritative army. Finally, the artist is trying to exhibit love that flourished among the people. The artifact depicts people who cared about each other’s welfare. Romantic love is also demonstrated as an aspect of the ancient roman culture. Although artists had independent views and attitude towards the society, they could not tell stories that disgraced or dishonored the society. Lack of freedom of expression is the main factor that distinguishes past and present artists. According to the artifact, it is obvious that the artists were only allowed to tell stories that portray the greatness of their society. Criticism was highly discouraged and, thus artists were only allowed to tell positive events through their work. The following three question and responses illustrate the outstanding aspect of the artwork. 1. The artifact a day in Pompeii illustrates a rich selection of colors. What are the impacts of color on the audience? Selection of colors plays a significant role in deterring the impacts of an artifact on the audience. Color determine harmony and the tone of an artifact and, hence essential in narration. The artist mainly used bright colors to create the artifact. Use of bright colors depicted the high quality life enjoyed by the Romans. Thus, selection of colors influences the audience’s interpretation of an artifact. 2. Artists use their artifacts to tell a story about happenings in their immediate environment. To what extent does the artist of a day in Pompeii tell the story of ancient Roman Empire? The artist bases his narration on governance and social integration, which was a significant aspect of the empire. Social integration and prosperity was a significantly aspect of the empire. This indicates that the artist used the artifact to tell a story beyond his generation. The ability of the artifact to tell a story across different generation is the main aspect that maintained its relevance across generations. 3. The artist seems to avoid abstract portrayal of the city. What is the significance of this aspect in art and design? Eliminating abstraction enables the artist to increase the sense of reality in an artifact hence, increasing its association with reality. Avoiding abstract features also enables an artist to eliminate the aspect of complexity associated with artifacts and, hence improve on their interpretation by the audience. What was the experience of viewing art in person like? My experience of viewing the art in person was a total disbelief. Firstly, I never thought that medieval artists had the capacity of reproducing artifacts that remained relevant beyond their era. Your thoughts on how this experience affected you personally? Following the experience, I had to restructure my mode of thinking and assumption on ancient artifacts and artists. In addition, I have started to appreciate the universal nature of elements and principles of art and design. The universal nature of such principles and elements is the main factor that had preserved the relevance of the artifact. In addition, I have changed my views towards the ability of an artifact to tell a story across different ages. In conclusion, the visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has been a fulfilling and a challenging experience to me as a student and an artist. Moreover, the artifact “A Day in Pompeii” has revolutionized my views towards the role of artifacts in telling stories. Although artists create their artifacts with the interests of the immediate society, their impacts are experienced across different generations. This illustrates the universal nature of principles and elements of art and design. Reference Denver Museum of Nature and Science. nd. A Day in Pompeii. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from http://www.dmns.org/a-day-in-pompeii Read More