Imitation is a Form of Flattery

            As the old saying goes “imitation is a form of flattery” well in comparing ancient Greek and Roman art is surely is.  Ancient Greece is known for its astonishing statues and art through out the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods.  When the Romans started to come to power they were very influenced by Greek culture.  Ancient Greek culture in a way became the rudiments of ancient Roman culture.  The Romans even took on the same pagan gods, just changed their names.  After traveling in Greece and seeing these beautiful pieces of artworks and archeological sites I thought to myself “who could blame them”.   

            The Archaic period of ancient Greece was from about 800 BC to 480 BC. Statues, reliefs, and ceramics were created to adorn temples and burial sites.  The themes of these artworks were either from daily life or mythical.  There was also an Egyptian influence on this art.  This is seen in geometric form of the statues.  They were more concerned with the shape and form, rather than the life like quality it possessed.  This is seen in the statues Cleobis and Biton.  The two statues are brothers and as the myth goes, were granted the gift of death by the gods for being so devoted to their mother.  They are depicted in the Kourus stance another common theme for statues of this period.  This is a flat frontal pose for free-standing sculptures.  The female version of the pose is called the Kore.  The transition between archaic and classical can be seen in Aristodikos Kouros, here the statue does not have the typical Egyptian like helmet head of hair, and the muscular body is less geometric and more realistic. 

            The Classical period was from 480 BC to 323 BC.  This period had the most influence on ancient Rome and later the Renaissance.  The focus and theme was on a more natural sense of the body, rather than the shape and geometric form.  Even the architecture seemed to be less rigid and hard so to speak.  This is seen in the Parthenon and the statues, Zeus of Artemision and the Youth of Antikythera.  The Parthenon was built on the Acropolis of Athens, to worship all the gods in one temple.  The Frieze of the Parthenon depicted many victories of the gods and the city of Athens itself.  One can see the naturalistic approach to the reliefs.  The subjects are muscular, but not box like muscular, it all seems to flow together.  There is one part of it where horses are riding off into the sunset and the god holding the reins seems to compliment the horses’ bodies.  The statue of Zeus of Artemision has the same natural feel towards it.  Zeus is not depicted in the Kourus stance of the archaic period but with his legs apart from each other almost in a lung.  This would be unheard of during the archaic period, to have a front leg slightly bent and a statue’s limbs free from the body.  The statue called Youth of Antikythera really influenced Italian Renaissance art.  Here the statue is depicted in the beginning stage of the contropasto or “natural” stance a typical stance of the Renaissance.  His pose is not completely frontal like that of its archaic counterparts, but turned slightly to the right.  One leg is slightly bent to the right and its arms are free from the body.  One seems to be grabbing the air and the other almost in a fist.  The body is much more realistic sculpting more of the muscles of the body not just the ones in the abdomen and biceps.  Over all the subjects of this period are depicted in a more natural and relaxed state.   

            The Hellenistic period is from 323 BC to 146 BC.  It is sometimes considered to be a “second classical period.”  This period took the innovations of form from the classical period and enhanced them to be perfect “in-the-round” sculptures.  “In-the-round” refers to how the sculptures can be admired from all angles.  This idea greatly influenced the Italian Renaissance art work, such as the David by Michelangelo.  The statue of Aphrodite Eros and Pan does just that.  One can admire this beautiful statue from all angles.  The muscles of the two subjects’ backs are even shown.  Here Aphrodite the goddess of love is being harassed by Pan.  She is shooing him away with her sandal.  No one knows if Eros is coaxing Pan on or defending Aphrodite.  All three of these specimens are exquisitely sculpted.  Aphrodite is standing in a contropasto form with one leg bent.  One can see all of the muscles and strands of hair in all three of the subjects.  The detail is impeccable and emotion is shown as Aphrodite struggles as Pan continues to be a nuisance.  Another Hellenistic statue that epitomizes this perspective is the Laocoon.  This statue is of Laocoon a Trojan priest of Poseidon or the Roman god Neptune.  Here his perfectly muscular body is being strangled by two serpents.  The emotion of his struggle is exquisitely portrayed.  Emotion is the main difference that separates it from its classical counterparts.  Emotion was not depicted in Greece before the Hellenistic period.  In the Laocoon, one can see and feel him fighting for his life.  It connects the viewer to the statue.  No longer do statues have a cold, impassive face.  Now statues have emotion that lures the viewer in closer to make a connection to the artwork.   

            I am so very glad and grate to have seen these pieces of artwork in person.  I must say that photographs do not do any of them justice.  I was just in awe standing in front of all these pieces and many more.  It was also very interesting to see the transition from Archaic, to Classical to Hellenistic and how the ideals of those periods especially Classical and Hellenistic were brought back through the Italian Renaissance in pieces such as the David and Pieta by Michelangelo.  Those periods even influenced the Baroque style seen in the Fountain of Four Rivers by Berninni.  It is no wonder why the Romans imitated the style of ancient Greek art.                           

Day 13

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  This wonderful trip had to come to an end.  I am so very grateful to have an opportunity like this and to have met the amazing people that I did.  I made a lot of friends and had the time of my life I did not want to leave and go home.     

Day 12

We ported in Crete and got off the boat around 8:30 AM.  The group went to an archeological museum.  I really enjoyed this one because I thought it was so interesting to see ancient jewelry.  I wish I could own a piece of it.  After that Emily, Angela, Marie and I made our way back to the ship because we were exhausted, I took a cat nap and then met everyone up by the pool for lunch.  Around 4:30 we docked in Santorini.  There I road a donkey up the mountain.  It was so much fun!  Except the excessive amount of poop surrounding them and my donkey of course kept on crashing into the side of the wall and cut all the other donkeys off.  I just had to buy the picture of me on the donkey.  The town was beautiful with its white domes and everything else in white.  There were several stores that sold linen clothing in nothing but white.  Here is when I found “the pants”.  I was very excited to find them and also to have something clean to wear tomorrow to go home in, because I had not more clean clothes.  We had dinner as a group in the nice restaurant on the cruise ship.  The food was delicious.  It was sad to think that it would be our last meal all together.  I did not want to pack after that, but I had too.  After dinner and packing, we all went to karaoke and the disco again.  It was weird to think that it would be our last time as a group. 

Day 11

We docked early in Turkey.  Marie and I got off the ship in a hurry to walk around the bazaar and so we could say that we were in Turkey.  There is where I found “the pants” and fell in love, but I thought that they were too expensive and did not want to buy them.  The bazaar reminded me of

Canal Street

in NYC only because of all of the imitation designer things that people were selling.  On the boat that day we all had some fun in the sun on the pool deck.  I got extremely sunburned this day, luckily it later turned into a nice tan.  After that we docked in Patmos another beautiful island.  We walked around, shopped and went to the beach.  Of course the group and I had to have another gyro, we made it a tradition to have a gyro wherever we docked.  I was on the prowl for “the pants” and even got Jacky and Danielle on the hunt for them.  That night the entire group went to the disco and karaoke.  It was a lot of fun bonding with everyone.  I was exhausted though and went to sleep as the ship sailed closer to Crete.

Day 10

We parted from some of the people in the other groups and made our way to the port where we would catch the cruise ship.  The cruise was a beautiful ship.  It was a pain to get the all inclusive drink package because for some reason they were charging me and the other girls under 21 for both drink packages.  That night we ported at Mykonos, Mykonos is a gorgeous island where all of the houses and shops are white with blue shutters, doors and accents.  I had a real Greek gyro there and it was addicting it was so good.  I took a lot of seenic pictures and saw the infamous windmills.  Also the pink pelican which is like the mascot of the island.  I could not get a picture next to it, but I did end up getting a picture of it biting some stranger’s head!  At night on the ship we got dressed up and went to the disco.  There I had a lot of fun dancing and goofing around with everyone.  The all inclusive drink package definitely came in handy that night. 

Day 9

Today we had a bus tour and a walking tour of Athens.  We saw the Olympic Stadium, the Acropolis and the Parthenon.  All of it was amazing.   I am not going to lie I did dose off during the bus tour.  I enjoyed seeing the Parthenon and thought it was so interesting how, it got ruined.  First when the Romans took over and their main religion was Christianity the turned the Parthenon into a Cathedral and ruined the many pagan statues inside and on the exterior.  When the ottomans took it over, they kept their missiles inside of it and one accidentally went off, completely ruining the structure and the ceiling.  It so sad to hear how the people that enslaved the Greeks for so long did not care about this wonderful piece of history and just ended up destroying it, when it could have been in decent condition if it did not happen.  After seeing the Parthenon we went to a National Archeological museum.  We had a lot of free time when we went back to the hotel, so our group made use of the pool and got our tan on J.  That night we went to Monastiraki.  We had delicious gyros and went shopping.  I immediately went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. 

Day 8

We went to the Oracle, which was literally 2 minutes away.  We could have walked there.  It was really interesting learning about the history of it.  I could not believe that there were once 3,000 statues in, on and around the Oracle.  It kind of eerie to think that the oracle could have been some old woman or man that went a little crazy because of the fumes that the area around it was exerting.  I really wanted to break the law and go in the ancient Temple of Apollo where the oracle supposedly was.  But I refrained from possibly getting arrested and sent home, plus the up keeping around the site of the oracle was not well kept.  There were a lot of overgrown grass and weeds.  After seeing this we then went to Athens.  The hotel that we stayed at was in a sketchy part of Athens.  I was surprised to hear that the hotel last year was worse and as Tomas put it “night and day”.  At least it had a pool!  For dinner we all took the metro to an area by the Acropolis, we went to a museum that was really cool and built over an archeological sight.  This museum housed all of the objects found on the Acropolis.  There were so many, and yet the British stole a lot.  I hope one day the British give back the pieces they took years ago so then everyone can see it all as it once was.  After dinner, I returned to my rotten vegetable smelling room and hung out with my roommates Danielle and Jacky. 

Day 7

We ported at Patras, Greece.  Here we took a bus to Delphi.  But first we stopped for lunch at a great restaurant with an amazing view.  Here we were allowed to swim for a while.  I loved it, despite having to dodge sea urchins getting out of the water.  I did not want to leave this beach it was absolutely amazing.  Delphi was a nice area and the hotel was very clean and quaint.  This is when we discovered Emily’s talent of barking like a dog.  She makes a very convincing bark.  We had a lot of free time this day and I went shopping and bought a ton of jewelry.  After dinner we went to a local club, it was fun and interesting because it was just our group plus two Albanian teenage boys.  I forgot what time we made our way back to the hotel but I know it was late.  I had a great time dancing at the bar and was so tired.  I believe that this hotel had the most comfortable bed by far. 

Day 6

Today we saw Pompeii.  That was exciting, and I have always wanted to see Pompeii and the people that were just covered and preserved in ash.  Our tour was Marco.  He was very good, he explained how the city was in ancient times and Tripod lady was his pretend wife.  He would say “and you ask me why Marco, why?”  It was very hot and it was before noon, I felt bad for the stray dogs looking for food, water and shade.  We saw the red light district, where there were ancient pornographic frescos in a brothel.  After walking around the ancient ruins of Pompeii we went back on the bus to travel to Brindisi to catch a ferry, that will take us to Greece.  It was sad saying good-bye to Giuseppe, good thing we got a group picture with him!  The rooms on the ferry were extremely small and claustrophobic.  The bathroom was even worse and the showerhead had no holder so it was awkward taking a shower.  The water went everywhere too.  There was not much to do on the ferry until 11 PM when the disco opened up.  Our group had a lot of fun there because we were the only ones in the place.  The beds were sort of uncomfortable, but I still managed to fall asleep.

Day 5

I awoke this morning tired and exhausted from the past two days and lack of adequate sleep, but nothing was going to stop me from climbing Mt. Vesuvius.  I slept on the bus all the way there.  So I was refreshed to climb the volcano.  It took me a while, but I made it up there and did not fall on the way up.  At the top it was cool to see the smoke coming out of it.  The views were breath taking.  The way down the volcano was more nerve racking than going up it.  I was literally shuffling down the mountain trying not to fall, i was successful until I reached the very end.  I fell flat on my behind right in front of the stand where you get walking sticks.  After the tour of Mt. Vesuvius we had lunch at a restaurant that was down the winding road of the mountain.  Here I had delicious muscles and spaghetti and listened to a band play songs for a communion that was simultaneously going on.  It was a short bust ride to Sorrento where we would stay the night.  We stopped in downtown Sorrento and did some sight see on our own and of course shopping.  The lemon cello there was out of this world! Sorrento was a beautiful city and I wished we could’ve experienced the nightlife.  I roomed with Angela, Marie and Emily and we had the best room out of the group because our room was huge and had domed ceiling.  We joked around saying that we were staying in the Duomo.  That night we went to a bar down the street with the group and Tomas.  I enjoyed myself and it was pretty cool because we were the only people at this bar.  It was time to go around 2 AM when Amy accidentally broke a souvenir bottle of lemon cello. 

Day 4

Today we went to Florence.  We woke up extremely early to catch a train that was really cool, because it had a cart for coffee and snacks.  I have never been on a train like that before.  In Florence or Firenze as the Italians know it as, we saw many things and had a lot of free time.  We saw the Duomo and the copy of the Door of Paradise.  After that we saw, Dante (the father of the Italian language)’s house and the first University of Florence, the second oldest in Italy.  Outside of Dante’s house there was a gypsy that was determined to get money from one of us.  She went around to every person in the group at least twice and would not take no for an answer.  After that we went on a walking tour of Florence.  We walked on the Ponte Vecchio that had a ton of jewelry shops and it was the only bridge that was not destroyed during the World Wars.  We saw the Porcellino, which is the mascot of Florence, and the legend of that is if you touch it’s nose you will go back to Florence and if you place a coin in it’s mouth and make a wish, if it falls into the grate below your wish will come true.  Of course I touched the nose and placed a coin in the wild bore’s mouth.  And my coin fell into the grate so we’ll just have to wait and see if my wish will come true.  After the walking tour we went to Leonardo’s leather making factory.  There we learned how to make the infamous Florence leather jewelry box.  We spilt into groups after that.  I went to the Accademia with Thomas and Angela to see the David.  The Museum was a little small and hidden among other buildings.  The David though was gorgeous and it was interesting to see the unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo.  After seeing the David, we had some free time, so I ate lunch and went shopping.  I loved Florence and did not want to leave but unfortunately we had to.  After arriving at the hotel, we went to dinner at a restaurant not too far away.  There Marie and I spilt a pizza and a plate of the best calamari I’ve ever had besides the calamari in Greece.  After dinner we went to a local pub and stayed there for quite some time, it was fun.  Around three am, my bed was calling my name. 

Day 3

This day was a very eventful day we saw the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, and the Fountain of four Rivers, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.  Angela and I woke up late, and did barely had time to eat breakfast so we ran to the dining room and grabbed something to bring on to the bus.  We first arrived at the Coliseum, we had to wait a little while for our guide to get the tickets, and this is when I first met “Tri-pod lady”.  Tri-pod lady is from New Orleans and she will buy anything.  Vendors were selling the most random things outside of the Coliseum and she bought majority of it.  This included a tri-pod (where she got her name) and an Asian umbrella; Tripod lady will be included in other blog entries.  Anyway, here we learned about how it was placed in the center of the city and Emperor Augustus built it for the people to give to them what Nero took.  The Coliseum is massive and slightly overwhelming.  It gets extremely hot in the sun and there is little shade.  I thought that it was ironic that the Pope holds Easter mass in the Coliseum and in ancient times, Christians were slaughter by the hundreds as a form of entertainment.  After the Coliseum, we went to the Roman Forum which was pretty close and with in walking distance from the Coliseum.  Unfortunately Kristin, Katie, Emily and I were intensely taking pictures of the Coliseum and lost the group.  It took us a good half an hour and a five-dollar call later to find the group.  The Forum was extremely interesting because it was all in ruins, barely anything was left in-tack.  There we saw where Julius Caesar was cremated.  The Forum was where the market place was, and where the important buildings were.  The mayor/governor still uses the same building that was used by the ancient politicians; they just build over the ancient part starting in the Renaissance.  I found out that majority of Rome was just built over the ancient Rome.  After the Forum we went to Vatican City.  Here we went into the museum that has so many famous art works such as the Laocoon, the Belvedere Torso and many tapestries.  At the end of the museum it brought you to the Sistine Chapel, which was, breathe taking.  It was a tad overwhelming because so many people were packed into a small chapel and you were not allowed to talk or take pictures.  It was difficult maneuvering around people while starring at the ceiling done by the infamous Michelangelo.  It is amazing to think he did all of that in such an old age lying on his back for hours on end.  Some how I managed to not lose the group in the chapel and make my way over the St. Peter’s Basilica.  There I saw the Pieta by Michelangelo and the altar by Berninni.  The Basilica was also overwhelming.  Every inch was decorated and not just decorated but had some sort of theological significance to it.  After the Basilica we went to Piazza Navona to see the Fountain of Four Rivers by Berninni.  Our group wen to see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.  Both sites were amazing.  I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, hopefully, as legend says I will return to Rome again some day.  I was exhausted after this eventful but exciting day.  We were on our own for dinner today, but everything by the hotel was closed.  Luckily we caught gorgeous Giuseppe and Tyson and they were nice enough to allow us to follow them to a restaurant and eat with them.  The food was even better than the night before.  After dinner I just hung out on the balcony for a little with some girls from the group and apparently we were loud and some Italian lady was viciously screaming at us to be quiet.  So after that I went to bed.

Day 2

We arrived in Paris, France after an eight-hour flight.  We had to quickly go through customs and security before boarding the next plane to Rome.  I was disappointed that customs did not stamp my passport for Paris. I really like getting the stamps from all the different places.  Hopefully on the way home they will.  This plane was much quicker and I fell asleep for the entire flight this time.  After several hours we arrived in Rome.  We picked up our luggage and went to an interesting restaurant where we met the other group that would be on the tour with us.  I was not expecting them to be middle-aged people but they turned out to be really nice and interesting.  Here is where we also met our tour leader Tyson who is amazing, and very well organized.  When we got to the hotel, it was surprisingly nicer than I thought it would be.  There was air conditioning in the room and the bathroom was gorgeous.  I guess in Italy marble is used like wood in America, because even the McDonalds had marble tiles in it.  My roommate for our stay in Rome was Angela, which turned was great because she was the only person who I started to get to know.  She was an amazing roommate despite her ridiculous alarms.  Marie and Emily were in the room next to us and we all got to know each other and decided to room together for the remainder of the trip and became good friends.  We did not do much this night because we all exhausted from traveling so much and of course jetlag, so a few of us went around the corner to get some delicious gelato.  As soon as my head hit the pillow I was immediately asleep.   

Day 1

Today was all about travel.  Luckily I only live about 15 minutes away from JFK Airport so I did not have to worry about getting to the airport by 7 PM.  I spent the day checking my luggage and making sure I did not forget anything.  Good news it was all there.  Waiting in the airport for about three and half-hours was fun but a tad nerve racking, I tend to get so antsy before I board a plane or go anywhere.  I sat on the plane next to Angela and she was very nice we got to know each other a little bit.  It was her first time going abroad and we talked about what we were excited to see and do.  The first plane was not so bad, I enjoyed the TV’s that were on the back of the chair in front of you.  I watched a couple of movies and attempted to sleep but failed miserably.