Art and History Displayed at the Pompeii Exhibition at LACMA

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Recommended: The museum experience

The Pompeii exhibition at LACMA was an astounding visualization of history. The exhibition provided all sorts of objects; from sculptures, glass figures, painted art, and more. These art pieces specify the kind of life that was taking place in the Bay of Naples during the second century. As we know the cities around the Bay of Naples, which include Pompeii and Herculaneum, became tourist attractions when the cities were excavated after they were buried from the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. However, the comprehension of how the art pieces made their way into the museum is just a little fact of the history behind them. With this exhibition we are able to feel like we are back in time and living in the exhilarating time of Pompeii.

At the start of the exhibition we are presented with various busts and sculptures of certain, and presumably famous, figures. It is when we see the sculpture of Aphrodite (see Fig. 1) that we start sensing the significance of the exhibition. These sculptures were the norm during the second century in the Bay of Naples, and by viewing the intricate details in each art piece we understand how worthy each work meant to each of the artists. The sculpture of Aphrodite portrayed a serene greeting to the exhibitors. She stood in the middle welcoming us with a soft and warm smile. Through this sculpture we view how the Pompeii artist was following the Greek perception of the human body such as what we see in Polykleitos’ sculpture, Doryphoros; Aphrodite stands with the weight shifted on to her left foot portraying the cross balance of the human body. Once we appreciate the first art room we are then presented with various pieces of the gardens that were found around the Bay of Naples.

In, w...

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...hristen Kobke were on display including The Forum at Pompeii. The Forum painting depicts a tragic scene of Pompeii as it sits torn and destructed. Novels and photo albums also are displayed at the end of the exhibition. However, one of the last sculptures on view, Nydia, The Blind Girl of Pompeii (see Fig. 4), provides us with the fact that many people were truly inspired by the great tragic story of Pompeii. The sculpture of Nydia expresses the sadness and horror that many had experienced during that time.

The Pompeii exhibition featured a number of objects, and how these objects were showed to the public presented a story. We were welcomed by the people into the home and gardens. Later we were given our parting with the photo albums and illuminated Pompeii art. This exhibition shows how much information and history can be presented in a few pieces of art.

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