Rome is the world's center for over-sized body parts. We first became aware of this some years ago, on a visit to the Capitoline museums, when in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori we found the sculptural remains of what once was Constantine's body, or rather a 40-foot statue of it. There was a hand, feet, part of arm centered by an elbow, and other parts, all of them enormous.
Then just this spring, attending an evening jazz concert in the industrial chic space of the museum at the Centrale Montemartini, a former electrical works built 1910-1912, we noticed a large arm poking out from stage right. That's our friend J, who narrowly avoided the grasp of that monster arm on her way to the ladies' room.
It makes sense then, that today's sculptors would take part in this curious exercise in gigantism, as one has done in the absolute center of the EUR complex to the south of the Centro, directly under where a great triumphal, imperial arch was to have been constructed, by and in tribute to Mussolini's Fascist regime, to straddle the multiple lanes of via Cristoforo Colombo as it made its made its way to the sea. That's Dianne (left) and our house-guest,
Judith (right), laboring to strike a pose appropriate to the presence of a big foot. Bill
Rome is the world's center for over-sized body parts. We first became aware of this some years ago, on a visit to the Capitoline museums, when in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori we found the sculptural remains of what once was Constantine's body, or rather a 40-foot statue of it. There was a hand, feet, part of arm centered by an elbow, and other parts, all of them enormous.
1 comment:
A fascinating post! Buon anno!
Marilyn
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