>>PREVIEW
EGYPT, GREECE AND ROME: ART OF THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN WORLD
Opens June 30
Glenbow Museum
Between them, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans can lay claim to most of the institutions, art forms, building practices and philosophy that have influenced the development of the western world.
Now, the Glenbow Museum provides insight into how it was accomplished with the year-long exhibition Egypt, Greece, Rome: Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World. "It’s also a look at how the three cultures influenced each other," says project manager Adrienne Horne.
The exhibition covers a period from the pre-dynastic time in Egypt, more than 5,000 years ago, to the late Imperial Period of Rome, approximately 350 AD.
And yes, in between creating stunning pieces made from gold, cast in bronze and carved from stone, members of this triad of influential cultures had time to pioneer some other rarefied practices, including winemaking and the brewing of beer.
This co-mingling of high concept and everyday existence is at the heart of this display. Although there’s no arguing the more than 200 pieces that comprise this show are objects of art, many of the items were originally used in day-to-day life. Wine jugs and olive oil containers are deservedly elevated to the status of art because of their beauty, but much of their charm remains connected to imagining the Egyptians who used the pieces millennia ago. Rather than detract from the exhibition, this approach of displaying rare objects provides another layer of information with which to appreciate what these three civilizations accomplished.
"Everything is authentic," says Horne. "There are no fakes, no replicas." He emphasizes this point, because for many fans of the Glenbow, the last Egypt-related show was a major disappointment. In 2000-01, the Mysteries of Egypt and Women of the Nile exhibition included reproductions of antiquities. "There was feedback," says Horne, adding that people made it clear they want the real thing, not fakes.
In an era of computer-assisted reproductions, Calgarians, it seems, want to know what they’re looking at. It’s a valid concern, and underscores how authentic objects still are able to transfix our collective imaginations.
For Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World, authentic is what’s being promised. On display is a fascinating array of objects that provides an essence of these ancient peoples through their jugs, jars (including canopic jars, used to hold human organs), jewelry, vases and decorations.
The majority of the artifacts included in the exhibition are from Egypt. This is thanks to renowned American archeologist George Andrew Reisner, who in 1905 led a joint team from Harvard University and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts on an officially sanctioned expedition to the land of pyramids.
The Greeks established settlements in ancient Egypt and, in turn, both civilizations had the opportunity to learn from each other. According to scholars, one of the skills the Greeks took back home from their travels to Egypt were ceramic glazing techniques they used to create vessels not only functional, but esthetically pleasing.
By filling the background of the vessels with a black glaze and leaving the figures in unpainted red clay, the Athenians of mid-sixth century BC created works of art that continue to tell their society’s inspired history. Dominated by a design of red figures on black backgrounds, each kylix (drinking cup), lekythos (vase) and amphora (vessel) tells a compelling story. One depicts a seated Zeus and another a group of men preparing a sacrificial lamb for slaughter, while musicians provide accompaniment.
Not to be overlooked in this wide-ranging exhibition is the contribution of the Roman Empire, which still reverberates today. Because of their wealth, the Romans were able to focus on technological innovations such as sewer systems, aqueducts and water pumps.
Not solely dedicated to the advancement of hydraulics, the complex Roman civilization made fine art a central part of its existence, just as the Egyptians and Greeks had.
Inspired by the cast glass and core-formed vessels produced by the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, Romans of the Imperial Period began to develop glass-blowing techniques. The blown glass vessels had thinner walls, a more elegant look and a non-porous structure that allowed them to be used as tableware and to hold oil, perfume and medicines.
The dark blue flask from the first century AD on display is an example of how sheer practicality and true beauty can converge. Conjuring the colour of the Mediterranean Sea, this vessel, with a classic pear-shaped body and elongated neck, is an exquisite container that mimics earlier versions of similarly shaped vessels that had been constructed by the Romans using clay. The unusual translucence of this vessel once again tells a story of a society that strove to transform each of life’s experiences into a daily work of art.
Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World is an exhibition for anyone who has pondered the idea of how to live more artfully. The Greek, Roman and Egyptian civilizations continue to show all of us that form and function can merge to create inspiration to live by. |
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