These are some details from the Parthenon friezes at the British Museum I snapped during my visit yesterday.
I LOVE the British Museum. It’s one of my favourite places in the entire world. Having drawn the Greek statues on more than one school trip, they have a strange cosy familiarity about them. But, armed with my macro lens, I was delighted to find myself noticing the details in the frieze that it’s easy to gloss over when presented with such a huge piece of art.
I rediscovered the vitality in each carved figure, and, by association, of the artists who carved the frieze. I’ve found myself thinking probably hackneyed by no less insistent thoughts about whether a woman was modelled on a lover, sister or mother, a man on a friend, father or brother. About the hands, the lives, of the people involved in its creation, and how tantalizingly close these people can seem. And yet…even their bone ash is thousands of years old, and all I could do is imagine.
The museum was absolutely heaving, with people standing four or five deep to get a glimpse of the Rosetta Stone. And, at the risk of getting on my soapbox, it gave me quite a glow of satisfaction to see so many people, from all over the world, excited about a lump of stone written in languages that have been dead for thousands of years.
The polyglot atmosphere of interest and excitement pervaded the place, reminding me that despite what I might read in the papers about the world going to hell in a handcart (or Hades in horse drawn chariot?), really, we humans are capable of some quite amazing and wonderful things.
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All my days in school and uni in Canada I saw pics in books of various interesting things and under the pics it would say 'Photo Courtesy of The British Museum'. On my first trip to Britain, I was there within three hours of my plane landing and when I lived over there, I lived 90 minutes away from it, door-to-door, train-tube connections depending. I miss that a lot! Oh... why did I leave???
ReplyDeleteThough, I've a problem with the pilfering of artefacts, it did result in a fantastic collection all under one roof. I love the British Museum too.
Great post and photos, Jane!
I hadn't realised how beautiful these are close up. The wonders of modern cameras! And I hadn't realised the museum allows visitors to take photographs either. That's brilliant too.
ReplyDeleteI used to love the British Museum as a child. It was never crowded then - it was as if it contained lots of extra air - and I was fascinated because it was the only place where you could go to see a dead body.
I love the British Museum, too, especially the Egyptian antiquities. It is a surreal feeling being in the presence of such ancient things. We don't have much opportunity to see ancient things here in California unless you live close to a large metropolitan area with a good museum.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful captures. Now I'm wondering who the people were to the artists!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful art. It does tend to remind us that humanity has something good to offer the earth.
ReplyDeleteThese photos give a whole new view of the sculptures. Great shots.
ReplyDeleteI can see the details of those beautiful art. it's really amazing seeing them.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that other people enjoyed them as much as I did!
ReplyDelete3c - You can take photos in most of the galleries, although smaller stuff tends to be behind glass. The one place you can't is in the exhibitions, I went and saw the 'Garden and Cosmos' one this visit, which was excellent and a bargain at £8!
Thank you for this. I have been there and seen the Marbles and they are superb, but this close...wonderful. I do think we should give them back, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see these close up. So often you see sculptures photographed from a distance yet this is the exact opposite of what I'd normally do, much prefer to run up and stick my nose up against it.
ReplyDeleteI've only started going to the British Museum in the last few years (The American Scene prints show was superb but I guess you were abroad then?!) but for me as a kid it was the Black Country Museum - a lot less sculpture and a lot more canal boats unfortunately.
Right, I've just spotted you have a tag labelled Chungking Mansions over here so I'm off to have a look...
How odd, coincidentally I spent yesterday morning with a friend telling me about the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Friezes... He was amazed I'd not been to the British Museum and we spent a good while Googling it all! Seeing as I'm moving to London in a couple of weeks I suppose I'll have no choice but to give it a gander...
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