Shriya NevatiaBefore and After shots from the Classical World
November 12th 2006 11:19
Liz and I took on the challenge of rezooshing the plaster cast display in the Old Arts Building at the University of Melbourne. The display had been languishing on the second floor for some time. Notice the use of dead moth features in the ‘before’ shot.
Liz, who is a Classicist will argue with any person as to the precise difference between a satyr and a pan goat, or whatever (I am no Classicist), found out a number of interesting details about the use of plaster casts. Most of those in the university’s collection have been knocked off (not the correct term) from the originals in international institutions such as the British Museum and the Louvre. They were used in the university to study languages and artistic styles.
The Poseidon/Zeus sculpture in the courtyard of the Elizabeth Murdoch building is also part of the collection. Poseidon/Zeus because the Classicists can’t make up their minds who he is meant to be. The controversy stemming from the sculpture’s empty hand, which according to some Classicists would be holding Poseidon’s trident but according to other Classicists, a lighting bolt which is Zeus’ accessory of choice. This argument makes me wonder just how anyone would hold a lightning bolt, no matter how clever Zeus may be. It also makes me wonder about Classicists…
Along with this sculpture which was given to the university as a gift from Greece during the 1956 Olympic Games, came a lady sculpture to keep him company. Somehow she ended up in a telephone booth with her plaster cast arms and legs all broken and busted up, no doubt at the hands of student high jinx. I bet she wished she was the one holding the lightning bolt.
The ‘after’ shot of one of the cases shows Liz and my ‘this goes with that’ planning as well as a day’s worth of glass scrubbing. Since our exhibition budget is nonexistent, our opening consists of rounding up the Classicists and heading off to morning tea at a uni café. The difficulty in creating the initiation was typing around Poseidon or Zeus’ nudy rudy bits but who knows, the discussion at morning tea may even get to the bottom of the whole identity conundrum.
Liz, who is a Classicist will argue with any person as to the precise difference between a satyr and a pan goat, or whatever (I am no Classicist), found out a number of interesting details about the use of plaster casts. Most of those in the university’s collection have been knocked off (not the correct term) from the originals in international institutions such as the British Museum and the Louvre. They were used in the university to study languages and artistic styles.
The Poseidon/Zeus sculpture in the courtyard of the Elizabeth Murdoch building is also part of the collection. Poseidon/Zeus because the Classicists can’t make up their minds who he is meant to be. The controversy stemming from the sculpture’s empty hand, which according to some Classicists would be holding Poseidon’s trident but according to other Classicists, a lighting bolt which is Zeus’ accessory of choice. This argument makes me wonder just how anyone would hold a lightning bolt, no matter how clever Zeus may be. It also makes me wonder about Classicists…
Along with this sculpture which was given to the university as a gift from Greece during the 1956 Olympic Games, came a lady sculpture to keep him company. Somehow she ended up in a telephone booth with her plaster cast arms and legs all broken and busted up, no doubt at the hands of student high jinx. I bet she wished she was the one holding the lightning bolt.
The ‘after’ shot of one of the cases shows Liz and my ‘this goes with that’ planning as well as a day’s worth of glass scrubbing. Since our exhibition budget is nonexistent, our opening consists of rounding up the Classicists and heading off to morning tea at a uni café. The difficulty in creating the initiation was typing around Poseidon or Zeus’ nudy rudy bits but who knows, the discussion at morning tea may even get to the bottom of the whole identity conundrum.
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