The sweetest place in Rome has to be the Map Room in the Vatican. Having worked heavily with maps last semester as collage materials, I was amazed at the beauty and scale of the frescos. It was originally created for Pope Gregory XIII, was started in 1581 and completed only one year later. I was particularly interested in the maps in the context of truth and fiction. They were meant to be accurate depictions of regions in Italy, but mixed with the jagged coasts and mountain ranges of the maps, are sea monsters and other mythic figures. One has to wonder to what degree these beasts were believed to be real, back when they were painted. If the maps were presented as truths, than were the monsters presented in this light as well?
No comments:
Post a Comment