Rants and reactions to contemporary politics, art and culture.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Rome Journal: The Ara Coeli Steps
"tourist descending Ara Coeli staircase"
(photogaph by Hallie Cohen)
Rome is filled with a lot of expensive or actually priceless
real estate. At the intersection of the Via del Teatro di Marcello and Piazza
D’Aracoeli are the Ara Coeli steps. At the top of this foreboding looking
stone escalator lies the Basilica di Santa Maria in Aracoeli. The steps date from
l348 and were purportedly built as expression of thankfulness at the end of a
plague epidemic. Supplicants expressed their gratitude by ascending them on
their knees. You don’t need to suffer any plagues to be thankful for climbing
the steps today, though you’re likely to be huffing and puffing once you reach
the top. What's notable however is the sturdiness of the edifice that's been
created. Like Mont Saint- Michel one would guess that the intention of such
features of architecture is to demonstrate the immortality of God despite the
vicissitudes of the surrounding environment. There’s nothing precarious about
the Basilica even though it sits atop a promontory overlooking
Rome. In fact, it feels far more sturdy than many of the edifices at sea level.
Back in the 50’s Robert Rauschenberg photographed Cy Twombly’s lower torso
descending the steps. Could this be a statement of the fact that art has to do
with earthy matters?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.