In yesterday's post we looked at a choreography inspired by a philosophical allegory taken from a work of ancient Greek literature. Roman and Greek classics and antiquities can actually be extremely inspiring for modern creators.
In Italy, Latin and ancient Greek are still taught in grammar schools, albeit in a demented fashion with teachers focusing on intricate rules rather than on the beauty of certain works, and on the possibilities they may offer to young minds that may re-adapt them for the big screen or for videogames (as it has already happened, actually…).
There is indeed no point in translating for the umpteenth time Julius Caesar's Commentarii de bello Gallico (that has been done thousands of times already) and there is no point in vexing students into learning the sigmatic and asigmatic aorist by heart, if you don't teach them to love the culture and show them how etymology or the themes of certain tragedies and comedies, can be reinterpreted in a more modern key.
If you're studying fashion or makeup and hairstyle, you should definitely check out the attire of Roman statues as their tunic, jewelry and accessories can be used as inspiration for a wide range of projects. The recently rediscovered Torlonia marbles are a great starting point, but if you happen to be in Rome you will spot other examples in a lot of other places, including the Vatican Museums or the Centrale Montemartini.
But don't worry if you can't afford visiting the "Eternal City", look online for inspirations and check out also auction sites. Tomorrow, for example, there is an auction of ancient sculptures and works of art at Sotheby's in London's New Bond Street.
As usual, there is a lot to discover, in between attic vases, fine canopic jars and a Roman torso of the iconic Greek youth of myth and poetry, Narcissus.
Obviously, not many of us mere mortals can afford them (and in some cases I wouldn't even buy them if I could, after all, objects like canopic jars should be in a museum and not in a private collector's house...), but we can definitely learn from them.
Hairstylists, rejoice for example at the roman marble head of Heracles (circa 2nd century AD). The son of Zeus and a demi-god with superhuman strength, Heracles is represented here with parted lips and s prominent brow, his hair surmounted by a wreath of poplar leaves (Heracles crowned himself with poplar after returning from the underworld; that's why the poplar is a symbol of a peaceful afterlife) and tied in an elaborate knot at the back.
A Roman marble bust of a woman is even more intriguing: the Roman lady is portrayed wearing a tunic and mantle, her hair framing the forehead in a broad mass of drilled curls with two echeloned rows of tubular ornaments, drawn back behind the ears and up from the nape of the neck into a turban of coiled braids behind the crown of the head. Her coiffure and hair ornaments reveal us that the bust is from the Flavian period (circa 80-100 AD).
You can try and recreate these styles in real life or adapt them for a photographic project with everyday materials (what could we use for the tubular ornaments? The possibilities are endless…) or prompt Midjourney or another AI text-to-image application to come up with something original, weird or impossible, inspired by Roman hairstyles.
As the centuries passed, certain items obviously fell out of use - think about the votive feet or the foot-shaped oil lamp included in the Sotheby's auction.
At the same time, we could almost try and make connections with what's on our runways and with these objects from the past: Demna Gvasalia sent out on Balenciaga's Fall 2024 runway (that took place last Saturday in Los Angeles) models carrying a stiletto-shaped clutch.
A combination of Elsa Schiaparelli's iconic 1937-38 shoe hat (View this photo) rethought as a clutch, remixed with Moschino's S/S 2015 shoe bag (View this photo) and with more conceptual and less kitsch versions of the same idea, like Margiela's tabi soles shoes (View this photo) and ballet slippers (View this photo) bags, the stiletto-clutch actually retains a connection with votive objects from Roman times - it seems indeed to be ideal for those ones among us who worship at the altar of fashion.
If your interest lies in architecture rather than fashion, ancient relics are also gaining popularity: Fendi recently announced a new conservation project.
The Italian luxury brand committed to funding the restoration of the Grotto of Diana at Villa d'Este in Tivoli, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.
Situated at a panoramic vantage point in Villa d'Este (designed by Pirro Ligorio), the Grotto of Diana, the goddess huntress, is a cruciform plan nymphaeum erected in the Cardinal's Walk between 1570 and 1572 by Paolo Calandrino. Inside the grotto mythological scenes from Ovid's "Metamorphoses" with Tritons, Nereids, and Caryatids canephorae are featured. The grotto's surface boasts a rich and intricate polychrome decoration, incorporating various materials such as stucco, glass pastes, shells, glazed majolica tiles, and stone.
For this initiative, Fendi will collaborate with the Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este Autonomous Institute, restoring the decorated surfaces alongside adjacent structures and paths. The project also aims to enhance motor accessibility to the Grotto while addressing the needs of individuals with visual, hearing, and cognitive disabilities through a dedicated path.
This restoration aligns with Fendi's commitment to preserving locations with water features: the "Fendi for Fountains" project has so far worked on the restoration of key fountains in Rome including the Complex of the Four Fountains, Mostra dell’Acqua Paola, the fountains del Mosè and del Peschiera and Mostra della nuova Acqua Vergine. Fendi also released in 2013 a coffee table book about Rome's fountains - The Glory of Water (published by Steidl) - with photographs taken by Karl Lagerfeld.
Last year, Fendi partnered with the French Academy in Rome - Villa Medici, and, supported by the Mobilier National (a French national service agency under the supervision of the French Ministry of Culture), renovated six reception salons at Villa Medici.
Further Roman projects supported by Fendi involved the completion of the restoration of the Temple of Venus in 2021, and the restoration of the Trevi Fountain (2013-2015). Restoration projects by prominent brands or fashion houses are often carried out in Italy to get tax benefits, but also as advertising opportunity and to get a unique location for a runway show. Fendi held indeed runway shows at the Temple of Venus in 2019 and the Trevi Fountain in 2016, so expect one of the next catwalks to take place at Villa d'Este.
So, remember, antiquities are not merely relics of the past but historical gems, things that can help us shaping our future: visit an exhibition, go online to look for inspirations and find ways to reimagine the significance of these pieces and find new ways to reinvent them and incorporate them into a modern context.
Comments