The University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 19, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Page: 3 of 16
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The University News
March 24, 2009 — 3
Visiting lecturer Dr. Elaine Gazda discusses
value of artistic copies
Lecture and slide show given on Tuesday night
Mary Schuhriemen
News Editor
At 5 p.m. on March 17, the
Phi Beta Kappa Society
hosted a lecture by Dr.
Elaine Gazda, professor of art
and archaeology at the University
of Michigan and curator of the
university's Kelsey Museum. Dr.
Susan Hanssen of the University
of Dallas history department
introduced the speaker, quoting
G.K. Chesterton who suggested
that for many, travel "narrows
the mind," meaning that many
people ''whiz" through many
different countries and arrive
home with nothing but a tourist's
stereotype of the place they
have been. Hanssen agreed with
Chesterton that in order to truly
understand a culture, one must
have great patience "to discover
and understand just how they
lived." Gazda, Hanssen said,
has that great patience, having
dedicated her scholarly life to
this understanding, especially
in the realm of ancient Graeco-
Roman life.
Beginning her lecture,
Gazda told her audience that she
had just seen the Etruscan exhibit
at SMU and recommended it to
them. She then referenced a map
of Italy, centering the topic of
her lecture in the Naples area,
specifically in the ancient city of
Pompeii. Providing background
to her talk on the famous fresco
in the Villa of Mysteries, Gazda
said that the villa is situated just
outsideofPompeii'sHerculaneum
Gate. Roman villas, she said,
were built outside of cities and
were farms with elegant houses
that were used for entertaining
guests. I he Villa of the Mysteries
was elevated on a high concrete
platform that would have
provided an excellent view of
the Bay of Naples in antiquity.
However, the landscape has
changed drastically since the 79
A.D, eruption of Mount Vesuvius,
which devastated the surrounding
countryside.
I he villa was not discovered
until 1909, Gazda said, when
it was uncovered partly by
chance. The diggers, a private
team including the property's
then-owner, just so happened
to uncover the domestic part of
the villa first, in the area where
the villa's famous fresco (from
whence it derives its name) is
located. The rest of the villa was
not fully excavated until the
1920s and 30s, but the paintings
became famous immediately.
Gazda then went on to
describethepaintings themselves.
She noted that the frescos,
which cover all four walls of
the chamber, are dominated by
figures of women. Various women
are depicted doing numerous
ritualistic things, such as holding
offerings or a sacred scroll, hen
the characters become more
mythological as little figures of
Pans and a larger Silenus (the
tutor of the god Dionysus) enter
the scene. Possible images of
prophecy are also present, which
Gazda said might be derived from
Etruscan prophecy. The fresco's
central figure is the god Dionysus
himself, reclining on a woman's
lap. Surrounding him are various
images connected with his cult,
for example, a winnowing basket,
which, according to the myths,
was the god's cradle. Another
strange image Gazda pointed out
was a flagellation scene where a
young woman cowers as she is
whipped by a winged figure. This
is a fertility rite, Gazda informed
her audience. I he final scenes
are of a young woman preparing
for her wedding by having her
hair parted and braided, flanked
by two cupids. Over all of these
scenes, a matron sits watching.
Gazda then alerted her
listeners to the ongoing debate
regarding the room of mysteries.
Was this room just for women?
She said that while many cling to
this theory, there is little evidence
to support it. "This is the most
elaborate room in the villa, and
there is not another villa with
such an elaborate room just
dedicated to women," she said.
Rather, she continued, the room
was most likely a dining room,
like the ornately decorated rooms
in other villas.
Turning her attention to the
question of whether the fresco
was a copy of an older Greek
origi nal, perhaps from Pergamum,
Gazda said that there was really
no way to conclusively prove
that the pictures were either
copies or originals, but that there
see COPIES page 8
Informal conversation with
students held on Monday
afternoon
Mary Tetzlaff
Managing Editor
Preceding her lecture
on Tuesday night, Dr.
Elaine Gazda, profes-
sor of art and archaeology at
the University of Michigan
and curator of the univer-
sity's Kelsey Museum, sat
down with some students
to chat about her work. Dr.
Susan Hanssen of the Uni-
versity of Dallas History De-
partment, on behalf of Phi
Beta Kappa, organized the
event. The gathered students
reached about 30 in number
from a diverse selection of
majors. Dr. Valeria Forte of
the modern languages de-
partment brought an entire
section of one of her Italian
classes.
The informal talk began
with introductions in which
students shared their name,
major and interests. Gazda
happily received them all
and kicked off the conversa-
tion with a brief introduction
to her work. Selections from
some of her scholarship on
ancient art was made avail-
able to the students, includ-
ing her article, "Roman
Culture and the Ethos of Em-
ulation: Reconsidering Rep-
etition," and her introduc-
tion to the book "The Villa
of the Mysteries in Pompeii:
Ancient Ritual, Modern
Muse." Gazda briefed stu-
dents on the work leading to
those publications. Her pri-
mary thesis was that recon-
sideration should be given
to addressing Roman copies
as mere copies of previous
(and better) Greek pieces.
She traced the genealogy
of the prejudice toward Ro-
man copies in sart historian
scholarship and critiqued
the evidence for that schol-
arship. She also tied Roman
"copies" to the Romans'
mastering of ail things rhe-
torical and the Roman citi-
zen's concern of furnishing
his environment with "ap-
propriate" pieces.
She then opened the
floor to student questions.
Several students asked ques-
tions about her primary the-
sis, but some students ques-
tioned her about Roman art
in general. The questioning
soon evolved into a relaxed
conversation, touching on
Roman politics, critical the-
ory and historical trends.
Following a brief inter-
mission for refreshments,
the conversation and ques-
tioning continued past the
allotted time. Gazda later
said that she was impressed
with the students' curiosity
and that she enjoyed the ex-
perience.
Health & Wellness Weekly
The real way to get abs like the stars
Bennett Rawicki
Staff Writer
Chiseled abdominal muscles
are considered the standard
of fitness by popular
opinion, as shown in tabloids and
muscle magazine racks, and in a
sense they are right. Having rock-
hard abs only secondarily requires
the hundreds of crunches everyone
makes a staple of their gym routine.
Fhe key to good abs is being fit.
To get the abs of Terrell Owens
or Jessica Alba, workout routines
should change from mainly lying
on a cushioned pad to burning off
the calories necessary to tone the
body. Everyone should continue to
do abdominal exercises, as they are
critical for athletes and for warding
off back problems, but on the path
to good-looking abs, fitness must
come first.
As no workout can melt fat
away from one desired body part, to
tone the abs it is essential
to eat in moderation and
exercise regularly. Many
calorie-counting people
worry about everything
they eat, thinking any
calories they eat must
be burned off on the
treadmill later that day,
but the body needs many
calories just to survive
through the day, and even
just to sit or to sleep.
Consuming around 2,000
calories a clay will not
add to one's weight, and
if one is exercising, too,
then the body will become toned
and abs will appear more clearly.
Just doing crunches will not
make abs appear nearly as fast as
cardio exercise, because to get abs
one first must tone the abdomen by
burning excess calories. Dangerous
dieting to lose those calories should
be avoided, though, as going far
below the 2,000 calorie mark will
be counterproductive to the fitness
necessary to get good abs.
Toned abs should be sought,
not necessarily for their looks, but
for what they mean: fitness and
health have been achieved.
The truth about
multivitamins
Are daily multivitamins necessary
for healthy living?
No, all essential vitamins can be
provided by a good diet. By eating
meats one gets iron, zinc, and B-12.
Bananas and avocadoes providethe
B vitamins, with bananas teaming
up with nuts to offer vitamin E.
Vitamin C is in almost any fruit or
vegetable, with one glass of orange
juice providing daily requirements.
Vitamin D comes from dairy and
from being in sunlight. Vitamin A
is in spinach and fruits like oranges
and melons. Spinach also provides
vitamin K, and to get potassium
one can eat a variety of fruits,
vegetables (potatoes especially)
and meats. With a balanced diet
the daily vitamin requirements will
be fulfilled, but in days when fruits,
vegetables, meat and milk are not
handy, reaching for the vitamin
bottle can keep the body healthy.
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Tetzlaff, Mary. The University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 19, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 24, 2009, newspaper, March 24, 2009; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201496/m1/3/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting University of Dallas.