Robert Hughes’ Rome (5)

Part of my study abroad trip to London and Rome in September is a series of blog posts about some assigned readings, and reflections upon them. This is the eleventh such post, and is five of five about Robert Hughes’ Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History.

“‘Poetry’ called, of course, for a scene of the gathering of ancient and near-contemporary genius on Parnassus, grouped around Apollo, who is making music below his emblematic laurel tree. At the top are his agents, the nine Muses, the Greek deities of astronomy, philosophy, and the arts. The daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, they are Calliope (Muse of the heroic epic), Clio (history), Euterpe (lyric poetry and flute music), Terpischore (dance), Erato (erotic poetry), Melpomene (tragic drama), Thalia (comedy), Polyhymnia (mime, sacred poetry, and agriculture), and Urania (astronomy).”

– except from Chapter 6: Renaissance of Robert Hughes’ Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History

I was fascinated by this passage about The Parnassus, one of the Raphael’s compositions for decorating the papal apartments in the Vatican Palace. The guest speaker we had on art and art history in Rome had a couple pictures of Raphael’s frescos when she spoke to us, which helped lend color and light to Hughes’ description of them as I read this chapter.

Parnassus one of Raphael’s frescos, image from wikipedia

I found this fresco interesting in particular. (And not just because Hughes description oddly mixes Greek and Roman names, Jupiter being Roman.) Because this is a piece of artwork from Renaissance Rome, a point of time in culture where the classical works of myth were suddenly valued again after the centuries of “pagan” art and culture having been pillaged or destroyed in Rome. It’s not something that could have been made earlier than this point in time, before the return to classical interests.

Given my personal interest in writing and drawing, I’ve also always found the concept of the muses appealing. The idea of goddesses that exist to inspire artists, to inspire works of art, appeals to me more than most ideas of divinity. Plus, the fields the muses are supposed to represent and inspire give an interesting view into what forms of art existed and were valued in the Classical era.

There is no muse of sculpture, of painting, or pottery, or weaving, of jewelry making. The muses are all of the written or spoken words, language and thought expressed rather than any physical craftsmanship of art. Muses of recording history to remember the past and preserve learning and wisdom, and of astronomy which in that age would have been about studying the stars to help divine the future and search for wisdom. Though I don’t think I recall ‘agriculture’ being on lists I’d read in the past of the muses.