Another Pompeii exhibit...

There was a Pompeii exhibit that came through the National Gallery around two years ago, and I went to see it. Although, I was a little disappointed because I honestly thought there were going to be some kind of bodies there. Now I have taken art history, and I am aware that the figures of people were formed with a combination of ash and lava that have essentially made molds of the inhabitants of the people of Pompeii. So I did not exactly think I would be seeing the exact remnants of Pompeii, but I did think that maybe they would find some way to show the people, or even show photographs! Nothing. There was one book in the National Gallery exhibit (that was enclosed in glass) with one picture of the lava/ash mold, of a dog...There were frescos that had been moved from Pompeii, but mostly it was just other artists depictions of what the streets might have looked like as the volcano was erupting. The exhibit was a little bit of a let down to say the least...

So to my point!

There is an exhibit opening (or opened) at the Discovery Museum in Times Square called “Pompeii the Exhibit: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius,” AND they have bodies!! Ok well not exactly bodies, but they do have plaster molds of the people from Pompeii, I don't know how many people were there but the museum has 32 of them. Yet, in the article they say that the exhibit is nice but you are not looking at people just plaster molds, I think they should be happy with the plaster, some of us haven't been able to see even molds! They also have some things that people were holding, or had in there hands, like jewelry or coins. They did have some of that at the National Gallery too. I think that the people who get to see this exhibit should enjoy it, and not worry about the fact that it's only plaster molds, and take in the beauty that was an entire towns destruction and a stop in time. I don't know if I have room to complain either because the National Gallery was free, and to see this exhibit, is $25. So maybe I lucked out, but I still would have like to see the people of Pompeii, plaster or not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/arts/design/04vesuvius.html?pagewanted=1&ref=design