Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre

Today was the last day of this mega-exhibition at the National Museum and it was a Sunday. The gallery was packed. At $8/entry, it wasn't cheap, and the collection was small. Lin and I went with Vony and Maru after lunch. Most of the exhibits are marble sculptures from the 3rd century BC, or Roman copies of the Greek originals. These are my personal favourites, all roughly life-size. They are magnificent specimens of beauty and grace. I mean that hand, holding what I suppose is an apple, has got to be the epitome of Grace, if something as abstract as grace can be made physical, and you easily forget that you are staring at a man-made rock from 1,900 years ago. Were they actually painted over in their original condition? Probably not, but they would look quite different from the black-haired, black-brow models in real life. 14 centuries before Michelangalo, unknown, under-appreciated artisans were shaping marble with skills unrivalled until the Renaissance.

Chup