The lost city of Pompeii is a subject of eternal fascination: a bustling, sophisticated metropolis in ancient Rome obliterated overnight by the eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in AD August 79. Archaeologists, historians, painters and photographers have flocked to the ruined city for centuries to piece together what life was like there before the cosmopolitan town was wiped off the map.
An exhibit at Yale University Art Gallery is a new iteration of Pompeii fascination, but it harkens back to an older one. Photographs taken by William Wylie and An-My Le in the 1990s were inspired by 19th-century photographs taken by Giorgio Sommer, who documented the eerie remains of the doomed municipality, including haunting plaster casts of people and animals writhing in their death throes.
“You can see how the site has been restored since then. It’s better preserved than when it was first excavated,” said curator Judy Ditner.
Wylie’s photos focus on the majesty of the city — ghostly, abandoned pillars, vague remains of frescoes, fountains, pedestals — as well as the march of time, as unconcerned plants grow through the cracks. Many of his photos hang alongside photos by Sommer.
An My-Le focuses on the hidden erotica of Pompeii, which was hidden from public viewing in the staid 19th century. My-Le also created a series of photos of the view of the sea from the destroyed city, to show the beautiful coastal scene the citizens beheld on a daily basis before they all died.
When buildings were dug out of 30 feet of lava deposits, air pockets were found untouched by lava. Remains of Pompeiians crouching in vain to protect themselves from death were found in the pockets. Archaeologists in the 19th century poured plaster into the air pockets to create casts of the victims, dogs and humans, some with visible clothing and some without. The photographs of these casts are haunting, and serve as a reminder that the volcano Vesuvius still active. This could happen again, to any city sitting under an active volcano.
POMPEII: PHOTOGRAPHS AND FRAGMENTS is at Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St. in New Haven, until Aug. 19. artgallery.yale.edu.
On Other Walls
Spectrum Gallery, 61 Main St. in Centerbrook, presents “Nature in Black & White” from March 30, when the exhibit opens with a reception from 6:30 to 9 p.m., to May 13. Artists are Andrea Marsiano, Melissa Imossi, Linda King, Dawn Tyler, Iacopo Pasquinelli, Margaret VonKleist
Emond, Jay Babina, Sarah Thompson, Catherine Satsuk, Christine Miller, Marjorie Sopkin, Pam Carlson, Pat Damiani, Regina Thomas, Tanya McIntyre, Judith Osborne, Pam Erickson, Sharon Lee Didato, Sandra Baker, Kathleen DeMeo, Edward Walsh, William Vollers, Stephen Martin, C. Peter Chow, Elin Dolle, Sally Perreten, George Fellner, Normand Charlette, Paul Ramsey, Robert Thomas and Fred Rosenthal. spectrumartgallery.org.
“Portraits” is at Washington Art Association, 4 Bryan Memorial Plaza in Washington Depot, from March 31 to April 28. The opening reception is March 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. washingtonartassociation.org.
“In Time Shall We Know Ourselves,” an exhibit of black and white photography by Raymond Smith of New Haven, will be at Bruce Museum, One Museum Drive in Greenwich, until June 2. brucemuseum.org.
“Celia Paul,” an exhibit of portraits, will be at Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St. in New Haven, from April 3 to Aug. 12. britishart.yale.edu.
