Study of Classical Greek art and architecture
In the most unassuming room of the museum I’d entered thus far, there he sat—as stoic as he was in the quarry that he was excavated from. The Boxer. One of the only remaining life-sized bronze statues from antiquity, this Hellenistic masterpiece quite literally stole my breath away. I had known that there were Greek statues to be found in Rome, but almost no one ever imagines that there is bronzework from 3rd century Greece. Indeed, until I learned about The Boxer, I had little idea that there were any large Greek bronze statues left at all.
But once I walked into the room, the only thought in my mind was “stunning.” The minute details, the alternating metals to indicate skin color, the empty sockets for his glass eyes, the scars. The longer I gazed at him, the more enthralled I became. I spent almost thirty minutes in front of him, inspecting (and photographing) his every nook and cranny. A true work of art.
I found this statue in the Palazzo Massimo, situated directly in the heart of Rome. It’s strange to think about highly valuable Greek art existing outside of Greece, but the fact is that Greece has a long history in which they have been conquered many, many times. So, the museums of the world hold as many of Greece’s treasures as Greece does herself.
It was fascinating to read descriptions in English and Italian about statues I had only read about in Greece and the US. Having the opportunity to visit Italy and London to witness epic pieces of Greek history and art was only made possible by the generosity of the Givens family and their scholarship to fund Wabash men who are passionate about art. I am truly grateful that I have gotten to see so much of the world’s most important art at such a young age. Wabash and the Givens family are giving seriously precious gifts to students studying in Europe. But the learning never ends! I will be back to see more.
