Art 225- Journal 3

The Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano has so much to see. The statues, carvings in the wall, it is all incredible. However, what impressed me the most was the roof of the nave. The Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano was built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century; it was the first church to be built in Rome. The ceiling stretches across the nave and is covered with gold. Gold that was brought from America by the Italian native Christopher Columbus.
In 1646, the interior of the Basilica was renovated however they wanted to preserve the ceiling and the floor, so those were untouched. The ceiling was a work by Flaminio Boulanger and showed the coats of arms of Pope Pius IV and Pope Pius V(Wikipedia).
The gold of the ceiling really makes it stand out against the white of the marble. This use of different colors like this really provides an almost supernatural feeling as one enters for the first time. The bit of light that does shine through really lights the room up as it bounces of the gold roof and the intricate designs keep ones neck strained back as you can’t take your eyes off of it.

The Catacombs of Domitilla are spread over 15 km of caves. Apart from being the first underground basilica they have various art works within the caves. My personal favorite was the one of Jesus with his disciples. One had to bend down and look at this to see it properly.
The artist of this is unknown but historians date it back to the 2nd century (Wikipedia). The thing I liked most about this painting is the passion. It is not a commissioned piece of art, or a painting someone is doing in a lofty apartment. It is a raw expression of what that person was feeling, done underground so many years ago. It is similar to today’s graffiti.

Graffiti is an expression of mostly people that are growing up in those streets. It’s raw and controversial and often not respected as art. None the less it is an expression. This is why I loved the fresco in the catacombs. It is not the technique or style that makes it great, but the emotion.