Ancient History

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696–1770). The Triumph of Marius, 1729. Oil on canvas; Irregular painted surface, 220 x 128 5/8 in. (558.8 x 326.7 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1965 (65.183.1)

«In celebration of the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards exhibition, now on view in the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education, the Teen Blog will feature guest posts by Scholastic Gold Key Award writers from New York City through the close of the exhibition on May 17. This week's blogger, Milo, was awarded a Gold Key for his dramatic script "The Cockroach in the Cage."»

One of the first things I visit whenever I go to The Metropolitan Museum of Art is The Triumph of Marius, a painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It depicts the great Roman general Gaius Marius standing in a beautiful chariot in Rome, and around him are soldiers, recently captured slaves, treasures, and African king Jugurtha, in chains, wearing gleaming armor and a beautiful red cape. The painting seems to focus more on Jugurtha than Marius, forcing you to appreciate the king's incredible dignity. People are yelling, mocking him, and throwing things at him, yet he does not let himself be overcome. It's a real underdog story; Jugurtha, the loser, seems to overpower the Romans with his powerful stare, and even as he walks off to his gruesome death by strangulation, he keeps his dignity. He takes control of the one thing he has, which is to choose the way he shall meet his demise—as a king, not a coward.

I must say that one of the reasons I love this painting is because I love ancient Rome. A few years ago, I read Thermae Romae, a manga about an ancient Roman architect who was sucked through the drain of a bath he was admiring and emerged, to his surprise, in a modern-day Japanese bath. From then on, I became obsessed with ancient Roman architecture, battle tactics, culture, and politics. Nothing could stop me—as far as I could see, I was a Roman. It was around this time that I discovered The Triumph of Marius.

I have been visiting the Met since I was a baby, but my interest in ancient Rome inspired me to notice and appreciate the big painting at the top of the Great Hall stairs. The first time I really saw it, I spent a lot of time just looking at it. I like paintings that tell a story so that I can map out the experience of the characters, and I really love paintings that show lots of people gathered together for something. It could be a battle, a speech, a parade, or people on a subway, as long as each person in the painting is feeling something different. That's the kind of painting The Triumph of Marius is—one that tells a story. Take a good look for yourself. It's worth the climb to the top of the staircase!

For more teen writing, please visit the exhibition in the Uris Center for Education!

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