Breaking 4th Century Art News

Archaeologists from the Vatican believe they have found the earliest-known portrait of St. Paul in the catacombs of St. Thecla, near St. Paul fuori-le-mura in Rome.

The portrait was discovered about two weeks ago, but has already been cleaned and restored (by lasers, no less) for its release to the public.

In related news, the Pope says that remains discovered in an eight-foot sarcophagus underneath St. Paul fuori-le-mura "seem to be" (or in Pope-speak, "definitely are") St. Paul's mortal relics., as popular Christian tradition holds. Carbon dating confirms that the bones date from the 2nd or 3rd century.

The Ara Pacis Museum in Rome Vandalized

Vandals defaced the outside of the Ara Pacis Museum in Rome with paint-filled balloons of red and green, creating an Italian flag of sorts on the white wall. The vandals also left a porcelain toilet and a few rolls of toilet paper next to the building, in a brilliantly simple comment on the building's design.

Designed by Richard Meier, and opened in Rome in 2006, the Ara Pacis Museum was built to house the Ara Pacis, or "Altar of Peace" commissioned by Emperor Augustus in 13 BC. The massive stone structure was rapidly deteriorating from exposure to the elements, and the new complex was built to protect it, though it's contemporary design has been the subject of much criticism.

I was just at the Ara Pacis Museum last week, and while it is a nice museum, sun-filled, with seating, serves its designated purpose of protecting the Ara Pacis (and is a fantastic air-conditioned respite from the sweltering Roman sun), it's totally out of sync with Rome as a city, and classical Roman architecture. It feels completely out of place, and doesn't really complement the Ara Pacis so much as it simply seems to rise out of the ground around it.

Any thoughts about the recent vandalism, or about the Ara Pacis Museum in general?

Angels and Demons and the End of Good Taste

Everyone has to go over to my friend Jenn's blog Per Omnia Saecula to read her brilliant review/synopsis of Angels and Demons, which we saw together over the weekend. It is even funnier than the movie, which would be difficult, considering it's probably the best comedy of 2009.

Angels and Demons comes as the follow-up to The DaVinci Code, which taught us that most, if not all, Renaissance art contains some sort of symbolic code, and is more likely than not, connected to a shadowy secret society. If you just can't get enough, Dan Brown's next book The Lost Symbol (which already has a tentative movie release date of 2012) is available for pre-order on Amazon. According to his editor, Dan Brown's new book is "full of surprises." A different secret society? A new sultry, foreign, but ridiculously intelligent love interest? Which well-known Renaissance artist has Brown invented a shadowy past for this time?

Feel free to weigh in on Angels and Demons here!