Blog #3

Throughout the chapters of reading, this mosaic variant called The Unswept Floor stood out to me in a modern, everyday relatable, casual way. When I first saw it, I thought the items were shells on sand, which I love and thought of writting about. Looking closer I realized some of the scattered items were shells and a few were leftover food scraps including bones or the stems of grape branches. The painting was by Sosos of Pergamon but it was signed by Herakleitos. By seeing the random pieces of this mosaic, i do feel like i had, in a sense, been part of their feast which i think is part of the artist's intention.
Unlike the Greeks (banquets were more of private affairs), the Romans held lavish feasts, (consisting of up to SEVEN courses) where their possessions were used as display as proof of their ultimate wealth and social lifestyle. This is still very true today. You can often tell a lot about a person's wealth and lifestyle by the possessions they hold in their homes out for display. People back then and still now, just love to show off their riches! The jewelry, the clothes, the cars... home decoration, some which are not necessary, are bought in order to decorate their homes and of course, to let their guests know of their wealth and class. In a way, home decoration or any sort of display can be another outlet of expressing oneself, like 'this is my taste of style'... but people can, and often do, go overboard.
When hosts throw dinner parties, if the hosts care about making an impression on guests of their class and riches, special dinner ware is usually brought out. Magazines sell day to day by giving tips on proper table setting display and how to throw dinner parties. & Instyle magazine always has a feature at the end, where they showcase a celebrity's home or closet!
When thinking about the mosaic The Unswept Floor, it raised the thought of simply, the Art of display. The Unswept floor also reminds me of a painting I saw at the Cantor Arts Center at Standford University. Instead of shells and food, there was decadent jewelry scattered upon a rich red canvas.
The art of display is used everywhere, with everyone, and used everyday all around the world. Even small things, like the arrangement on your desk (choice of photo frames, pencil cups, bullentin boards) or how girls arrange their perfumes and jewelry on their vanity desks. It's a way of expressing who you are through the items you own.
Even teenage guys, i know, do a lil home display to show off to their guests their social lifestyle, but not in a tasteful home decoration way.
A guy i once knew, was persistent on having me come visit his house one day. I finally came, & to my surprise, his house was a mess! The place was completely trashed with beer cups scattered all around. While my girl friends would be excited on having me visit their home to show me their room painted a different color, guys, like the Romans, love showing off their party lifestyle.