Inside the Botanical Garden of Buenos Aires, besides the vegetation and many stray cats, there are several sculptures and I think the most interesting is the one called “Saturnalia”. It’s a sculpture made in bronze extremely expressive that shows a group of persons who seem to be alive. Photographing it from different angles new details seem to emerge at the same time others are hidden.
According to an explanation sign next to the sculpture:
“It represents the annual Saturnal Party realized in honor of the god Saturn.
It acquires the qualities of a non-stoppable orgy of the ancient Romans. This Classic Style sculpture apports a realism, but for its thematic value, it shows the virility of the soldier’s souls with brutal bodies.
It also shows the vitality and tenderness of the bodies that could find all the expression on its central figures.
The female figures are slender, happy and voluptuous, making one group that shows a live and relaxed movement.”
Still on this sign, we can read:
“During the Militar Dictatorship, this sculpture and others were forbidden, taken away to stables and covered with dung. When Democracy returned, it was rescued and put inside this Botanical Garden, in 1984.”
The subject of the sculpture is the Saturnalia Party, celebrated by the ancient Romans on December 17th. Due to its great popularity, with the years, it became a whole week celebration. It was marked by tomfoolery and reversal of social roles, in which slaves and masters ostensibly switched places. Everything was allowed, but the work and the seriousness of the regular days: gambling was allowed in public, slaves were released from work and informal clothes were used. Drinking, noise and games and dice, singing naked, clapping of frenzied hands… It was also an opportunity to visit friends and to give gifts. The Saturnalia celebration continued till the middle of the fourth century, when it was absorbed in the celebration of Christmas.
This sculpture generated controversy since it was created by the Italian sculptor Ernesto Biondi (1855-1917). In 1905, Biondi sued the Metropolitan Museum of Art for failure to exhibit it, while The Museum argued that Saturnalia was removed from public exhibition in consequence of hostile criticism. It was recognized that the sculpture was a great work of art, with qualities of a very realistic kind, but it was considered “indecent”, “revolting”, “horrible”, “immoral” among other degrading qualities.
The “Saturnalia” of Buenos Aires is only a reproduction of the original which is at the Museum of Modern Art, in Rome. In my opinion, this sculpture is very rich and make us think about all the aspects of the human nature, how would we be without the boundaries of society/government and with the years, how things are understood differently…
Where?
Jardín Botánico | Av. Santa Fé 3951 | Tel: +54 (11) 4831-4527
sepphora | April 23, 2008 | 3:58 pm | Palermo
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