Seeing without sight, An examination of Nydia, the Blind Girl of Pompeii
Nydia, the Blind Girl of Pompeii, is a marble sculpture created by Randolph Rogers. It is in near perfect condition as of today. The title of the sculpture is quite straightforward; one instantly recognizes that the girl is blind. However, anyone looking upon the sculpture can identify the girl’s blindness, not only because of the sculptor’s title but from the aesthetics of the sculpture itself. It could be said that the title is not needed because we can tell by her posture that she is fully relying on her sense of sound. While one examines Nydia's posture, lines, angles, shadows, motion, and volume, Nydia comes ...view middle of the document...
It appears to be more representative than realistic
because there is no defined areola or nipple. The majority of her individual focus is not on her own appearance but on her surroundings. She seems to be in a hurry since she did not notice that her
clothing has become disheveled. Nydia is also barefoot, which indicates the severity of her situation, not having time to put on footwear. The wind and her action causes her stola to have deep creases, it is snug on her lower half and her walking stick in a way reminiscent of wet drapery.
Her mouth is slightly open in a frown, showing a deep sense of concentration. Her facial expression is calm despite the intense motion of her body. The observer is able to recognize that, although the girl’s eyes are closed, she moves comfortably based on her pose. While she is moving Nydia relies on her other senses, specifically her sense of sound. Her eyebrows are contorted upwards, representing the focus on her hearing. With more thorough observation, one will notice the position of her feet. She has most of her weight on her front foot to show that the motion of her body is free. Though her body has the natural ‘S’ line reminiscent of a contrapposto stance and the majority of her weight is all on the front supporting leg, she does not represent a true traditional contrapposto since she is in a place of action, not rest. Leaning forward in a rush, her walking stick is in line with the angle of her body. Moreover one can tell that the girl seems to be in distress, not only by her running stance but her body’s features as well. Going along with the curvilinear form in her body, the viewer can see the deep creases in her clothing, and the curves of emotion in her mouth and eyebrows. Her entire body is contorted into action, the lines almost perpendicular. The shadows and creases are her action lines, while the actual clothing is showing the physical aspect of the current events. Showing the conflict in the scene, almost everything around her is standing still, the flower basket on the staff and base show that she is in a stand-still environment, while her body is in motion. The curves of her eyebrows are over exaggerated, emphasizing that the girl has been presented a stressful situation. One can tell by looking at her face that she is in an almost panic-like state as she listens deeply to her surroundings. Her mouth, in unison with her body, is frowning with the weight and the severity of the...
