Our Minerva angers me
Picture this: it's a Friday morning and you're on campus on your way to meet a friend. You pass through the main square, where the imposing, tall rectorate building shines all of its recently-restored light on you.
And then you remember it: there's someone watching you. No, something is watching you. It's the ugly statue, the one freshmen are told not to look in the eyes else their next exam end up a failure; the one that, after two years and countless thoughts, you still haven't figured out.
But first, a bit of history. Sapienza University of Rome's main campus is the Città Universitaria (University City), inaugurated in 1935 during the fascist period, as the new center for Rome's first university. Piacentini's architecture work reflects the fascist imposed trends of the period, sober and structured, heavy and monumental. At the center of the main square in the Città, guarding the rectorate building with the adjacent Law and Humanities faculties, stands Martini's statue of the Minerva, the university's namesake goddess.
There's just one problem: she surrenders. To who? Why? I have a (to be honest, completely unfounded and vibe based) theory. While researching this topic, I found an interesting document explaining the story of the statue and the concept behind its development and position (you can find it here). In this report, it seems obvious that the artist's intention behind the goddess' arms being up in the sky is that of signifying a victorious gesture, albeit a quite uncommon one. Referring back to the campus' history, it's not unlikely that Mussolini's (and Italian Fascism in general) view of the education system helped shape the unorthodox Minerva. During the inaugural speech for the Città Universitaria, Mussolini (I quote from the document) "wearing the uniform of the commander-in-chief of the army, reminded the King, the Rector, and the Minister of Education of the indissoluble links between militarism and education". But wouldn't a classic like the Atena Promachos (Ἀθηνᾶ Πρόμαχος, literally "Athena who fights on the front line") be better suited to convey this message?
Here's where my simplistic theory comes in. Athena here bears arms and stands tall against whoever is in front of her, as usual, but surrenders to the power of the State. The new, reformed University is but a tool of the Fascist regime, a soldier in its arsenal, and as such bows to its ruler, as a fiery minion who thinks they're in charge of themselves.
I think that this symbol is not representative of what Sapienza - and all other universities in the world, for the matter - is, or should be seen as. Universities are fierce entities, constantly shaping the future of countries and of the world by resisting fascism, by refusing to be chained to the logic of power and control. A breeding ground for those who can understand how things ought to be, a safe haven from unwanted reach.
This is what angers me about our Minerva. It doesn't represent us: our goddess is a woman, a fighter, a scientist and a philosopher. Ή θεά doesn't bow, she doesn't leave us alone. A statue of this relevance has too much potential meaning for it to be this ugly, this unrepresentative, this dangerous. It projects this harmful, insidious vision of the institute of the University being controllable. It isn't, shouldn't and will never be.
(Or maybe it's just warning you: don't look me in the eye, do not challenge me or I'll make your university career hell. I honestly don't know, but it still bothers me. Look at its face and tell me, unironically, that it conveys strength and fortitude. Come on. It's bad and it makes me sad. No: angry.)
Thank you for keeping up with my rant of the day.
Until next time, bye!