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 to life with emotion. At first glance, we see a young girl, perhaps in her twenties, with her eyes closed and her body slightly tilted to the left in a stride. Her arms are both bent at the elbows, one is held to her head and the other to her waist. This is showing right away that she is in motion, by looking at the positioning of her arms and body. The palm of her left hand is rounded up to her face, around her ear, as if she is carefully listening for something specific. Her right hand holds a walking stick. At the base of the walking stick is a basket, located by her feet, which looks as if it could have once held flowers. It is not plain, it exhibits a symmetric pattern of flowers. She is standing on a simple circular base with no design on it. Nydia’s hair is held in an up do, with some of her loose waves resting neatly on her left shoulder. Her stola extends down to her ankles, and her feet are bare. Her legs are body’s width apart and diagonal from each other, and slightly bent with her right leg leading and her left following in stride. This stride represents the fact that she is just not standing still listing but that her body is actually in motion. Her right breast is exposed, with gravity not affecting it. 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 predicament.
The volume and density in this piece is showing through strongly. Volume is presented by her action, her rush causes friction with the environment, and chaotic wind fills the girl’s clothes, blowing them behind her as if she is moving forward. Her clothes really make it possible for the observer to be able to follow the story, and the direction of her motion. Following the shadows that were created by the deep creases reinforced the theme of her s-shaped curve. One can tell that the composition is balanced by looking at the distribution of positive and negative space. Though the composition is asymmetrical, the diagonal that the positive and negative space seems to create makes the piece harmonious. Her body, leaning forward, cuts through the negative space, filling it and evening it out. This makes the density of the piece fair; it is not overcrowded in any particular space. When seen with dramatic lighting the marble appears to glow. Light and shadow also have an effect on the texture, and emphasizes the action and chaos that Rogers, the sculptor, wanted to convey. Bright light and deep shadows work together to show the ridges in her dress and the concern on her face. The light also shows how smooth of a polish Rogers created; he was working in a style reminiscent of classical sculpture. A sculptor could compare the usage of marble and having the wet drapery effect around Nydia’s legs to the pieces from that era to clarify the use of the specific stone.
The exaggeration and dramatic curves are made for the viewer to absorb the sense of passion from a distance. In other words, one can see the concentration in Nydia's eyes without actually seeing her eyes. The audience can take away that she is a strong character, that she is willing to pursue all of that passion that the aura her body is emanating. One can really feel the unique powerfulness this piece has about it, since an onlooker can see that Nydia, although she is blind, acknowledges everything in her surroundings.
Through Rogers impeccable detail one can observe this work and fully understand the whole situation without knowing the title or any history behind the piece. Just by pure inspection one can identify the seriousness and intensity. Rogers magnified his concepts by showing the unsettledness in her appearance, and the emotion of her body. One does not need to see the surroundings of Nydia because of the expression of the features, lines, and angles that create her.