“Ɖs stimyletñ xibišn, spanñ tu milenia, juxṭpozz antiqitiz fṛm ɖ impwtnt arcı̣lojicl sait v Ostia Antīca, nir Rôm, wɖ ɖ wrc v tu modn Itałn ātists: Umberto Mastrýaņi (1910-1998) n Ețore de Cončiliis (b. 1941).
Fândd in ɖ 7ɖ senčri BC, ɖ ênčnt hābrsiti v Ostia wz an isenšl lnc t ɖ capitl v ɖ Rômn Empîr. At ɖ mâʈ v ɖ Rivr Tîbr, sâʈwest v Rôm, ɖ siti wz a cmršl hub n culčṛl meltñpot, iqipt wɖ a ʈiytr, baɖz, bêc̣riz, wérhâzz, barz n šops. Ɖ xibišn includz ênčnt stačri pwtreyñ godz, emṗrrz n ivoc̣tv sìnz v čarı̣trêsz at ɖ Rômn Src̣s, ẇl a ṣlẋn v intric̣t mzêics n tu wōlpêntñz fṛm nirbî Īẓla Sacra – Ostia’z seṃtri – r amñ ɖ fînist xamplz fṛm ɖ sait.
Az a bacdrop t ɖz wrcs, ɖr r a nmbr v speṣ̌li cmišnd pêntñz bî Ețore de Cončiliis dpictñ ɖ atṃsferic ple v lît acrs Ostia’z ruinz, n svṛl wrcs bî Mastrýani, wn v ɖ most impwtnt figrz in twentiiʈ-senčri Itałn sculpčr. Iniṣ̌li wrcñ in a fiğṛtv stîl similr t Mrīno Mrīni, Mastrýani bgan t implý abstract fwmz jrñ ɖ ŕli 1940z, n z bst nôn tde fr hiz monymntl wrcs cmeṃretñ ɖ Rzistns. Hiz dîṇmizm z far rmuvd fṛm ɖ srīn caṛctr v ɖ antīc pìsz. Yt hiz sculpčrz – rzmblñ grt girz n mcanicl cmponnts ɖt nâ stand mošnls – olso rcwl ācı̣lojcl fragmnts: bronz n ayn relics v an industrı̣l iyra ɖt r infyzd wɖ an elijayc qoḷti v ɖer ôn.
Ʈru ɖ juxṭṗzišn v cntrastñ wrcs fṛm tu wîdli dvrs culčrz, w cn rflct nt onli on ɖ gulf seṗretñ âr ôn îdiyz v byti fṛm ɖoz v âr ansestrz, bt olso hâ ełn ɖ culčṛl āṭfacts v tde me wn de sīm t âr ôn dsndnts.”