You are currently browsing the daily archive for November 11th, 2009.

.

.

From Castle Hill
Priscilla Serafin
Oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches

Priscilla Serafin, an oil painter who is inspired by the natural landscape, focuses on the light, water and coastal marshes surrounding the North Shore of Massachusetts. Working in oil, she begins on location to capture a sense of light and then further explores the line between abstraction and representation in her studio.

To see more work, visit the Serafin Studio website here.

© 2009 Priscilla Serafin. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

____________________

CONTACT

Welcome to Bread and Circus, the independent online culture magazine. Have a comment or feedback? Send us email.

 

November 2009
S M T W T F S
« Oct   Jan »
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  

© 2007-2010

Panem et circenses

"Duas tantum res anxius optat--Panem et circenses"

--Juvenal (Roman poet, circa 60-140, writing in Satire X)

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PHRASE "BREAD AND CIRCUS"?

In ancient Rome, political elites frequently distributed food (such as wheat) and funded lavish spectacles for the inhabitants. The provision of what Juvenal called "bread and circuses" is thought to have been an important element in placating the masses. The elites also seem to have thought of it as an important part of their civic duty.

A sophisticated discussion of the subject can be found in Paul Veyne's book Le pain et le cirque, which is available in English translation as well as in its original French edition.

facebook