Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Roman Portrait Busts" by John Updike is a vivid and introspective poem that reflects on the stark realism of Roman portrait busts, which capture the unvarnished and sometimes harsh individuality of their subjects. Updike uses visceral and compelling imagery to convey his fascination with these ancient sculptures, exploring themes of mortality, art, and the enduring human desire for recognition.

The poem begins with a personal confession of being irresistibly drawn to these busts, likening his attraction to them to a "maggot to meat." This comparison vividly evokes the decay and mortality associated with the sculptures, as they represent individuals long dead, their features preserved in stone. The "pupilless eyes" further enhance the eerie and haunting quality of these busts, suggesting a lifelessness that is paradoxically full of character.

Updike describes the busts as possessing "putrefying individuality," a phrase that strikingly combines decay with uniqueness. This oxymoron captures the essence of the busts, which through their very realism and specificity, resist the softening effects of time and historical narrative. Each sculpture is distinct, with the "pouting dead Octavias" and figures like Livias and Marcuses presented in a manner that is intensely personal and unidealized.

The poet admires the sculptures for their "drab lack of exaggeration," appreciating the artists' commitment to realistic depiction over idealization. The sculptures are presented as true to size, "neither bigger nor smaller than life," which reinforces their realism and the Roman value of verism, where physical accuracy and individual details were paramount. This adherence to the real makes the sculptures compelling as they present a direct, unfiltered connection to the past.

The description of the sculptures' eyes tasting "awful" and the experience of viewing them as "vile, deliciously" captures the conflicted feelings they evoke. There is a repellent yet fascinating quality to these lifelike representations of the deceased, which Updike describes as "selves so unsoftened by history, such indigestible gristle." The use of terms typically associated with meat and consumption ("gristle") highlights the almost cannibalistic way in which viewers take in the lives of these long-gone individuals, digesting their personalities and stories through the medium of art.

"Roman Portrait Busts" is thus a powerful meditation on the nature of art, mortality, and identity. Updike's intense and descriptive language draws the reader into a deep engagement with these ancient artifacts, encouraging us to consider how art captures and conveys the essence of individuality across time. The poem reflects on the uncomfortable yet captivating intersection of death, realism, and the human figure, leaving a lasting impression of the haunting presence of these historical figures.

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