University of Michigan Museum of Art

I chose to paint the interior of the Museum of Art because of the wonderful statue and circular design of the entry atrium. Randolph Rogers statue "Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii", has an evocative story. Nydia, who was enslaved, attempts to lead two companions out of burning, ash-covered Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Her closed eyes and staff allude to her blindness, while the hand raised to her ear refers to her acute sense of hearing. My painting was done in studio in watercolors after several visits to the museum to study the statue.