Francesco Vezzoli, "Teatro Romano"

The sculptural aesthetics of both the Renaissance and Neo-Classical art were in large measure inspired by a fallacy: that statues from ancient Greece and Rome were crafted in dazzlingly white marble. That much is true, for the most part. However, both the Greeks and Romans polychromed finished statuary for a more realistic effect, using natural skin and hair tones along with more vivid colors for details such as clothing. Working with archaeologists, conservators and specialists, Vezzoli, an Italian artist whose work often touches upon the subjects of beauty and glamour, has restored a series of Roman busts to their condition when initially created in the 1st and 2nd centuries—bringing, essentially, the lifelike back to life.