Augustus At Prima Porta Analysis

Each artistic style can be influenced by the previous period of time or the artist’s personal preferences. There are also many similar themes of athletic sculptures that were made in the different periods. In order to understand the similarities and differences in artistic styles and the meaning behind the sculptures, it is helpful to compare works of two periods, the Greek Hellenistic period and the early Italian Renaissance. The two sculptures are Seated Boxer from the Greek Hellenistic period and David by Donatello from the early Italian Renaissance. The meaning behind each sculpture is somewhat different. One reflects Greek idealism while the other one reflects a symbol of civic pride

The ultimate purpose of the art object until the Hellenistic period is to be a figure of human perfection and the Ideal, most commonly in the form of a ruler or a deity via body politics. Anatomy and physiology of the statue or relief is often used to further the pancultural concepts of the Ideal as opposed to the physical representation of a specific, imperfect person. The conept itself speaks volumes about the culture from which it originates, and what that culture valued most of its people and of their lives. However, as the centuries thundered by and civilizations rose and fell, there is a clear shift in the artist’s attitude towards his or her art, and the artist begins to wean away from an aesthetic realm of perfection to the portrayal of a specific

In ancient history Romans have always been the dominant force that would build itself back up and strengthen into a major civilization for hundreds of years to come. Although, what a lot of people don’t know is how the Romans initially began or perceived to be created as a people that was born from mythological stories that tied into their own culture at the time. Titus Livius (Livy) was an historian that wrote many books on the history of Rome, but today we will only go through an English translation from 1919 of Livy’ first book. We will be discussing what happened (what was written down as the origin of Rome), some interesting points in the text, and analyze the way Livy wrote/structured his work.

In 218 B.C.E in Rome women were in protest about a law that was passed. During the second Punic war with carthage in North Africa, Rome went through desperate circumstances. During this time the law that was passed that unsettled all the woman was the Oppian laws. This law restricted women’s use of luxury goods so to preserve resources for the war efforts. In the document 5.3, History of Rome, written by Livy , talks about the thoughts of repealing the law and how the woman felt about this.

The Kelsey Museum Augustus, First Emperor of Rome, is similar and different to many Roman art pieces. The first very obvious style that can be seen is the Augustan period approach, the Augustus of Primaporta statue from Italy, marble copy, from early first century is a great example of this approach. They both have the same exact straight hair strand placement, face shape, and youthful idealized face. Augustus uses the same style throughout all his statues and reliefs, where his forehead is very wide and longer than his chin area. Unlike the prior Republican period style, the Augustan period rejects the veristic style, which is the very extreme expression of oldness. Instead, he uses Classical Greek art features, where the idealized youthful

politician’s typical autobiography. Discuss how it is different: what does the emperor include, emphasize, and omit. What can we learn about his personality from this formal document?

Political figures in art has always been an important part of our history, culture and artistic representation, Roman and Byzantine art is a classic case of these representations. The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius and Justinian as World Conqueror are two examples that demonstrate the power and prestige of these political authorities. First, Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius from the Roman, Italy (173-176 CE) measures 11’6” high, cast in bronze. Secondly, Justinian as World conqueror from Byzantium period measures 13” x 11” entire panel, center panel 7” x 5” and 1” deep. The creator of the equestrian statue is unknown, however, the creator of Justinian’s ivory relief was probably made by the imperial work of Constantinople. The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius and Justinian as World Conqueror both depict the power, prestige and clemency of a political figures. Yet, both are distinct in their artistic representation which I’ll discuss below.

In the documentary, “Art of the Western World-The Classical Ideal”, the narrator provides a history and a perspective on the Greek and Roman creation of the “Classical Ideal” to art and architecture. The narrator infers that the foundation of the two societies, namely their democratic falsifies and religious foundations, along with their focus on fitness, personal strength, calculations and intelligence, drove Greece and later Rome, to perfect their visions of balance, symmetry and beauty in their architecture and art.

In Roman comedy, like in Greek comedy that came before it, Roman writers enjoyed to poke fun at social norms. Augustus sought to protect the Roman Empire’s longevity and in doing so elevated the power held by the paterfamilias. In a Roman family absolute authority is held by the father or the head of the household. The power of the paterfamilias was unrestricted and enabled him as the head of the house to control every aspect in the lives of his family. Most dramatically the form of this power was exercised in vitae necisque potestas or his ability to sentence his family members to death. This power extended over all the of father’s legitimate children, and included any slaves he owned. Frequently his wife was included if the arrangement of

Bust of Marcus Aurelius 161-180 AD made of marble. Capitoline Brutus, 300 BCE made of bronze. The theme shared is Imperial theme Heroism. Both art works honor important Roman people, from different social backgrounds, who were honored for their bravery. Bust of Marcus Aurelius gives off a graceful appearance while the eyes show vigor. The bust depicts Marcus Aurelius as the perfect rule, the “philosopher king”. He wears a cuirass (military tunic and cloak). Capitoline Brutus gives off a serious business-like expression that makes you believe it is an honorary sculpture. Bust of Marcus Aurelius displays a more standard Roman sculpture and his face has softer details. Capitoline Brutus had the characteristics of Italic and Greek sculpture styles

The Roman Republic was an ancient Roman civilization that was created after the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom in 509 BC, and ending in 27 BC with the creation of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was created in order for the rich men named aristocrats to gain even more power by removing kings from the Roman government. Soon after, the Roman upper class turned politics into a violent competition in their strive for power. Gaius Marius’ creation of “client armies” led soldiers to become more loyal towards their commander than the republic. This resulted in a commander named Lucius Cornelius Sulla overtaking Rome with his client army and establishing himself as a dictator. Finally, the civil war between Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompey ended

During an election year, we as Americans are bombard with campaign aids and media coverage for each presidential candidate running for office. Throughout the 90s we regularly saw the abundance of anti-smoking aids, and through high school history class, we’ve seen the posters with Uncle Sam or Rosie the Riveter during the times of the World wars. The point of this short history lesson is that while the concept of propaganda is treated as a new concept with only modern day uses, the employment of propaganda dates as far back as the Roman Empire. Roman emperors from the time of Augustus till the time of Emperor Constantine have used propaganda through many public works. Through these works, and through the works of some ancient Roman historians

to describe a variety of approach in which accurate depiction of reality is the aim. Each of these uses involves a contrast between human thought or imagination and an external reality independent of India. Realism in art and literature is an endeavour to life as it is. It shows life with reality, omitting nothing that is ugly or painful, and idealizing nothing. Realism began as a recognizable movement in art in the eighteenth century. By the mid of nineteenth century, it was an art form.

The bust of Commodus is one of the most famous masterpieces of Roman portraiture and depicts the emperor as the reincarnation of the hero Hercules. Commodus is seen wearing the lion 's skin over his head, holding the club in his right hand, and the golden apple of Hesperides in his left hand as a reminder of how he is seen to be as the Greek hero Hercules. Two Amazon women are kneeling on the base beside a globe with the sign of the zodiac. These zodiac signs show important moments in Commodus’s life. On top of the globe is a cornucopia with the Amazon’s shield, one long enough to almost cover his torso. Cornucopia, a “horn of plenty” full of fruits and representing prosperity and fertility and abundance. This represents a new golden era that

Carl Bloch, In a Roman Osteria, 1866, Oil on Canvas, 177.5 (w) x 148.5 (h)cm (without frame), Rome.