Art history presentation

1

look at the face in front of you — describe whats going on on face (eyebrows are drawn down, and slightly inward, muscles around the eyes feel tight, almost strained, eyes are wide and alert, he’s watching closely, nothing escapes his notice)

2

mouth - lips are pressed together firmly, with no hint of softness or humor. There is no smile, no openness, and no suggestion that this person wants to be understood or liked. The mouth feels restrained, almost like it’s holding back anger or impatience.

3

One way I like to think about this face — and this really helped me understand it — is that Caracalla is deliberately made to look almost like a wrestler

3i

Look at how compact everything is. head is broad and dense, jaw is thick, neck short, nothing elongated or elegant, wrestlers don’t look light or elongated, they look strong, grounded, ready for combat.

3ii

hair - curls are close to his head, hair is very short, curly hair typical of wrestler, Long hair is something that can be grabbed, pulled, or used against you in a fight. Short hair is functional. It’s the haircut of someone who expects physical confrontation, not ceremony.

3iii

stubble, which I think is one of the most effective details in the entire sculpture. This isn’t the carefully groomed beard of a philosopher or an aristocrat. It’s rough and uneven, especially along the jaw and cheeks. It suggests someone who’s constantly active

3iv

wrestlers in Roman culture : wrestling wasn’t just a sport. It symbolized strength, endurance, and domination through physical force. By making himself look like a wrestler, this person looks like someone who rules through the body, not just through laws or tradition.

4

transition - if we step back and think about the overall impression, the face communicates power, but not the calm, reassuring kind. This is power that feels intimidating. It feels like authority enforced through strength and fear rather than persuasion or wisdom. And that brings us to who this figure actually is.

5

introduec actual person: sculpture is a marble portrait of the Roman emperor Caracalla, made in the early third century CE. officially took the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius, visually rejects legacy of Antoine emporers,

6

visual shift—> dad story on deathbed and how it embodies that mindset: This visual shift tells us a lot about how Caracalla understood power. An ancient source records that his father advised him on his deathbed to “enrich the soldiers and despise everyone else.” Whether or not those exact words were spoken, this portrait absolutely embodies that mindset. Everything about the sculpture suggests that Caracalla wanted to be seen first and foremost as a military leader. The short hair and rough beard align him visually with common soldiers, not senators or philosophers. The scowl and itnense gaze communicate vigilance and readiness,

7

not a private portrait: This head was likely produced in an imperial workshop in Rome, meaning it functioned as an official image of the emperor. Versions of this face would have been replicated and displayed across the empire in public spaces.

8

1. psychological component: What I find especially compelling about this portrait is how psychological it is. The sculptor doesn’t rely on exaggerated gestures or dramatic movement to communicate authority. Instead, everything is concentrated in the face: the tension in the brow, the heaviness of the eyes, the compressed mouth. The image is designed to project dominance and intimidation. 

9

conclusion: not just looking at a Roman emperor, looking at a carefully crafted political image. Caracalla uses his name to claim legitimacy from the past, but his face tells a different story of military power, discipline, and fear. This sculpture shows us a moment when Roman emperorship shifts away from philosophical calm and toward overt militarization.