ARTH-153 Works (2)

Portrait of Augustus as General

• Copy of bronze original

• ca. 20 bce

• 6’8” tall

• Rome

• Shows Roman interest in portraiture

  • Celebration of very specific, important individuals

• Depicted with the bare feet of a god rather than wearing military boots

  • Suggests carved in deification

• Depicted in contrapposto with idealized, youthful features

Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace)

• Rome

• 13-9 bce

• Carrara marble

• Dedicated to Pax

  • Roman goddess of Peace

• Layout:

  • Located on a podium, approached by a staircase, surrounded by an enclosure wall

• Decorated with relief sculptures

• Exterior divided into two large registers

  • Separated by a Greek key pattern

  • Lower register carved with vegetal, demonstrates abundance resulting from Augustan Peace

  • Upper register carved with historical & mythical propaganda that paints positive view of the emperor

Imperial Family on Ara Pacis

• Frieze on the Ara Pacis

• Idealized naturalistic depiction of characters

• Combines high & low relief to distinguish the foreground from the background

• Each has distinct portrait features as opposed to the style of using anonymous figures

Domus Aurea (Golden House)

• Built by Severus & Celer

• Rome

• ca. 64 ce

• Belonged to Emperor Nero

  • Know for his cruel, extravagant behavior and excessive spending

• Contrasted with the Republican-minded, modest home of Augustus

• Built of confiscated land after the fire devastated Rome

• Contained various paintings in different styles

• A display of self-indulgence and greed overall

The Colosseum

• a.k.a. The Flavian Amphitheater

• Begun around 70 ce and completed in 80 ce

• Built on the lands that Nero confiscated

  • Reclaiming the land for the people

• Approximately 615 × 510 feet, 159 feet high

• 76 entrance doors to control the high foot traffic

• Seating was ranked

  • Higher status closer to the arena floor

• Mechanical awning partially protected seating during hot or rainy days

• Below the floor was a system of passageways and rooms to hold gladiators and wild animals

• Architectural Features:

  • Arcade - a covered walkway made of a series of arches supported by piers

  • Arches - a curved, symmetrical structure supported on either side by a post, pier, column, or wall, usually a supporting structure

  • Engaged Column - a column attached to a wall

  • Pilaster - a flat, rectangular vertical projection from a wall; usually has a base and a capital

Arch of Titus

• Rome

• 81 ce

• 50 feet high

• Built with concrete and faced with marble

• Example of a triumphal arch

  • a freestanding archway that often spans a road or marks an entrance decorated with relief carvings alluding to a historical, often military, victory

• Served the sole function of being visual propaganda

• Created after Titus’ death by his brother and successor to commemorate his victories in the Jewish Wars

• Arch is located in along the route of major processions in the city

  • Ensures all future processions are literally in the shadow of Titus’ victory

• Employs a combination of perspective, and high/low relief for 3D effect

• Architectural Features:

  • Attic - on a facade or triumphal arch, the section above the frieze decorated with painting, sculpture, or an inscription

  • Spandrel - the almost triangular space between the outer curve of an arch, a wall, and the ceiling or framework

  • Barrel Vault - a semi-cylindrical ceiling the consists of a single curve

Column of Trajan

• Rome

• 110 ce

• 128 feet high

• Built to commemorate Trajan’s victorious Dacian campaigns

• Relief sculpture on the column unfolds in a 625 foot spiral from the bottom to the top

  • Includes scenes of preparation for battle and construction of forts

  • Vivid battle scenes and numerous views of Trajan

Pantheon

• Rome

• 110-28 ce

• Mixes Hadrian’s fondness for classical Greek architecture on the facade and the Roman engineering on the interior

• Name stems from the phrase “every god”

  • Implies the temple was dedicated to all the gods of Rome

  • Some evidence suggests it was associated with the divine authority of the emperors

• Architectural Features:

  • Drum - a wall, most often cylindrical, that supports a dome

  • Dome - a roof that projects upward in the shape of the top half of a sphere

  • Rotunda - a cylindrical building, or a cylinder-shaped room within a larger building

  • Oculus - a round, eye-like opening in a ceiling or roof

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

• Rome

• 175 ce

• Stands 11ft. 6in. high

• Made of gilded bronze

• Marcus Aurelius wears the tunic and cloak of the leader of the army but bears no weapons or armor

• Depicted with one hand extended

  • Likely addressing a crowd

• Scale demonstrates his power

Buddhist Caves at Ajanta

• Ajanta

• 100 bce - 500 ce

• Traces of both Buddhist and Hindu faiths

• Rock-cut Architecture - carving of rock out from where it naturally occurred

• Two main types:

  • Viharas - a retreat for Buddhist monks and nuns

  • Chaitya - a Buddhist prayer hall with a stupa at one end

Teotihuacan Goddess Mural

• Teotihuacan, Mexico

• 550-650 ce.

• Public art here had a more geometric style than elsewhere in Mesoamerica

• Used the true fresco technique

  • Painting directly on a wet plaster surface

• Features:

  • Frontal pose

  • Water motifs

  • Greenstone mask with fanged teeth in place of face

  • Feathered headdress

Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun

• Teotihuacan

• 150 ce.

• 200ft. tall and 700ft. wide

• Base of approximately 12 acres

• Once surrounded by a man-made canal

• Important religious center

Temple of the Feathered Serpent

• Teotihuacan

• 225 ce.

• Smaller than the temple of sun and moon

  • Makes up for its size with elaborate sculptural decorations on its facade

• Architectural profile called talud-tablero

  • Depicts a feathered serpent with seashells

  • Merges the land, sky, and water