Art History Midterm 3

Ah, woe is me, its midterm three, I hope I see, at least a ninety (wee, it rhymes see?)

What is Late Antiquity and its characteristics?

It defines a specific geography (the Roman Empire) and culture rather than a time period; it is characterized by a shared Greco-Roman culture and religious diversity

Who was Septimius Severus and what did he do?

• He was a North African-born general who becomes emperor which began the Severan Dynasty

• Septimius Severus needed to win the support of the Roman people and as part of his effort to do so he had himself adopted into the Nerva-Antonine by making himself the son of Marcus Aurelius who had been deified after his death; he chose this dynasty because it included the Five Good Emperors who were known for their great governance

• Severus used art to reinforce his connection to Nerva-Antonine family

What is tempera?

A fast-drying paint made from a mixture of powdered pigment and a binding agent, typically egg yolk

What is panel painting?

A painting on a plank of wood or multiple planks joined together and was made with tempera (a fast-drying paint made from a mixture of powdered pigment and a binding agent, typically egg yolk)

What is a tondo (pl. tondi)?

A work of painting or relief sculpture in a circular format

What is Damnatio memoriae?

It means “damnation of memory”, referring to the practice of erasing a person’s presence from history by destroying or defacing their images and removing their names from inscriptions and documents; the Senate had to vote to approve this

Who was Caracalla?

He was one of the sons of Septimius Severus who had his brother killed and then had damnatio memoriae proclaimed to erase his brother from existence

• Portrait of Septimius Severus and His Family, Egypt, c. 200 CE (Late Antiquity)

• Septimius Severus needed to win the support of the Roman people and so he used art to legitimize his rule by connecting himself to Roman tradition

• Family faces us large and intensive eyes and clothing is white and purple which is typical imperial dress

• Septimius Severus has gray hair which shows he is mature

• All of the family members are wearing crowns with jewels on them

• Painting uses iconography which connects Severus to Marcus Aurelius:

  • Has a split beard with corkscrew curls which was iconography in images of Marcus Aurelius, linking the two

• Has links to culture of Leptis Magna in North Africa where Septimius Severus grew up

  • Style and level of detail and the jewelry on the head are similar to what is seen in mummy portraits from Rome and Egypt

  • Use of tempera paint is also characteristic of Roman and Egyptian art

• Caracalla (the son with a face) had Geta’s face removed after he had him murderer

• Used a fixed portrait type (which was sent all over the empire which served as a representation of the emperor) which participates in Roman imperial tradition (to have a fixed portrait type), but uses a style that is more typical of the North African province from which he came from

How does the Portrait of Septimius Severus and His Family combine aspects of imperial Roman and provincial Roman art?

• The style of the piece is representative of Egyptian mummy portraits in the province in which Septimius grew up

• Use of tempera paint is also an aspect of provincial art

• The use of this piece as a fixed portrait type participated in Roman imperial tradition

• The family is wearing clothes that are white and purple, which is imperial Roman attire

• Piece uses corkscrew curls on Severus which links him to the good emperor Marcus Aurelius

• Ask whether the crowns are Roman or Egyptian or both

What is a triumphal arch and its characteristics?

• It is a freestanding archway that often spans a road or marks an entrance and is often decorated with relief carvings that celebrate a significant event

• Purpose was to honor a specific achievement of an important Roman, such as the emperor or a victorious general

• Was a Roman tradition and honor and was a mark of achievement to have a triumphal arch

• A 2 way arch was the norm

What is a tetrapylon?

A four-way arch with two barrel-vaulted passageways that cross at right angles; usually located at a crossroads

What is the attic?

The section above the entablature on the facade of the arch; this is typically where the dedicatory inscription typically lies in a traditional Roman triumphal arch

• Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus, Leptis Magna, Roman Province of Africa, c. 203 CE (Late Antiquity)

• The Arch of Septimius Severus is located at the intersection of main north-south and east-west roads in the city

• Was built to celebrate that the Emperor visited the province of North Africa

• “Broken” pediments atop Corinthian columns

  • Was made to look broken on purpose

  • Motif associated with Hellenistic and eastern Mediterranean architecture rather than standard Roman arches in Italy

• The attic of the arch contains a bunch of sculpted friezes instead of a dedicatory inscription as is the norm

  • The friezes show Septimius Severus and his sons in some sort of military procession

  • In the center of the frieze is Septimius Severus with infantry in front of him and cavalry behind him; he is positioned frontally and so are his sons (facing the viewer)

  • Severus is on a chariot with his sons

  • The frontal facing pose shows that they are calm and the way they are presenting themselves is as if they are doing a throne viewing, not leading a war; shows that they are dignified and regal despite what is going on around them

  • All the figures in the frieze are looking at the members of the dynasty

• Focus of the composition is less on naturalism and more focusing on the message and symbolism of the piece is more important than adhering to naturalism

  • Seen by the figures in the background behind the horses not having any legs (are just there to give a little bit of three dimensionality to the piece

• This frieze is meant to be a symbol of imperial power and is meant to celebrate the elevation of Severus who is from this city to emperor

What is a vault?

A vault is an arched structure of concrete which covers an area

What is a groin vault?

A groin vault is a type of vault which is created by the intersection of two barrel vaults

• Baths of Caracalla, Rome, Italy, early 3rd century CE (Late Antiquity)

• Severan Emperors also appealed to the citizens of Rome by making public architecture that helped the people

• Huge and very tall

• The caldarium was roofed by a massive dome 

• The frigidarium was a huge space which had a ceiling consisting of three concrete groin vaults

• The space showed what Roman architectural innovations like barrel vaults and concrete made possible

• The facility had facilities for more than just bathing (had libraries and gardens and whatnot)

• Baths were decorated with marble and decorated with mosaics and sculptures; the sculptures were the Farnese Bull and the Farnese Hercules (both copies of earlier Greek works)

  • The creation and display of these earlier Greek works is an example of classizing

  • The copies were even bigger than the originals

What features of the Baths of Caracalla demonstrate the full potential of the Roman architectural innovations that we discussed in Unit 2?

• The massive dome over the caldarium

• The groin vaults

Both are only possible because of Roman innovations like Roman concrete and the barrel vault

What is a Tetrarchy?

• It is a form of government characterized by two Augustuses and two Caesars. The Augustuses were the co-rulers and the Caesars helped out the Augustuses

• For example, the Emperor of the East was Diocletian, Emperor of the West Maximian, Galerius assisted Diocletian, Constantius assisted Maximian

• This change of government ushered in stability and addressed one of the problems of the Roman Empire which was that it was too big to be governed by one man

What is porphyry?

It is a hard purple stone from Egypt which was reserved for sculptors of the imperial family and the gods

• Portrait of the Tetrarchs, formerly in Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey), c. 305 CE (Late Antiquity)

• Carved from porphyry

• Previous portraits emphasized individual features and personality while these portraits used generality and abstraction

• No distinction is made in facial features, stature, dress, or gesture

  • Except the two beards worn by the two augusti to show that they are older than the caesars

• The caesars are hugging the augustuses to show their unity

• Schematic representation of clothing (abstract), not naturalism

• Eagle sword is carried by each of them and each figure has one and the eagle is a symbol of the Roman empire so they are showing that they all share power equally

• Principle of concordia (harmony)

• Emphasis on the message not the style

• The co-rulers knew the impression of unity was essential

What are spolia?

They are a term used to describe building materials or relief salvaged from other works and reused in a different structure

What does iconic mean?

With regard to style, a term that refers to a simplified, highly symbolic way of representing a subject that favors instant recognition over realistic detail.
In this sense, an image acts like a "visual shorthand"—using flat shapes, bold lines, and specific colors to transform a complex person or idea into a permanent, universal sign

Who was Constantine I?

He was the emperor who took over after the tetrarchy collapsed and he needed to legitimize his rule since he didn’t get voted into Emperor as is traditional; thus, he resorted to art

• Arch of Constantine, Rome, Italy, c. 312-315 (Late Antiquity)

• Is a triple span because it has three arches

• Is on the traditional route that victorious generals walked through and close to the Roman Forum

• The dedicatory inscription on the attic states that the Senate and people of Rome dedicated to Constantine from saving them from a tyrant

• Differs from other traditional triumphant arches because it had spolia and original art in it (that mixing didn’t happen before)

  • Could have been used to legitimize rule because the spolia are from three of the good emperors, thus associating himself with them

  • The heads of the other emperors (on the piece) were modified to look like Constantine (so the emphasis was on Constantine)

• Spolia:

  • The figures on the pillars were taken from the Forum of Trajan because Trajan defeated the Dacians and incorporated it into Roman territory

  • The panels between the statues were taken from an arch dedicated to Marcus Aurelius who was a philosopher king and placed the needs of the people before himself

  • The tondi (circular pieces) were taken from a monument associated with Hadrian who was known for being cultured and educated and marked the height of the Roman empire

  • These pieces depicted pious Roman activities like waging war and making sacrifices which strengthened Constantine’s position as emperor

• The original art:

  • Consisted of many low-relief iconic friezes

  • Show shift to more stylized and less naturalistic style

  • These friezes represent themes that were common in the depictions of the good emperors

  • The Oratio relief depicts Constantine giving a speech to the people from the Rostra in the Roman Forum

    • The people respond with loyalty to the speech and these are popular for propaganda because they suggest harmony between the ruler and the people (ASK)

    • Depicts Constantine addressing the audience from a Rostra, which is the speaker’s platform, and he is standing between seated sculptures of Marcus Aurelius and Hadrean; he is standing frontally while all the other figures look at him

    • The head of Constantine is now lost (although it likely had identifiable portrait features)

    • All other heads and figures have indescript features which is similar to the abstraction present in the Tetrarchs piece; the point is not naturalistic depiction (as seen by clothes not following body form)

    • Additional row of heads behind the main people which is meant to indicate somewhat that the scene is 3D (perspective not a priority); naturalism is present in the depiction of the space itself so that people would know its the Roman forum

  • Donatio relief: Constantine gives charity to the Roman people

    • They proclaim the emperor’s virtue of being generous and giving; frames the relationship between people and emperor as reciprocal (people give him support, he gives them money, grain, etc.)

    • Constantine depicted in the center and frontally again and he is rendered in hierarchical scale (if he stood up he would be larger than everyone else around him)

    • Constantine is positioned on a throne above those receiving donations from him

    • The emperor’s image was being transformed into one where the emperor possessed superhuman majesty and above the ordinary world and ordinary mortals (not a god, but an elevated status)

Describe with examples how Constantine used art as propaganda

• Used spoila from three of the Good Emperors in order to associate himself with them

  • The spoila also depicted Roman pious activities like waging war and religious activities

• Oratio relief suggests harmony between the ruler and the people because the people respond with loyalty to the speech of the emperor

• Donatio relief proclaims the emperor’s virtue of being generous and giving; frames the relationship between people and emperor as reciprocal (people give him support, he gives them money, grain, etc.)

• ASK IF THAT IS ALL

Give two (2) examples of artworks from this lecture that demonstrate the move from an emphasis on naturalism in style to a style that was more iconic, symbolic, and abstract. What historical and cultural factors can explain this change?

NEED TO COMPLETE; ALSO NOTE THAT REST OF TERMS AND IMAGES ARE UNDER LECTURE 15 NOTES