Roman Art & Christian Art

Exquisite skill characterizes the arts of the first century CE. A large onyx cameo known as the Gemma Augustea glorifies Augusta as triumphant over barbarians and as the deified emperor. The emperor, crowned with a victor's wreath, sits at the center right of the upper register. He has assumed the pose and identity of Jupiter, the king of the gods; an eagle, sacred to Jupiter, stands at his feet. Sitting next to him is a personification of Rome that seems to have Livia's features. The sea goat in the roundel between them may represent Capricorn, the emperor's zodiac sign. Tiberius, as the adopted son of Augustus, steps out of a chariot at far left, returning victorious from the German front and prepared to assume the imperial throne as Augustus's chosen heir. Below this realm of godlike rulers, Roman soldiers are raising a post or standard on which armor captured from the defeated enemy is displayed as a trophy. The cowering, shackled barbarians on the bottom right wait to be tied to it. The artist of the Gemma Augustea brilliantly combines idealized, heroic figures based on classical Greek art with recognizable Roman portraits, the dramatic action of Hellenistic art with Roman attention to descriptive detail and historical specificity.

Although Constantine was baptized only on his deathbed in 337, Christianity had become the official religion of the empire by the end of the fourth century, and non-Christians had become targets of persecution. This religious shift, however, did not diminish Roman interest in the artistic traditions of their pagan Classical past. A large silver PLATTER dating from the mid-fourth century CE proves that artists working for Christians patrons continued to use themes involving Bacchus, allowing them the opportunity to create elaborate figural compositions displaying the nude or lightly draped human body in complex, dynamic poses. The platter was found in a cache of silver tableware near Mildenhall, England, and although most of the objects are also decorated with pagan imagery, three of the spoons are engraved with Christian symbols. The original owner of the hoard was likely to have been a wealthy Roman Christian, living in the provinces.

The Christian tradition and the Roman tradition are connected in so many ways. Both traditions are derived from the same origin. Portrait sculptures of the Republican period sought to create lifelike images based on careful observation of their subjects, objectives that were related to the Roman's veneration of their ancestors and the making and public display of death masks of deceased relatives. A new Roman artistic ideal emerged during the Republican period in relation to portrait sculpture, and ideal quite different from the one we encountered in Greek Classicism. Instead of generalizing a human face, smoothed of its imperfections and caught in a moment of detached abstraction, this new Roman idealization emphasized, rather than suppressed-the hallmarks of advanced age and the distinguishing aspects of individual likeness. This mode is most prominent in bust portraits of Roman patricians, whose time-worn faces embody the wisdom and experience that come with old age. Frequently we take these portraits of wrinkled elders at face value, as highly realistic and faithful descriptions of actual human beings, contrasting Roman realism with Greek idealism, but there is good reason to think that these portraits actually conform to a particularly Roman type of idealization that underscores. According to the Christian tradition, Constantine had a vision the night before the battle in which he saw a flaming cross in the sky and heard these words :"In this sign you shall conquer." The next morning he ordered that his army's shields and standards be inscribed with the monogram XP. The victorious Constantine then showed his gratitude by ending the persecution of Christians and recognizing Christianity as a lawful religion. He may have been influenced in that  decision by his mother, Helena, a devout Christian, later canonized. Although there are differences between the Christian and Roman traditions, they are theoretically the same thing because of their infinite connections.

Parthenon Project

The Parthenon is a temple in the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek Goddess, Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their protector. Its construction began in 447 BC and was completed in 438 BC, although decorations of the Parthenon continued until 432 BC. It is the most surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and Athenian democracy and one of the World's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out programs  of selective restoration and reconstruction to ensure the stability of the partially ruined structure. The origin of the Parthenon's name is referred to the "maiden's apartments" in a house and in the Parthenon's case seems to have used only to a particular room of the temple.

Greek Art: Ceramic Painting

A psykter is a type of Greek pot that is characterized by a bulbous body set on a high, narrow foot. It was used as a wine cooler. The psykter would be filled with wine, and then be placed in a krater full of cold water or ice. THe psykter was a vessel meant for use in exclusive male drinking parties. Douris' conspicuous skill in composing complex figural scenes that respond to the complicated and irregular pictorial fields of a variety of vessel types is evident in a frieze of frisky satyrs that he painted 480 BCE around the perimeter of a psykter. Other wine shape potteries include: Krater, Kylix, Oenochoe, Skyphos, Kyathos, Rhyton, Kantharos, Askos, Kotyle, and Dinos.

*Information was derived from textbook and MET website

Egypt Group Project

Egypt Group Project

Sculpture and Art in Ancient Greece

Discobolos, Ancient Greek Statue

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Sculpture/

This sculpture is said to be one of the best sculptures that illustrates the freedom of movement. This sculpture is by Myron in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome. This sculpture is one of the most famous sculptures of Rome, and I was first introduced to this sculpture in the sixth grade. This sculpture was very important to Grecian art and culture: "The classical age also saw the first time human anatomy was deemed worthy of being portrayed in a statue and forever immortalized in stone and bronze." This sculpture seemed to have changed the life of Grecian sculptures. As discussed in the article, portraying people in a static and stiff position had not been replaced with the more modern 'snap-shot' three-dimensional movements, so that people could admire the human body for its aesthetic values; this claim  from the article is very interesting to me because that is how I defined Roman architecture. I defined Roman architecture as an architecture that loved portraying the human species as a dominant and conquering species. The article describes the evolution of Roman architecture and its meaning. It is said in the article that this sculpture was the first time that humans could be seen as almost God-like, meaning that the human body became the subject of study at this time. The following is quoted from the article and it ultimately describes the evolution of Roman architecture:

"In ancient Greece, a long intellectual evolution had reached its logical conclusion during the classical era when 'men as a living organism on this planet acquired the importance it deserved and gods became human through marble and bronze'."

The influence of democracy and different philosophies changed the dynamics of art tremendously.  It is said in the article that from the Classical period, all the Greek statues from this time period displayed a lack of expression, whereas, the depiction of 'barbarians' show a dramatic facial expression. This was because the Greeks believed that suppression of the emotions was a noble characteristic of all civilized men, while the public display of human emotion was a sign of barbarism. It is also said that logic and reason was to dominate human expression even during the most dramatic situations. I firmly agree with the proclamations of the article because it distinctively describes the evolution of Roman architecture while simultaneously showing the effects the evolved art had on society. 

The picture above is one of the most interesting pictures we have discussed in class. The light, form, and color run profusely throughout the picture. Although this picture does not show the entire building, you can still get a taste of its character. It seems as though parts of the building may have large ceilings and other parts may have smaller ceilings; if this is true, then the space may make me feel two kinds of ways: small in the space and large in the space. The architecture seems complex and unified. The light from the sun is bright and it only shines on specific objects within the architecture. It shines on the edge of the wall to the left as well as far left column. There are some effects of light throughout the picture but it isn't prevalent and define. The lighting in the building is soft. The light and the color gives the building a warm feeling. The light is obviously not even throughout the painting.

The decoration of the building makes me more aware of the building. The decoration does not necessarily disguise it at all. I will proclaim that the decoration adds to the architecture of the building. The decoration obviously integrates with the building and seems inevitable. The color is probably one of the most important characteristics about this picture. The color helps guide our eyes throughout the picture, and with the affects of the light, it gives the color meaning and does not contrast from the architecture. Although we cannot see the building to its entirety, we are fortunate enough to see that there is a distinct rhythm in the picture. The rhythm of the windows at the top of the picture, and the rhythm of the columns through the middle of the picture. The lines throughout the middle of the picture have a distinctive rhythm throughout the entire picture. The most distinctive feature would most definitely have to be the columns, which is prevalent in architecture during the time this building was constructed. 

Group Blog

                                    

I have never been to the Downtown Presbytarian church before Friday. Going to the Downtown Presbytarian church was an amazing experience!! The architecture was very complex and it gave me a sense of ancient day Egypt. I almost felt like I was in Egypt. Every aspect of the painting contributed to the overall painting itself. The painting of the church disclosed almost the full culture of the Egyptian society.The architecture of the painting began as soon as you walked into the sancutary of the church. The columns of the painting created an illusion as if the columns were deep into the wall. The papyrus, one of the most valued things of the Egyptians, outlined the top of the sanctuary, which was really neat. The water and the sand were illustrated through the stained glass of the windows. Palm tress were also illustrated through the stained glass windows. With the shinning of the sun, the color of the stained glass windows effected the light in a beautiful way. The color affects the character of light in the church. You can tell its color through the light. The texture of the paint looks rather smooth. However, the paint does have a sense of realism. The volume of the painting is perfused throughout the church. The volume of the painting does not seem flat. The painting seems to have a distinctive form throughout the church. The volume is hard, clear, and distinct. The shape in the painting seemed rather geometric throughout the painting. There are a lot of shapes and they seem really soft around the edges. The lines in the painting (columns) are very straight. The architecure made me feel as though I was actually in Egypt. When I am in this space, I feel endowed in Egyptian culture. I feel as if I am actually walking through an Egyptian monument in ancient Egyptian times.