In the cycles of the art world, artistic styles progress over time and new innovative techniques embody an era, but the past periods never truly fade from the mind of the artist, hence periods like the Renaissance, a rebirth of an older era of art. However this retrospective obsession with art can meddle up an art history timeline if a statue is not properly dated to the correct era. This is case the regarding the Piombino Apollo, a statue found at sea in 1832 with a complex history of study where it eventually made its way to the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The statue looks extremely archaic, like a kouros, but some more advanced stylistic evidence on the statue contradict the earlier claim regarding an archaic date and places it in a later Hellenistic one.…
The Lansdowne Sculptures at The San Antonio Museum of Arts Marcus Aurelius was an aristocrat born in Rome in 121 CE. He ruled as Emperor from 161 to 180, most of those years along side a co-emperor, and was an accomplished warrior as well as a Stoic philosopher, which teaches that to be wise and intelligent one must not allow negative emotions to run rampant no matter what the circumstances may be. Which is why when someone suppresses their emotion today we say they are “Stoic”. This beautiful depiction of Marcus Aurelius’ as a young Roman soldier stands 7'11" tall and is carved out of white marble. He is probably pose looking off in the distance while leaning on a large septre in his left hand and clasping a short sword, the Greeks called…
Throughout history, there have been many great leaders with very different styles of commanding. Some of these methods, while unorthodox, benefited the land’s people, the land’s economy, and people’s spirituality. In Rome, there were two powerful leaders who approached the throne differently: Gaius Octavius, “Augustus” and Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, “Constantine”. Both of these men inspired changes for the Roman Empire, such as: political reforms, spiritual reforms, and social reforms. This paper will discuss which of the two men should have been deemed the true “Augusti”.…
Augustus Caesar was the first Roman emperor. Augustus was never a modest emperor and was aware of all of his accomplishments. In his personal record of his undertakings in Res Gestae, Augustus wrote about his political life, military happenings and his support for the public along with a political statement. Augustus Caesar was supportive of himself and the decisions he made and wanted his people to know this as well. The Res Gestae was a successful piece of a propaganda, especially coming from the first Roman emperor throughout his successful career.…
On “Hercules Delivering Prometheus” and its Frame Constraints Many artworks are confined to a frame that limits the viewers’ eye or allows for their interpretation beyond its boundaries. The audience is either forced to analyze the present material or search outside for another meaning. Lespingola’s “Hercules Delivering Prometheus” embodies an abundance of intensity and dynamism that threatens to overcome its constraints, and envelops the viewer in its power. Hence, the bronze statue breaks its figurative frame.…
3. Augustus of Prima Porta function was commentary. The medium of the piece was marble. Augustus persuades others that he is politically powerful general and that he is divine. The sculpture shows that he is divine by having cupid, the sign of Venus, next to his feet.…
Marcus Aurelius was born in 121 C.E. Marcus became Emperor in AD 161, initially alongside Lucius Versus. He became the sole Emperor in AD 169. Continual attacks meant that a lot of his reign was spent on campaign, especially in central Europe. It is important to realize the gravity of that position and the magnitude of power that Marcus possessed. He held one of, if not the most, powerful positions in the world.…
The Res Gestae Divi Augusti, which in English means ‘The Achievements of the Deified Augustus,’ was written by the first Roman emperor Augustus as a biographical account of his life just before his death in 14 CE. Because the document was written in first person, it lent Augustus the ability to portray himself and his rule precisely the way he wished it to be remembered. The original text was displayed on two bronze tablets set in front of the mausoleum of Augustus in Rome, though multiple other copies of the funerary inscription have been found in cities across the Empire. Both the public exhibition of the Res Gestae, and its deliberate manipulation of Republican rhetoric would have appealed to the hearts and minds of the Roman people when…
In the article “Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars”, the author opens the article with a summary of the of all emperors that were responsible for the Romans society declining. The author starts by explaining how the Caesar family became the royal family of the Romans. The author starts off by introducing the audience to the Octavian family and how they are connected to Augustus’ family. Once the author gave the back ground of the Octavian family, he explains how they are related to Augustus’ family. That is when the author started getting into the Augustus family.…
As prominent lecturer Joseph Campbell certified, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” At first glance, Author Campbell appears to be belaboring of humans’ unwillingness to venture outside of their comfort zone to accomplish set goals. But beyond that, Campbell is candidly depicting the human’s natural state of fear that has often shook empires and entire kingdoms. For this, it has become common today to dismiss certainty’s contributions to social prosperity as ominous; characterizing it as diminutive and myopic. Similarly, conventional wisdom has it that doubt is a direct leader to spiritual annihilation.…
Art is an expression of the human condition since the time when men and women dwelled in caves. Creativity is not proprietary to what we consider modern times. This essay will look at two sculptures from the third millennium B.C. Each of these statues tells us something about the motivations of people of that particular era.…
This work is reminiscent of Roman sculptures but has great interpretations and Hellenistic interpretations as well. When creating the Marble Statue of an Old…
Marvin hypothesizes that much of the sculpture from Rome can actually be linked to artists who were not Greek but Roman through context as well as workmanship clues. This theory, she puts forward is supported by many facts; most of which can be traced through historical sources and the archaeological record. In the case of the “Ludovisi…
The Roman Empire was at its highest peak during the reign of Augustus, in which he installed the idea of Pax Romana (meaning Roman peace) to bring peace, security, and civilized life to the Roman nation. However, even in the times of happiness and prosperity not all people welcomed the great Roman peace, as demonstrated by the troubles brewing in Egypt, Gaul, and Judea. As Rome began to falter under the economic, political, and military difficulties, many Romanized nations began to withdraw their support. The Roman nobles, rather than invest their money in the industries of Rome, chose to misuse their wealth, causing the economy to come to a halt. So, by the third century A.D. and the end of Marcus Aurelius reign, which ended Pax Romana, the…
Bernie Sanders once said, “A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little.” This statement accurately represents the Roman economy. Rome started out as a small city-state, but developed into a large empire because of its economy. The wealthy population of Rome nearly controlled the economy, while the poor lived difficult lives. Though much of the power rested with the rich, the growth in the economy was accomplished by the work done by slaves and civilians.…