Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Roman art was oriented towards realistic depiction of the features, copying exactly the physiognomy, without embellishing the emperor with perfect god-like features in order to make him appear divine, instead of human.
The sculpture displays features that were obviously faithful to the real model: the thin lips, the peculiar shape of the nose, the expression lines across his forehead and around his eyes, revealing age and concern of a man that has too many responsibilities over his head. But his collected and cold eyes reveal intelligence and determination, a strong personality displayed in the authoritarian look on his face. This is where the portrait flexes reality, since Claudius was a rather vulnerable character of the Roman government. However it would not fit to display his weakness in the portrait that should picture him as a proud emperor and a great leader. Some representations of Claudius often show him dressed in armor or war clothes, to state his position as great military chief. Those portraits and sculptures had the function of presenting him strong and proud, more than beautiful.
Roman sculpture was more commercial in style because it was often the emperor himself the one that ordered the bust or portrait to be made. It was meant also as publicity, to display his greatness for his people and present his best image for them.
Besides portraits,...
Tombstone sculptors invented a bass-relief anecdotic kind of sculpture in a historical type. They tried to fit in the life of the character the highest possible number of heroic deeds and tell them in the scenes depicted. The adventures, characters, happenings, weapons and conquers, were all piled together in a few meters of marble, disposed in episodes, narrating a story. The intention was to allow any possible visitors to know their great deeds and learn about their history.
Claudius's statues present the emperor in all his glory by the serenity and dignity displayed on his face. He has the look of a man that has the entire empire under his control and will never worry about a possible future defeat. He was even presented as Jupiter, glorifying his image by playing the role of the father god.
As conclusion we can state that the Romans had a strong inclination to realistic representation as far as the visual features were concerned. They limited their idealization of characters to the representation of their attitude, their character and personality, while the exterior, the features involved, the physical part of the perception, was faithful enough to reality.
References
Sellers Strong, Eugenie. Roman Sculpture from Augustus to Constantine. Manchester: Ayer Publishing, 1979.
E. The voices who argue that America should and could be an imperial superpower, but lacks sound practical judgment. The thesis of this paper is that the history of the Roman Empire can be matched to that of the United States in terms of economy, political power, as well as aspirations. In this sense, present day America is very similar to fourth of even fifth century Rome; this poses one stringent
Liturgical Use of Visual Arts and Paganism Christian art's rich history goes as far back as the 3rd century A.D. Ever since the first paintings were done on catacomb walls, Christians have endeavored to use visible means for expressing the invisible Almighty. Despite Christianity's origins lying in Judaism, which forbids such imagery, the Incarnation concept made it essential to image God's human face in Jesus. The intent was never portraiture.
Athena Sculpture The Hope Athena Sculpture History According to the Greek mythology, the people that resided in a place called Attica (Greece) derived the name to the current, capital city of Greece (Athens) in honor of the Goddess Athena. People from Athens built a brilliant temple on the Acropolis, which they then called the Parthenon. The word 'Parthenos' stands for maiden when translated into Greek. An ancient myth stated that the gods
Cubism and Sculpture Cubism as an artistic style and movement began as a revolt against the traditions and the artistic norms of previous centuries. Cubist painters and sculptors like Picasso rejected many of the formally accepted elements of art. These elements included texture, color, subject matter, light as a means of determining form as well as movement and atmosphere. The rejection of representation was also a major aspect of the
Artistic Representations of the Divine and Patronage During the Renaissance: Patronage in the Relationship of Julius II and Michelangelo The nature of Catholic art during the Renaissance period, as manifested in the mutually beneficial though sometimes antagonistic relationship of patronage between the artists and popes of the period, can never simply be understood an expression of the individual art's vision of Jesus Christ, or even of an individual vision's expression in the
St. Madeleine Church Roman Architecture Romanesque art and architecture was the true depiction of mediaeval Christian art and was in full boom in the 12th century. The term Romanesque, points to the principal source of the style and the buildings of the Roman Empire. In addition to classical elements, however, Roman church architecture is derived from components of Byzantine and Eastern origin. French Architecture French Romanesque architecture is characterized by (French Architecture) 1 various