Art Final Study Guide

Art III Period 5 Semester 1 Finals

Etruscan Art
Etruscan Temples
 May have tried to emulate Greeks
o But ended up departing a fair bit
 Differences far outweigh similarities
o Especially in Temple Design
 Made of sun-dried brick and wood
 Greeks used stone
 Stairs were only at the front, main side of the building
 The Greek temples had them at the front and back
 Columns only in deep front porch
 In Greek temples, a colonnade surrounded the temple
 Terracotta statuary on the roofline
 Greek temples had stone statues on pediments/friezes
 Only foundations have survived
Apulu from the roof of the Portonaccio Temple (Figure 3-2)
 Made of Terracotta
 One of the 400 of such figures that adorned the Temple at Veii
 Bright paint and rippling folds distinguish it from the images of the Greek gods
 Drapery has stylized patterns
 Etruscan elements:
o Extraordinary force
o Huge swelling contours
o Plunging motion
o Gesticulating arms
o Fanlike calf muscles
o Animated Face
Capitoline Wolf (Figure 3-6)(Super Famous)
 Larger-than-life hollow-cast bronze portrayal of a she-wolf, according to legend that
cared for Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome
 Product of an Etruscan workshop
 Compelling and Intense portrayal of an animal
 Vitality:
o Tense, watchful animal body
o Spare flanks
o Gaunt ribs
 o Taut, powerful, legs
 Psychic Intensity:
o Lowered neck and head
o Alert ears
o Glaring eyes
o Ferocious muzzle
 Note: The suckling infants were 16th century additions
Aule-Metele (Figure 3-7)
 Life-size bronze statue
 Raised arm as if addressing an assembly
 Wears the short toga and high-laced boots of the Roman magistrate
o Even though he’s Etruscan in nature
 Etruscans became Romans, and Etruscan Art became Roman Art
 Face is extremely naturalistic, and follows Roman conventions of portraiture
The Roman Republic
 Drew main influences from Etruscans and Greeks
Temple of Fortuna Virilis (Temple of Portunus)(Figure 3-9)
 Features from Etruscan Temples:
o Front entrance only, with a plan of a high podium with steps only at the front
o Plan had a deep porch, free-standing columns were only on this porch
 From Greek Temples:
o Structure built of stone
o Use of Ionic columns
 Distinctly Roman Element:
o Pseudoperipteral temple with engaged columns around the cella’s (the interior
room) sides and back
o Combines Etruscan plan with that of the Greek Peripteral style
Roman Portraits
 Documented family’s lineage and ancestry
 Kept at home and publicly displayed during funerals
 Differences from Greek portraits:
o Extremely naturalistic
o Rendered the true likeness of the individuals they represented
o Greeks traditionally were very idealistic in their portraits
Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius
 79 CE-Mt. Vesuvius exploded, covering Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash and preserved
them
Pictorial devices used by Roman painters to suggest depth
 Single-point linear perspective
 Atmospheric Perspective
 Use of shadows and highlights
The Early Empire
Augustus of Primaporta (Figure 3-21)
 Inspired by:
o Classical Greek Sculptures
 Specifically the Doryphoros (the warrior dude made of lost wax casting)
o Etruscan Sculpture
 Raised arm
 Specifically Aule Metele
 Political Message:
o Makes reference to Augustus’s divine heritage
 Cupid at his feet
o Military Prowess:
 Shield commemorates victory over the Parthians
 Demonstrates his right to rule
Ara Pacis Augustae (Figure 3-22)
 Commemorates the establishment of peace throughout the Roman empire
 Vegetal and floral motifs refer to the prosperity that peace brings
Purpose of the Pont-du-Gard
 Bridge and aqueduct, bringing water to the Roman City of Nimes
 Used gravity flow:
o Water flows towards Nimes
o Aqueduct is sloped downward from the water source
Flavian Amphitheater
 Known as the Colosseum
 Could hold 50,000 people
 Made of concrete
Flavian Portraits
 Differences to Republican Period:
o Used drills in addition to hammer and chisel to create portraits
o More idealized than Republican Period portraits
Arch of Titus (Figure 3-27)
  Depictions:
o Roman army carrying spoils of war from the Temple of Jerusalem
o Titus entering Rome triumphantly in his chariot
 Political Significance:
o Commemorated Titus’s military victories
o Celebrated Roman imperial values
The High Empire
Forum of Trajan (Figure 3-30)
 Major complex built by Trajan
 The architect was Apollodorus of Damascus
Column of Trajan (Figure 3-31)
 Commemorates and retells Trajan’s successful military campaigns against the Dacians
 Originally painted and used clearly recognizable compositions and low relief
o To make the narrative clear and visible
Roman Pantheon (Figure 3-33, 3-34)
 Potential of concrete revealed and utilized
 Dome made of gradually lighter types of concrete towards the oculus at the top
o Allowed for the enclosure of open, uninterrupted space
Marcus Aurelius on Horseback (Figure 3-36)
 Portrait of Marcus Aurelius
 These types of portraits were called Equestrian statues/portraits
The Late Empire
Purposes of Roman Baths
 Sanitary purposes
 For recreational purposes:
o Included facilities such as libraries, gardens, lecture halls, exercise areas, and
swimming pools
Baths of Caracalla (Figure 3-38)
 Used Groin vaults
Portrait of Trajan Decius (Figure 3-40)
 Depicted as an old man with a worried and anxious expression
 Bow is furrowed
 Eyes are filled with concern
  These types of portraits, of soldier emperors, were extremely realistic, and very
emotional
o Cause of high-levels of paranoia
4th Century Portraits of the Tetrarchs (Figure 3-42)
 Extreme rigidity, details described by schematics
 Human form represented in iconic terms, not naturally
 Figures are emotionless and no longer represented as individuals
Constantine’s Basilica Nova (Figure 3-41)
 Built with Barrel Vaults over the aisles and small windowlike transparent areas over the
nave, allowing light to enter the building
Constantine’s Arch (Figure 3-45)
 Related to 2nd century sculpture on this triumphal arch
o Constantine reused this to be associated with the famous emperors of the 2nd
century
Vocab
Amphitheater: Roman theater with an elliptical plan, composed of two joined Greek theaters
(think Colosseum)
Barrel Vault: A vault that consists of an arch extended in space
Cross Vault (Groin Vault): A vault formed by the intersection at the right angles of two barrel
vaults.
Forum: A public square, the center of civic life in Roman towns
Painting Styles
First Style: Imitates marbles panels with painted stucco reliefs
Second Style: Paintings composed of an illusionistic three-dimensional scenes meant to negate
the presence of the walls
Third Style: Paintings with monochromatic backgrounds and decorative fantasy images with
linear designs, meant to reinforce the presence of walls
Fourth Style: Mix of the First and Third Styles, and is comprised of crowded compositions of
framed paintings and architectural vistas
Areas of Roman Villas
Atrium: Large central reception area
Impluvium: Basin in the atrium, used to catch rainwater
Cubiculum: Small bedrooms located around the atrium
Tablinum: The home office in the back
Triclinium: The dining room
Peristyle: A colonnaded garden located at the rear
Bath Terms
Caldarium: Hot-water bath in a Roman bathing complex
Frigidarium: Cold-water bath in a Roman bathing complex
Tepidarium: Warm-winter bath in a Roman bathing complex
Painting Techniques
Encaustic Painting:
 Encaustic is made of hot wax mixed with pigments and is used to paint surfaces
 Roman emperors applied it to marble statuary, and encaustic would’ve colored the
portraits of Roman emperors
Tempera:
 Painting medium made of pigments and egg yolk, glue, or casein