History of Western Art continued

Cards (22)

  • Aeneas
    Great Trojan hero, son of Venus, escapes the destruction of Troy with his mortal father and styles in Italy
  • Romulus and Remus
    Twin descendants of Aeneas, and the sons of Mars, the god of war, are left for dead and raised by a she-wolf
  • Romulus founds the city of Rome
    1. Kills his brother
    2. Founds the city of Rome
  • Romulus
    Ensures population growth by stealing women from the neighboring city
  • Portrait busts from the Roman Republic period
    • Represented the head, neck, and upper body of an individual
  • Pompeii fresco paintings
    • Technique for making a mural painting:
    • Layers of mortar and plaster applied to the surface of the walls
    • With the final layer still damp, artists would outline their composition and begin to paint
    • The paint and plaster of the wall would dry together - very stable technique!
    • Only small segments could be complete at any given time
    • Seams between these segments were skillfully disguised by the design of the painting
    • When finished, the surface of the painting would be polished with marble dust to make it smooth
    • A final gleam was obtained by applying a wax varnish
  • Augustus' reign and the Pax Augustus

    • Rome transitions from a Republic to an Empire (rule by one emperor)
    • Augustus occupies key positions in all areas
    • Emperors begin to use art to control popular opinion of their rule
    • Distribute images of themselves to get their image out among the masses
    • Engage in public works to better Rome and give back to the people (roads, baths, stadiums)
  • Nero's disastrous reign

    Emperors who don't placate the people find themselves in trouble
  • Concrete
    • The Romans were the first to invent concrete
    • Recipe includes lime mortar, volcanic sand, water, and small stones
    • Since concrete isn't aesthetically pleasing, it is often faced with brick, marble, or stucco
  • Advantages of using concrete
    • Strong, durable, long lasting
    • Less need for interior support (columns)
    • Can be shaped with more possibility
    • Can build higher than was previously possible
    • Can be fenestrated (made with openings) without undermining stability
  • The Colosseum
    • Made of concrete
    • Arches and vaults were used for support
  • The Arch of Constantine
    The arch was made of concrete which was covered by a layer of marble
  • The instability of the Roman Late Empire Period

    Emperors terms were ending through assassinations making it full of instability
  • The religious reform of Constantine
    Constantine was the first emperor to accept Christianity as his religion
  • Byzantium / Constantinople
    • Before Constantine, the city was Greek and called byzantine, later renamed constantinople
    • Byzantine refers to the eastern part of rome
  • Hagia Sophia
    • Made of concrete, brick and mortar
    • Used pendentives to support the dome
  • The Byzantine Style of Art

    • The naturalistic, classical style from greece
    • The non-naturalistic, stylized style of the Late Roman Empire and Jewish & Early Christian art
    • Subjects were depicted in angular forms and had elongated faces
  • Early Christian Worship Practices
    Early Christians were forced to worship in underground catacombs or secretly converted houses to avoid persecution from Romans
  • The earliest representations of Jesus Christ vs. modern depictions

    Early representations look roman
  • The adaptations that took place between Early Christian art and Greco-Roman traditions

    • Iconography
    • Architectural Influence
  • Classicism
    • The revival of the styles, forms, and techniques of Ancient Greece and Rome.
  • Humanism
    • Movement that focused on the worth of individuals.