ARTH 0813 Study Guide - Spring 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Jesus, Rome, Soul
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
ARTH 0813
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
On-site Visit to Campidoglio
(Marcus Aurelius) Equestrian Statue
At first glance: man on horse made of bronze
- copy is outside the museum
- original is inside in order to preserve it from natural erosion and we only have one left
surviving of this type (statue of Marcus Aurelius)
- Why is this the only one?
- So many of these kinds of statues were made to celebrate the emperor
- However, barbarians did not like the emp. b/c they thought his people were all
pagans. So they destroyed pagan works and melted the bronze down to make
canons
- The barbarians thought that this was a statue of Constantine (they liked
Constantine b/c he legalized Christianity)
- This statue was different b/c he isn’t wearing armor -typical of how
emperors/generals were portrayed- but a toga.
- He had a beard (which is associated with barbarians - non roman)
- Marcus Aurelius associated himself as a philosopher (wrote the
famous Meditations) so he had a beard.
- Propagandistic:
- New Pope moved a famous statue that was originally in St. John the Lateran
- Capital punishment was enforced by the Pope and people were condemned
under this statute at St. John the Lateran.
- By moving this in the new square designed by Michelangelo to claim his
presence, he was identifying himself w/ this emp. (Marcus Aurelius)
Colossal Fragments of Constantine Statue
At first glance: BIG pieces of statue, parts of his body parts and head, medium used- marble
- Historical Background:
- Constantine dreamed of the sign of the cross and later converted to Christianity
(not just religion but political reasons) before the day he defeated his rival
emperor
- He then named Constantinople after himself (now Istanbul)
- Size of statue = power
- Torso was probably made out of brick and clay but parts are missing
- Face is exaggerated, stylized
- Eyes are BIG, bulging (b/c it is said the eyes are the window to the soul)
- Looking not directly at us but looking up into a higher realm
- Propagandistic: By looking up into the heavens, it makes it seem
Constantine is saying he is higher than everyone else, almost god like.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Italian Spinanio - translates to “The Thorn puller”
At first glance: small bronze statue of a young boy picking a thorn out of his foot
- The original is Greek and bronze
- This boy is presented in a Natural state - in the nude.
- Unusual b/c he is nude b/c nude is set apart for the gods but he is not a god.
Emp Commodus (statue)
At first glance: A full body marble statue of a man with lion head/skin over him
- Historical Background:
- Emperor Commodus was the Emp after Marcus Aurelius
- He had a big ego
- Propagandistic: He wanted to be seen as the god Hercules; this is why he
is wearing lion skin over his head and holding apples in his hand
- One of the 12 labors that Hercules had to do was to defeat the lion
and he did it w/ a club. Another labor was to take apples from this
god’s garden.
- He was more strong than virtuous (both Hercules & the emp.)
Brutus
At first glance: marble bust of a serious man looking into the distance
- Historical background: Assassinated Julius Caesar
- Statue looks stern and mature (looks into the distance solemnly as if he wants to uphold
the law)
She-wolf
At first glance: bronze statue of a she wolf with two infants suckling on her breasts
- The She-wolf is the symbol of Rome
- In the legend, Romulus & Remus were abandoned but survived b/c they suckled a
she-wolf
- Romulus ends up being the founder of Rome
- Interesting to see a fierce animal be also motherly to babies that were not even her
own - in short, it was a miracle
- Sixtus the Pope moved it to this museum (Campidoglio)
- One of the most debated works of art:
- Etruscans lived w/ the Romans at the time and the Romans borrowed a lot made
by the Etruscans. So some say that this was made by the Etruscans and not the
Romans. Therefore it is not authentically a Roman original
- Others scholars say that this piece was cast in one piece so it must be medieval
(15th century) which means it was a Roman original
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
On-site visit to campidoglio (marcus aurelius) equestrian statue. At first glance: man on horse made of bronze copy is outside the museum. Original is inside in order to preserve it from natural erosion and we only have one left surviving of this type (statue of marcus aurelius) So many of these kinds of statues were made to celebrate the emperor. However, barbarians did not like the emp. b/c they thought his people were all pagans. So they destroyed pagan works and melted the bronze down to make canons. The barbarians thought that this was a statue of constantine (they liked. This statue was different b/c he isn"t wearing armor -typical of how emperors/generals were portrayed- but a toga. He had a beard (which is associated with barbarians - non roman) Marcus aurelius associated himself as a philosopher (wrote the famous meditations) so he had a beard. New pope moved a famous statue that was originally in st. john the lateran.
