Jon's Page

[joncastor-blog]

Parthenon Reflection

Neil Silberman was the speaker at the Nashville Parthenon, and he gave a very informative and intriguing lecture on archaeology. Not just archaeology however, he focused primarily on the idea of how we view it today, and how it is taken for granted. He spoke about how today in modern times we no longer look at a place for its historical value, but rather just for its experience and what it can offer us, not what we can learn from it. To this idea I could relate, and this is what stuck out the most to me in the lecture. Today, it’s not about going to Rome to see the history and learn about what happened there, but rather just going to say you went, and to say you’ve been there. It’s scary to think that we have lost so much value for places that hold such great historical meaning. 

Neil also mentioned that today archeologists are not as careful about bringing things to the surface, but rather just want to dig to make a name for themselves. He related to the well-known film Indiana Jones, and how today that is what archeology has become; a treasure hunt. Communities decide to dig things up based on the economic factor and how it will benefit them, and how to make it appealing to tourists. All of this is true, and it is easy to see it all going on throughout the world. People like Neil Silberman are trying to stop this from happening, and are trying to preserve history from being lost forever.

[its-ella-arndt-blog]

Library of Celsus

The Library of Celsus was built in the streets of Ephesus in Turkey, dedicated to Hadrian during 135 CE, a late period of his reign. The structure was built out of marble and identified by an inscription that describes the purpose of the building. The site was recently reconstructed by Austrian archaeologists while they were working on an excavation. The structure shows pavilions topped by pediments that seemed to be rounded off towards the tops of the building. The first level has columns that appear to be ionic with an inclusion of corinthian elements. As the structure was built upward the columns morph into strictly corinthian style. There is a stylobate leading up to the base of the columns. The focus in this structure doesn’t fall in one place with no specific point of stressed importance. As the eye moves up the columns on the first level and rests on the frieze, the viewer can see the immense detail of each tiny design shown. The door ways open with each separate pavilion at different level all over the structure.  

Four statues sit lining the doorways on the first level establishing their presence at the front of the library. All the statues appear to be female with cloth that falls to cover most of their bodies. Two of the statues are unfortunately missing their heads. The Library of Celsus is a building of great beauty with separate pavilions that give the impression that the walls are projecting and receding, giving the structure a three dimensional effect.

Bibliography: 

Ramage, Nancy H., and Andrew Ramage. Roman Art: Romulus to Constantine. 4th ed. New York, New York: Abrams, 2005.

[joncastor-blog]

You did a great job of analyzing the piece and you did an even better job of rebuilding the library with your words. The one thing I was wondering is how the levels worked? Would each level have been a floor in the library or was it just one floor with alternate levels for added beauty? I was also wondering if there were any other pictures? It was hard to tell if this picture was a courtyard in front of the library or if it was the interior of the library. The detail that you mentioned in the frieze is incredible and was a fascinating part of it. Was it just random inscriptions? Or perhaps it could have been details depicting the feats of Hadrian’s. Overall, it was an excellent analysis and gave me a great snapshot of The Library of Celsus.

[joncastor-blog]

Temple of Portunus

The temple of Portunus, also known as the temple of Fortuna, was built around 75 B.C.E (“Artstor”), and is one of the few still standing temples in Rome. It has the usual Roman flair of engaged columns on the sides and back (Woodford 112), making it more visually pleasing to view the temple from the front. The layout of the temple also follows the usual Roman layout with an open porch in the front, and then the cella within, covered on all sides (Woodford 112). Per The Four Books of Andrea Palladio’s Architecture, it is believed that on top would have been 3 statues, one on the top and two on either side. Then there would have been 2 more sculptures on either side of the entrance as the image shows. The simplicity of the temples design is incredible, yet at the same time the amount of detail that is found in it is fascinating. The columns have ornate ionic designs on the capital of the columns, and have an ionic base and bottom, making the columns of the ionic order (Woodford 26). The temple would have also had some detailed carvings in the frieze, which would have added to its beauty. It is believed to have been located on the banks of the Tiber, which is why the temple was dedicated to Portunus, who was the god of rivers, harbors, and at first doors (Sullivan). The temple would have been an amazing structure to see back in the day of ancient Romans, but today it still stands as a testament to their skill as architects.

[joncastor-blog]

Confessions Book 2

Do you think it’s wrong of Augustine to criticize his father for having no concern for Augustine’s morals? His father had saved up money for him to be educated and obviously sacrificed a lot, so why does Augustine think it’s ok to criticize him? 

I really enjoyed reading how Augustine attempts to match each sin with some sort of pursuit to be more like God. Pride to be as high as God is, and curiosity to know what God knows were my two favorite, and Augustine’s logic in coming up with these was very smart. It is also dangerous to think like this because it makes these sins less severe seeing as it is just an attempt to be more like God. Also, in the human mind it attempts to connect a relation between God and evil which is dangerous as well. 

[joncastor-blog]

Odyssey Landscapes

Discovered in 1848, the Odyssey Landscapes are located on Esquiline Hill, and are some of the oldest pieces of landscape painting (Mazzoleni 174). The first scene is Odysseus at Circe’s Court (Mazzoleni 176), and is very interesting. The figures in the painting appear to be quite small next to their surroundings, emphasizing the landscape and would have created an excellent atmosphere in the room. A maiden and a man sit in the center of the painting, drawing the eye to them immediately, which suggests that this is probably Odysseus and Circe. The second painting is a beautiful scene with a lot of action occurring throughout it. One can easily pick out the characters, but the eye is drawn to the deep blue of the sea on the left and carries to the right following the ridge of the hilltop. It was interesting to see that on this hill, the vegetation has an extreme amount of detail, making it more lifelike to the eye. The columns are painted with a shadow to make them look more realistic, and they block out scenes of the painting, and making the mind think that if they were moved then the rest of the scene would be visible (Mazzoleni 175). Even the water in this second scene has reflections of the livestock, which is an incredible feature considering what the Roman’s had to work with.  The third scene is a continuation of the second with many more characters, however they appear to be running to the right allowing the eye to read the scene from left to right, almost like a story book. There are deep shades of purple and blue making the scene a little more ominous and dark, which ties in perfectly to the next scene of the entrance into Hades (Mazzoleni 176). This scene’s darkness in both the vegetation and shadow of the mountain, allows the reader to interpret it as Hades, while to the right is the scene of Odysseus attempting to get his men back from Circe (Mazzoleni 175). The final scene is the continuation of the realm of Hades with death and despair everywhere in this scene (Mazzoleni 175). The mountain even looms over the fallen figure, and appears at its peak as the head of some sort of beast, perhaps Cerberus, Hades’ guardian of the underworld.

Sources:

Mazzoleni, Donatella, Umberto Pappalardo, and Luciano Romano. Domus: Wall  Painting in the Roman House. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2004. 

[laurelofolympia-blog]

This is a really beautiful painting! There is so much going on in each of the sections. I am curious about why you chose to talk about all of them rather than focusing on just one portion? I was also wondering why you did not focus more attention on the colors that were used? They have a huge impact not only one where your eye is drawn to, but also simply in the way the image looks. You had so much to work with, and I think you did an excellent job giving an overview!

[joncastor-blog]

Thank you for the feedback! The reason that I chose to do the entire painting was because the painting in its entirety represents a story, and I felt that if I only focused on part it would lose a lot of its beauty. This made it a little harder to be so concise in everything I said, but if I had excluded any portion of the painting I think it would have lost a lot of value and meaning. Together it is one flowing and ornate story, that was captured by the artist. I am glad that you brought up the colors in the painting because the artists’ technique was fascinating, and their ability to use all of those colors and make something so ornate was a testament to their skill. The colors add more life to each picture, and make each picture look more like they are in movement, rather than just painted on a canvas. The warm colors bring life to each scene, and then the use of darker colors for more serious scenes was fascinating, and made each image more real to the eye of the beholder.

[joncastor-blog]

Confessions Book 1

I really enjoyed St. Augustine’s section on page 10 where he talks about the process of learning to speak, and how he did not learn through elders, but rather through his own “motion” given to him by God. It was interesting to see how he talked about learning to speak since I have never seen another author do such a thing. 

On page 8 Augustine says “You made man but not the sin in him.” How is this possible if God created everything? Wouldn’t He have had to create sin? The creation of sin wouldn’t have made God evil or bad, so why couldn’t he have created it?

[joncastor-blog]

Odyssey Landscapes

Discovered in 1848, the Odyssey Landscapes are located on Esquiline Hill, and are some of the oldest pieces of landscape painting (Mazzoleni 174). The first scene is Odysseus at Circe’s Court (Mazzoleni 176), and is very interesting. The figures in the painting appear to be quite small next to their surroundings, emphasizing the landscape and would have created an excellent atmosphere in the room. A maiden and a man sit in the center of the painting, drawing the eye to them immediately, which suggests that this is probably Odysseus and Circe. The second painting is a beautiful scene with a lot of action occurring throughout it. One can easily pick out the characters, but the eye is drawn to the deep blue of the sea on the left and carries to the right following the ridge of the hilltop. It was interesting to see that on this hill, the vegetation has an extreme amount of detail, making it more lifelike to the eye. The columns are painted with a shadow to make them look more realistic, and they block out scenes of the painting, and making the mind think that if they were moved then the rest of the scene would be visible (Mazzoleni 175). Even the water in this second scene has reflections of the livestock, which is an incredible feature considering what the Roman’s had to work with.  The third scene is a continuation of the second with many more characters, however they appear to be running to the right allowing the eye to read the scene from left to right, almost like a story book. There are deep shades of purple and blue making the scene a little more ominous and dark, which ties in perfectly to the next scene of the entrance into Hades (Mazzoleni 176). This scene’s darkness in both the vegetation and shadow of the mountain, allows the reader to interpret it as Hades, while to the right is the scene of Odysseus attempting to get his men back from Circe (Mazzoleni 175). The final scene is the continuation of the realm of Hades with death and despair everywhere in this scene (Mazzoleni 175). The mountain even looms over the fallen figure, and appears at its peak as the head of some sort of beast, perhaps Cerberus, Hades’ guardian of the underworld.

Sources:

Mazzoleni, Donatella, Umberto Pappalardo, and Luciano Romano. Domus: Wall  Painting in the Roman House. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2004. 

[joncastor-blog]

Art 3.9 Roman Architecture

I thought it was really cool to see the development of the Roman homes, and how they were able to combine their traditional style of homes, with the Greek style. This reminds me of the other day in class when we were talking about how everything was a mix of other cultures, especially in the Roman world. Romans even with their homes used other cultures’ ideas and combined it with their own. This reminds me a lot of the modern homes we have today, with the open area as soon as you walk in, and then a more private area towards the back of the house. 

Why did Romans build their temples on a high podium? Was it to show that the Temples, since they were a place of religion, were elevated above the rest of Rome? 

[joncastor-blog]

Pliny’s Letters

I really enjoyed this line from Pliny’s Letter; “is he to whom the gods have granted the power either to do something which is worth recording or to write what is worth reading.” Pliny is talking about the “fortunate man” and I feel like this was a big Roman value. To leave a legacy behind, and to be remembered were a big part of Roman culture, and they exemplified this in everything they did. From their massive empire to their vast collections of art and history, Rome wanted to be remembered and they were. Pliny captures this value in his letter with that single line, and it is still very applicable today to our culture. 

Do you think that Romans would have considered Pliny’s uncle’s death an honorable and glorious one? It seemed from Pliny’s letters that his uncle was more of a fool who refused to acknowledge the massive amounts of danger around him. Since he didn’t succeed in saving anyone would his death be more of a suicide, rather than a sacrifice to save others?

[joncastor-blog]

Aeneid 9-12

My favorite part of this entire reading was towards the beginning where we see the greed of Euryalus have its consequences. If he had not taken the helmet then it wouldn’t have given them away to the enemy, and they may have lived. This was very odd to read at first since the Greeks tend to write that glory is a good thing. However, in this story the Romans write an example of how that greed for glory is a bad thing. If this had been written as a Greek story then Euryalus and Nisus would have made off with the helmet after slaughtering hundreds of Latins, in a tale of glory and triumph. 

Why did Jupiter allow Juno to spare Turnus? He had just said the entire battle was to be waged without the gods’ interference, and then he allowed Juno to interfere. Is this not a contradiction of what Jupiter had said earlier?

[joncastor-blog]

Aeneid Book 6

Do you think that the “golden branch” was meant to be taken as a literal golden branch? Or was it meant to be symbolic of something else? If so what could that something else be?

I really enjoyed the huge amount of description in this book. For example, on page 84 when talking about an ancient elm, it says “Its aged branches, the abode of false Dreams that cling to the bottom of every leaf. At the doors are stabled the monstrous shapes of Centaurs, and biform Scyllas, and Briaireus...” This snippet from Book 6 is just one of many, extremely descriptive lines that Virgil paints for his readers.

[joncastor-blog]

Laocoon’s Death

The Laocoon group is one of Rome’s most famous pieces, and is dated back to around 50 B.C. (Furtwangler 161). It depicts the death of Laocoon, the Trojan priest of Apollo, and his two boys at the hand of serpents sent from the sea (Furtwangler 161). The snakes intertwining throughout the piece help to draw all of the figures together into one solid piece, and allow the human eye to travel along them across the sculpture. By adding these snakes, it allowed the artists to make a sculpture with five different creatures in it (Furtwangler 161). The head of Laocoon immediately catches the eye, not only because of the size but also the extreme detail in his hair, which is a great head of lettuce, romaine that is. His eyes look almost as if they are rolling back in his head, and the open mouth suggests one last breath escaping his body as he dies. His extreme muscular build gives off the strength of a great man who is in his final moments, as he arches back in pain from the snake bite (Furtwangler 161). His son on the left appears to be struggling less than the father, and almost giving up. His body is not as muscular which helps the eye not to linger too long and to carry on to the next figure. The son on the right looks at his father with an expression of horror as he watches his father die (Furtwangler 161). The family’s final moments are captured together in this piece in a final scene of horror and despair.  

[christine-allen]

My favorite part of this analysis was when you compared the father to his son on the left. I find the idea that he is giving up to be something the viewer can clearly see in this piece, especially as you emphasized that his muscles were loose and less muscular. Is it possible that this son was already dead? 

What I also enjoyed about this was how you mentioned the facial expressions on the father and the son on the right. I think you could have expanded more on the expression of utter anguish on Lacoon’s face, and how that reflected the look of horror on the face of his son.

[joncastor-blog]

That is an excellent question, and that son could have already been dead or in his final moments. Regardless, it is obvious that this son is giving up and dying or is dead already. The expression of horror on Lacoon’s son’s face relates largely in part to the look of anguish on his father’s face. Seeing his father suffer and struggle as his life ends is a great trauma to the son. He is watching someone who he has always looked up to, and thought was so mighty die in front of his very own eyes. This son is not only suffering in death, but must watch as both his father and his brother die before his own eyes. 

[joncastor-blog]

Aeneid Book 4

This chapter reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, and almost appears as if this was the original tragic love story. You have the hero (Aeneas) who leaves his love (Dido) and as a result Dido kills herself. This chapter turns Dido's chapter into one of the first ever tragedies.

If Dido was so in love with Aeneas why didn't she just leave with him? She forfeited her rule already by killing herself, so why not just forfeit it and leave with Aeneas?

[centaur--of--attention-blog]

Portrait of Augustus as Priest

This sculpture of Augustus of Rome as a priest was created in the first century AD and measures in at 6ft 10ins (2.08m). Roman sculptures are often very Greek like, but this one is slightly different than a typical Greek influenced Roman sculpture. It is Greek in the sense that it has the typical contrapposto and body shape that the Greeks invented. Augustus’s weight is on his left foot, which raises his left hip and drops his left shoulder. The contrapposto and body are the only things very Greek-like about this sculpture. The toga is a Roman thing, which makes it easily identifiable as a Roman sculpture. As seen in the sculpture, the toga falls very unrealistically and the folds are also very unrealistic. The toga is drawn over Augustus’s head, which is signifying that he is a priest. The body of this sculpture was carved as a generic body of a priest and then the head and neck were carved separately and placed on the body. This can be easily seen by the line separating the body and neck. The typical hairstyle of Augustus, the crab claw, can be seen by the 2 curls in the front. It is also a very Roman idea to have a specific sculpture of a person and not of some abstract person or thing. Overall this sculpture is a good representation of how Romans used Greek influences in their art, but still had some originality.

Ramage, Nancy, and Andrew Ramage. Roman Art. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2005.

[joncastor-blog]

This was a great analysis and you did a good job of focusing on the style of the piece. On the flip side of things, where was this statue kept? Did it have some special significance or was it just another statue of an emperor? Besides the hairstyle of the statue, I feel like you could have focused a little more on the head of the statue. For example. the strong facial features and cheekbone of the face. Also, with the look that the face has, how would you interpret this face? 

[joncastor-blog]

Aenied 1&2

Is it fair for Juno to be angered with Aeneas? She is angry for something that he has not even done, but has been prophesized to happen in the future. Also, do you think that it’s Juno’s fault now if Carthage gets destroyed? I don’t think Aeneas was thinking about Carthage but now she put that thought into his head. 

I like the scene where Neptune scolds the winds for overstepping their boundaries and messing with the waves. It’s almost as if he is that angry parent yelling at the winds. I’m not sure if this was intended to be humorous, but to me it certainly was. 

[joncastor-blog]

Laocoon’s Death

The Laocoon group is one of Rome’s most famous pieces, and is dated back to around 50 B.C. (Furtwangler 161). It depicts the death of Laocoon, the Trojan priest of Apollo, and his two boys at the hand of serpents sent from the sea (Furtwangler 161). The snakes intertwining throughout the piece help to draw all of the figures together into one solid piece, and allow the human eye to travel along them across the sculpture. By adding these snakes, it allowed the artists to make a sculpture with five different creatures in it (Furtwangler 161). The head of Laocoon immediately catches the eye, not only because of the size but also the extreme detail in his hair, which is a great head of lettuce, romaine that is. His eyes look almost as if they are rolling back in his head, and the open mouth suggests one last breath escaping his body as he dies. His extreme muscular build gives off the strength of a great man who is in his final moments, as he arches back in pain from the snake bite (Furtwangler 161). His son on the left appears to be struggling less than the father, and almost giving up. His body is not as muscular which helps the eye not to linger too long and to carry on to the next figure. The son on the right looks at his father with an expression of horror as he watches his father die (Furtwangler 161). The family’s final moments are captured together in this piece in a final scene of horror and despair.  

[joncastor-blog]

Art 3.8

This section gave me a much larger sense of appreciation for Roman painting. After seeing how the Romans copied the Greek artwork, it became obvious that if they had not copied them than the Western art we have today might not exist. The Roman’s provided us a more restored copy of a lot of Greek paintings and from that, countries throughout history were able to develop their own forms of painting.

Did the Roman’s copy regular size paintings, and then blow them up to fill the walls of rooms? Or were there already existing rooms in Greece that had scenes painted across the walls?