Baby You're So Classic

A classy blog

[centaur--of--attention-blog]

The Forum and Markets of Trajan

(The first picture is just of the Markets of Trajan while the second picture is a diagram of both the Forum and Markets of Trajan)

The Forum and Markets of Trajan are a magnificent piece of Roman architecture built between 100 and 112 AD, during Trajan’s reign. While technically, the Forum and the Markets are different structures separated by a wall, they are typically thought of as one. Both pieces of architecture were designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, Trajans chief architect. The forums dimensions of 380 x 312 feet help give an idea of how monstrous the markets were.

The market was constructed as a semi-circle that wrapped around a large, open exedra. Originally there was a fairly sizable hill on the eastern side, but it was cut away to allow for the construction of the markets. The markets were multi – leveled and had a wide variety of different merchants that sold their goods there. The smaller shops were located on the curving part of the markets, and larger shops were located in the Aula, the two storied hall on the top of the complex. A more relatable way to think about the Markets of Trajan is to see them as the world’s first shopping mall. It truly is relatable to present day and to think that this was built almost 2000 years ago is unbelievable.

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

[sabrina8825]

Great job giving background information and content, Logan! The content really helped me understand the pictures of the architecture you included in your post. Something I think you could improve on would be to include more significance. For instance, include some content, but then analyze why that content may be important, or what effect that may have on the viewer. I really liked how you compared this piece of architecture to a modern day shopping mall. That is definitely something a woman can understand!!!

[sabrina8825]

Art 3.10 World

Q: The portraits of the mummified deceased were used as an example of the blending of cultural art between Rome and Egypt as a result of the expanse of the Roman Empire. At the end of the section, it was mentioned that these paintings showed the height of what Roman painting could be, but they said it was for a very un-Roman purpose. What was the purpose of these wooden panel paintings? Were they mortuary, or commemorative, etc.?

C: I thought the descriptions of the large bath houses were really interesting. It made me think of a modern day gym or spa. The description said that there were latrines, and exercise grounds, as well as hot rooms and baths. This just seems like a very modern day idea to me, and I think it speaks to the timelessness of Roman culture. 

[sabrina8825]

Aula Palatine Basilica 

Constantine erected this basilica, currently located in Trier, Germany, in the early 4th century A.D. This basilica was originally part of a larger complex that included many different civil buildings as well as churches. This region of Germany was the central hub of the Western Roman Empire, so it was important to have infrastructure to accommodate citizens, worshipers, and visitors. The Aula Palatine Basilica was a civic building where Constantine would receive and entertain guests. It is typical of early basilicas because of its secular purpose. Additionally, it does not have a transept. Transepts were more typical a few years after this time, when most basilicas served a religious purpose.

This building definitely has Roman qualities to it. As seen in the photos, it is monumental. Upon approach, one would be intimidated and have to look up to see all it had to offer the viewer. I think this is appropriate for a civic or religious building; it would have a more experiential feeling rather than it being mundane. It has standard structure: a nave, aisles, and an apse. Something else I really enjoy about this basilica is the lighting aspect. By placing the windows up higher than seated level, it creates an illusion of a greater beyond, or a heavenly spirit.

“Aula Palatine Basilica,” Art History Survey Collection, accessed November 28, 2016, ARTstor Digital Library.

Stillwell, Richard. "AUGUSTA TREVERORUM (Trier) Germany." The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Accessed November 28, 2016. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:entry.

[sabrina8825]

Confessions Bk 3

Q: Why is Augustine so disgusted with and ashamed of lust and sex? Wasn’t it a common practice and topic during ancient times? I understand he is a pious person, but wouldn't he be at least a little accustomed to the subject?

C: At the very beginning of book three, Augustine explained how he longed to love and be loved. I think that this feeling is very typical of a teenager his age. Soon after that he explained that he fell in love with his friend and consummated that love. The language he uses here disturbs me because of how angry and violent it is.  

[sabrina8825]

Confessions Bk 2

Q: Is Augustine writing his prayers and confessions down for himself, or does he keep in mind an audience? He says that someone will eventually read his words, but is his intention to write this for himself or for an audience?

C: I think Augustine is way to hard on himself in this book! He is actually such a good sixteen-year-old guy! Sure, he falls into peer (or should I say pear) pressure and lust, but he knows it was wrong and confesses it to God. I wish I could have been as good as him when I was sixteen! 

[sabrina8825]

The Villa Farnesina

Bedroom B, rear wall

Scene of Young Dionysus and the Nymphs of Nisa

The Villa Farnesina was built in 21 B.C., and was thought to have been built by Agrippa to celebrate his marriage to Julia, the emperor Augusts’s daughter. It was built on the banks of the Tiber River in Rome. This wall painting was painted during the imperial age in Rome, which coincides with the transition between the second and third wall painting styles. This can be seen in the technique of the painting of the rear wall in bedroom B. This wall is split into three sections both horizontally and vertically. It has an inset painting of Young Dionysus and the Nymphs of Nisa that creates an illusion of a scene outside a window. This creates an illusion of more space, and is typical of the second style of Roman wall painting. The wall also includes columns and façades of a temple, which is also typical of the second, or architectural, style. The third style is represented in the ornate figures towards the top of the wall. They are small and highly decorative. The columns also show aspects of the third style because it is not quite realistic; it does not look as if it could actually hold up a building. The painting of Dionysus being cared for by the nymphs makes me wonder if this room was meant for a child of Agrippa and Julia. Rather, perhaps it could have a lustful connotation due to the nymphs and its placement in the bedroom. 

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

[its--greek-to-me-deactivated201]

Thank you for this thorough analysis! I very much appreciated your in depth thought on the characteristics of the styles that this piece portrays, and also liked that you related the different mashing of styles to the time period in which the paintings were created.  I don’t often associate each style with a point in time, so this was a helpful thought for me to have.

The one thing I would have loved more information on is the details above the horizontal line .  What are these depictions of, for example? Which style do they follow?

[sabrina8825]

Thank you for your critiques! During my research for writing this post, I read about this villa and wall painting in the book Zach had on reserve for us. That research is what I based most of my content and analysis on. With that said, the book did not describe the figures towards the top section of the wall. Taking a closer look at it, I can tell that the figures are very ornate and small in stature, so that would be typical of the third style of Roman wall painting. The figures appear to be female and have wings, so that leads me to think that they depict the Roman Goddess Victoria, and her representation of victory and success in war.

[the-trill-iad-blog]

The Villa of Poppea

          Excavated in the 1960s and 1970s in Torre Annunziata near Naples, the Villa of Poppea belonged to the Emperor Nero’s wife, Poppea. Based on the construction and style of the villa, it was built sometime in the middle of the first century BC. This is the west wall of the triclinium (the dining room), and it was included in the first architectural phase of the villa - later rooms were added on during the second architectural phase during the Julio-Claudio period (ca. 14 - 68 AD.) Featured on this wall is a painting of the Temple of Hera.

This piece is overwhelmingly second style in that its obvious intention is to make the viewer feel as though they are facing the immensely beautiful Temple of Hera. The painting also has a symmetry that’s very pleasing to the eye. The ochre-y reds, royal blues, and rich saffron yellows give the painting a heavenly and godly feel. The columns are incredibly detailed with gems and vines and feature corinthian capitals (with the heads of men.) Two white sphinx protrude from the structure and the two doors include lion-headed knockers. Little winged characters and floral patterns take turns decorating the doors as well.

All in all, this piece is stunning, and I think that’s why it was chosen to be featured in the dining room - so the Empress Poppea could impress her dinner guests.

Bibliography:

Mazzoleni, Donatella. Domus Wall Painting in the Roman House. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2004.

Romano, Luciano. The Villa of Poppea: View of the West Wall of Triclinium. Temple of Hera. In Domus Wall Painting in the Roman House. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2004. 144-45.

Romano, Luciano. The Villa of Poppea: Detail of a Column Decorated with Gemstones and Foliage, from the West Wall of the Triclinium with the Temple of Hera. In Domus Wall Painting in the Roman House. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2004. 146.

Romano, Luciano. The Villa of Poppea: Detail of a Capital and the Sphinx Resting atop the Entablature, from the West Wall of the Triclinium with the Temple of Hera. In Domus Wall Painting in the Roman House. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2004. 147.

[sabrina8825]

I really enjoyed the context you gave at the beginning about what the painting is and where it was located; it helped me to comprehend the painting and its significance. I also liked how you suggested the reason for this painting to be put on a dining room wall as well, that was something I would have never thought of! I think you could work on your analysis a little more though. I read it as if you were just pointing things out to me, or telling me things about the painting visually. You could take the analysis a step further by explaining how the painting is “overwhelmingly second style.” 

[sabrina8825]

Confessions Bk 2

Q: Is Augustine writing his prayers and confessions down for himself, or does he keep in mind an audience? He says that someone will eventually read his words, but is his intention to write this for himself or for an audience?

C: I think Augustine is way to hard on himself in this book! He is actually such a good sixteen-year-old guy! Sure, he falls into peer (or should I say pear) pressure and lust, but he knows it was wrong and confesses it to God. I wish I could have been as good as him when I was sixteen! 

[sabrina8825]

The Villa Farnesina

Bedroom B, rear wall

Scene of Young Dionysus and the Nymphs of Nisa

The Villa Farnesina was built in 21 B.C., and was thought to have been built by Agrippa to celebrate his marriage to Julia, the emperor Augusts’s daughter. It was built on the banks of the Tiber River in Rome. This wall painting was painted during the imperial age in Rome, which coincides with the transition between the second and third wall painting styles. This can be seen in the technique of the painting of the rear wall in bedroom B. This wall is split into three sections both horizontally and vertically. It has an inset painting of Young Dionysus and the Nymphs of Nisa that creates an illusion of a scene outside a window. This creates an illusion of more space, and is typical of the second style of Roman wall painting. The wall also includes columns and façades of a temple, which is also typical of the second, or architectural, style. The third style is represented in the ornate figures towards the top of the wall. They are small and highly decorative. The columns also show aspects of the third style because it is not quite realistic; it does not look as if it could actually hold up a building. The painting of Dionysus being cared for by the nymphs makes me wonder if this room was meant for a child of Agrippa and Julia. Rather, perhaps it could have a lustful connotation due to the nymphs and its placement in the bedroom. 

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

[sabrina8825]

Confessions Bk 1 and Rome episode 4

Q: Is the whole first book of Augustine’s Confessions a prayer to God? Are all the books this way?

C: I really love how Augustine smoothly transitions between his first three stages of life. It was a really logical sequence, and he described them all very well. It reminded me of the movie Boyhood! The ways in which he described infancy were very new to me and made me think of it in a new way.

[sabrina8825]

Art 3.9

Q: Were the Romans modest people? We’ve talked before about how their sculptures are rarely nude, yet they bath in public bath houses. 

C: I thought it was really interesting to read about how the different orders of the attached columns on the colosseum included the viewer. It was such a unique thought! The way that a citizen can identify and participate in the grandeur of such an important building is so beautiful to me because I would think that a building like that would intentionally dominate over someone. 

[sabrina8825]

Statue of an old man, seated

This is a Roman imperial statue of an old man from the 2nd century A.D. He is seated on a stone bench, hunched over and wrapped in some type of cloth. The cloth is sculpted realistically in the representations of the folds. The folds would naturally fall that way if one was wrapped in a blanket and then sat down. They also seem thicker than most drapery folds we have seen, so I conclude that this fabric is thicker than most fabrics that have appeared in sculpture before. That aspect sets this apart from other sculptures because instead of the cloth being sheer and suggesting the body underneath it, the cloth just swallows the old man and covers him up. He is slumped over and has a hunched back, and looks as if he has either been defeated; rather, it could just be a veristic representation of what happens to your posture as you age. Although, this detail in his posture could be an emphasis of both old age and defeat, as most of the time you feel defeated when you are older. This is unlikely, though, because the Romans differed from the Greeks in that they considered one to be at their prime when they are older and wiser. Hence the realistic depiction of wrinkles and the frailty of old age. Roman verism is also shown in the frown lines and crinkles in the old man’s forehead and sagged cheeks. I think this sculpture is a really beautiful, expressive piece of art. The way the old man is posed (hunched back, flat feet, and relaxed hands that are palms up) conveys a sense of vulnerability, which is something that is not typically seen.

“Statue of an old man, seated,” Art, Archaeology, and Architecture, accessed November 2nd , 2016, ARTstor Digital Library (10-02-04/58).

[kayleigh0301-blog]

Good job on your analysis. The depth you go into about his posture is thought provoking. He appears to have a beard, which is strange because the Romans were not supportive of facial hair. Do you know why he would have one? He does not seem to be looking straight ahead, but slightly down, which would further support your idea that he feels defeated, even solemn. At least from the provided angles, he is leaning more weight on his right side. His right shoulder is raised, and his left leg, especially the foot, is more relaxed than the right. It makes me wonder if he is suffering from an injury, which could be another factor influencing his mood.

[sabrina8825]

I do not think that the weight placement and his foot placement suggest an injury. Rather, I think it is just adding to the dynamic nature of the sculpture and the posture. By that I mean he is put in that position to make him more life-like, which adds to the veristic aspect of the piece. If he were not placed in that position, he would be more flat and less realistic. As for the beard, I would assume that his age and state have something to do with it. He may not shave it because he is already old, or he may have lost hope due to his defeated state. Thanks for the critiques! 

[sabrina8825]

Pliny Letters; Meet the Romans episodes 1&2

Q: The tone of the letters are very informal and sounds almost as if Pliny is telling a story to young kids. Was this the tone of most writing of the Romans? It is very different from the famous writers such as Virgil.

C: I think we take our abilities to read and write for granted sometimes. Pliny explains that one is very fortunate if they can read or write and even more fortunate if they can do both. So many of the Romans had careers that did not involve reading or writing, so in the ancient world that was something that was valued so much more than it is today. 

[sabrina8825]

Aeneid Bks 9-12

Q: What is the significance of a “Homeric simile” that doesn’t involve nature? In book ten (lines 683-686) there is a simile that doesn’t relate the scene to nature, rather it relates it to men and war. Why is that important? Why is it different than the others? C: I just think that Camilla and Diana are badasses! They are such brave, strong-willed women, and we don’t get to see that much in classic literature. It was very nice to read a combat scene that involved women who were actually beating the men!

[stay-hydra-ted]

Aeneid, lines 98-157

Keep reading

[sabrina8825]

Aeneid Bk 6

Q: Does hell/the underworld have a way or organizing souls? Like do they have certain districts? If so, how are they sorted once the souls show up on the banks of the river styx?

C: When Virgil is writing about the description of hell just before the entrance, he explains that various feelings or actions are there. I think that is so cool that those things are personified in that way to make them more concrete and emphasize that they are so close to death.

[sabrina8825]

Aeneid Bk 4

Q: Aeneas is characterized as loyal and true, but does blindly following someone make you loyal? He doesn't question any of the gods when they come to him. Instead of analyzing the situation and choosing to follow the gods, he just blindly follows what they say. Does that actually make him loyal?

C: Virgil seems to include the fates a lot in the Aeneid, particularly in this book. I think this suggests that the Romans value the fates more than the Greeks. We did not hear so much about the fates in Homer’s Illiad, so I think that the Greeks did not think the fates were as important as the gods.