ANCIENT ART IP

Abstract

Artists used artwork to communicate their cultures, way of life and beliefs to the future general and the larger society.  Ancient artwork of Greek and Roman are one of the examples of art works that were used to show how the people lived and associated with one another. The Augustus of Prima Porta (c. 20 BCE) of Romans and Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) of Greek are an example of art works that had a meaning and which demonstrated the way people worshiped and lived. The Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) of Greek are sculptures of people and heroes that reigned in the ancient times. These sculptures served as a sign of remembrance to the way people lived and associated with one another. On the other side, Augustus of Prima Porta (c. 20 BCE) of Romans was sculptures of a hero- Augustus.  The Augustus of Prima Porta (c. 20 BCE) of Romans sculptures. These forms of art employed various artistic features that helped to enhance the images. These included use of lines, space, colors, balance, and texture among other artistic features.   The artwork also exemplified traditional beliefs apart from serving as a way of appreciating the past.

Introduction

In ancient times, most of the cultures were portrayed or represented in form of artwork. People used various artworks, including painting, drawing and sculptures to represent their ways of life’s beliefs, customs and values. Therefore, artwork was a very popular way in which the society expressed their messages or ideas to the larger society. The two ancient artwork that will be discussed in this paper include the Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) of Greek and Augustus of Prima Porta (20 BCE) of Romans.  Most of the Roman artwork was copied from Greek. Therefore, most of the Romans artwork resembles or is a replica of the Greek art with some modifications. Both types of the artwork are forms of sculpture. They were made from shaping stones or woods and therefore required dexterity of the blacksmiths.

Doryphoros depicts human form in the classical period of Greek. Artists during this period put more emphasis on an ideal man by presenting him as a hero in nudity and masculinity (University of Missouri, 2012). The faces of the ideal man had no emotions while their bodies were muscular, smooth and proportionate. The sculptures were made with some sort of balance as legs counterbalanced with the arms. The materials used commonly were a mixture of copper and tin also called bronze. For instance, size of the images or monuments and persons varied according to the position and authority of the person. Therefore, most of these artistic works took a symbolic approach as for instance, persons such as emperors, kings and heroes were made in larger sizes compared to their subjects. The artists used various artistic features in making their monuments and persons, which assisted them to come up with magnificent sculptures.

The Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) are one of the ancient pieces of artwork of the people of Greece. These artworks resonates the religious beliefs of the Greece people and therefore, most of them included that of gods,  priests, elders, horses, horse riders among many others that were associated with what they meant (Guisepi, 1990). On the other hand, the Augustus of Primaporta (c.20 BCE) of Romans was one of the ancient art works that was done by the Romans.  The sculpture is a statue of a hero by the name Augustus Ceaser. This statue is 2.04 meters high and was discovered in prima Porta in the year 1863 (John, 1995).

Even though the two forms of arts are from different regions, their form was sculptures. A sculpture is a kind of carvings that blacksmiths inscribes to a piece of stone, wood or any other material to present a symbol or a personality. The two pieces of arts are three-dimensional works of art. They can be viewed from all directions. Furthermore, they represent the images of personalities or objects that can be clearly associated with real people. The two pieces of materials were made from different materials. For instance, Augustus of Primaporta (c.20 BCE) was made from copies of marble, which were extracted from bronze. On the other hand, the Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) was also made from marble materials (Miller, 1893). The two pieces of work are magnificent when viewed as they represent the actual images of people or objects that people of the two countries appreciated during their time.

In the ancient work of art, color was one of the most important components used by the artists to decorate and make real their pieces of work. Color is a very important component in artwork. It helps to make the work look smart and real, and helps in sending a message about a certain thing or object. Therefore, color choice was important as different colors had different meanings. In Augustus of Primaporta (c.20 BCE), the artists used brown color to paint the whole sculpture. The color that was chosen was close to the color of the skin of the person. Augustus Caesar was a hero and therefore the choice of color brown was representing his color of skin. The brown color chosen was also intended to make the sculpture look real and appealing to the eyes of the spectators. The Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) sculptures on the other hand used a variety of colors since various sculptures were made and each object had its own meaning (Whitley, 2001). The colors used included grey, black, and cream among others. The colors also served the purpose of beautifying the sculptures.

From the look of the two pieces of artwork, it is evident that various techniques and processes were involved in making them. The two pieces of work of art consumed a lot of time because of the decorations they have. The decorations required a person with a lot of skills and dexterity; otherwise, it could not be possible for them to be the way they are. For instance, shaping the marbles until the image of Augustus comes out clearly required a lot of keenness and time.  Furthermore, creativity and knowledge on colors was important in the whole process. Therefore, it is true that the techniques involved and the process was a bit complex and tedious.

The ancient pieces of work art are not an exceptional when it comes to application of lines, texture, space, value, color and balance (Notes for artwork critique form, 2012).  Even though there was not enough literature on them, the artists understood clearly, what all these aspects meant to their work. They incorporated all of them in their works, which made them to come up with outstanding sculptures, and other works of art. From my observation, all the two pieces incorporated these important artistic features. For instance, they used lines to sketch the images that they wanted to make.  They also used shapes to differentiate those shapes they wanted. Texture was also used. The pieces of work have textures, which make them to look nice and real. Balance was also incorporated in making the sculpture. The two pieces of work are well made and therefore, they are close to being real.

In ancient times, artists used their work of art to convey a certain message to the society. The two pieces of work of art have a subject matter. The  subject matter in the Augustus pimaporta sculpture implied the  mighty or the personality of a hero while that of the Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) sculptures  represented or rather implied the way of life and the religious doctrines of the people of Greece (Mighty students, 2012). Therefore, the messages behind the sculptures are vivid.

The two pieces of work are representational. It is clear from the sculptures that the artists behind them were conveying a certain message to the society. The sculpture on Augustus shows his mighty and heroism when he ruled Greece.  The image resembles the face of the hero and therefore, the artists behind the sculpture wanted to convey a message to the society. The message was to remember the hero who provided good leadership. On the other hand, the Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) sculptures represent the beliefs and the doctrines of the ancient Greece people. They show the way the people of Greece lived and worshipped. Therefore, the two pieces of art represents the actual or real episodes that happened in the two countries.

The artists also used symbolism in their pieces of work. For instance, in the Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE) sculptures, the artists used various objects such as gods, elders, horses to represent the religion or the way of life of the people of Greece. Consequently, the sculpture of the Augustus of primaporta represents the hero called Augustus. It represents the mighty, courage and the strength of this ancient leader (Khana academy, 2012).

Both of these pieces of work have a context-the way people lived and worshiped in ancient times. It therefore plays a multiplicity of roles. It helps to educate the future generation on how the ancient people worshiped and lived. The sculpture of Augustus shows the mighty and the hero of the ancient times. Therefore, such artistic works are important in educating the people and making them remember and appreciate the past.  Therefore, they have historical and religious significance to the current population. Furthermore, the works exemplify traditional roles of the ancient people. One of the traditional roles exemplified through these pieces of work is the culture and the religious of the ancient people. For instance, in these ancient times, people respected heroes and therefore, such people were to be remembered through paintings and sculptures.

The two pieces of art therefore fit into the context of the time period. During this period, leaders who conquered the wars were respected and became heroes who people remembered for along period of time. The sculpture of Augustus therefore fits the period of Doryphoros (polykleitos, 450 BCE).

References

Guisepi, R.A. (1990). Greek and Roman art. Retrieved from: http://history-world.org/arthist.htm

Jane, C. R. (2001). The Villa of Livia Ad Gallinas Albas. A Study in the Augustan Villa and            Garden. Archaeological Transatlantica XX. Providence, RI: Center for Old World   Archaeology and Art.

John, P. (1995). “The Augustus from Prima Porta and the Transformation of the Polykleitan          Heroic Ideal”, in Warren G. Moon (ed.), Polykleitos, the Doryphoros and Tradition. (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press).

Khana academy. (2012).Augustus of Primaporta. Retrieved from:   http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/roman-sculpture.html

Mighty students. (2012). Greek work of art and one Roman work of art and compare and             contrast. Retrieved from: http://www.mightystudents.com/essay/Greek.work.art.81688

Miller, W. (1893). “A History of the Akropolis of Athens”. The American journal of archaeology             and of the history of the fine arts (Archaeological Institute of America) 8: 546-547.

Module 1: Additional teachers notes: Information about the artworks. Retrieved from:             http://www2.tate.org.uk/tatetools/modules/module1/module1_teachers_notes.pdf

Notes for artwork critique form. (2012). retrieved from: http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/critique-    page-2.html

The art minute. (2012). Augustus of Primaporta: Spin City. Retrieved from: http://www.the-art-            minute.com/augustus-of-primaporta-spin-city/

Whitley, J. (2001). “The Archaeology of Democracy: Classical Athens”. The Archaeology of         Ancient Greece. Cambridge University Press.

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