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To Miranda Johansson
I thought your example of how icons were used as a way for people to build strong values was great. Do you think that the 2nd commandment was used to reinforce their faith in order to prevent an icon to emerge as a new ‘deity’?To Lucas Warthen
I thought you used good examples to represent how Roman culture was present in Christian and Jewish art. What aspects of Roman culture do you think had the biggest impact on Christianity and Judaism? Was it art, social structure, practices? Great ideas overall.Cultures have been exchanging from each other for thousands of years. The influence amongst societies is a complex structure that is composed of many factors. Art is an output of humans that helps archaeologist track change within a civilization.‘The Oratory of Galla Placidia’ (425-426 CE) of Saint Lawrence have Roman pieces incorporated such as his toga and sandals to represent he was a Roman. ‘The Christian Catacombs’ in Rome are another example of a transitioning culture. The halo around Christs head is also adopted from the Romans. Just like any other culture, Christian and Jewish art is based off of ones before it. Economy, technology, settlement, trade, and social organization has a huge influence on how artforms evolve and transition into other and new cultures.
To Laura Barber
I agree with your thoughts on how the images could be viewed as false idols but are referenced to God. Do you think that the reason they didn’t create an image of God himself was to keep from possibly misrepresenting him? And/or due to the fact they had to hide their beliefs because it was illegal early on? Great ideas!One thing to bring into the discussion is that before Constantine’s ruling those who were practicing Judaism and Christianity had to hide their beliefs because it was illegal in Rome. ‘Arch of the Covenant and Menorahs’ in the Jewish Catacombs in Rome was a hiding place that they could practice and bury their dead in secret. The lack of specialization within the freso suggests that the piece was done by an amateur but regardless represents the desire to create a place of worship. It’s also important to tie in what we have learned this semester about transitioning cultures. The Romans are an extension of Etruscan and Greek culture as is Judaism and Christianity. ‘The Zodiac Mosaic’ at the Beit Alpha Synagogue blends two beliefs that is a transition of Judaism before it blossomed into a new artform, culture, and religion. Art is interpreted in many different ways and can hold multiple meanings. One individual could see the imagery as false idols, while another could see it as a representation of their beliefs. In this circumstance the imagery didn’t depict any one thing as a God leaving wiggle room for an individual to worship before either religion could unify to practice their beliefs out of hiding.
For my final project I recreated the ‘Votive Figures’ from Sumeria, using ‘The Palette of King Narmer’ and ‘Menkaure and a Queen’ as inspiration of a fictional reality if Egypt wasn’t a territorial civilization and conquered the Near East.
Paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1InxGyO0IkcTIDPRScDcl5SYXGax72r9Q/view?usp=sharing
Slideshow: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g8rEdyoTwWngs2fshR4h1pK8u5FB5u5h/view?usp=sharingTo Aubri Stogsdill
I thought your example of how the Romans influenced languages was great. Do you think the world would be the way it is today if cultures like the Greeks and Etruscans didn’t influence the Romans themselves. If the Romans were cut out of history how do you think other said cultures would have influenced the would. Religions like Roman Catholic and those influenced by them wouldn’t exist without the influence of others. Great ideas!To Laura Barber
I thought you had a great example using Augustus to show how they used imagery to leave an impression on the viewer. Other examples would be how the Romans viewed elders, making them look older to show their wisdom. The ‘barbarians’ were given rough and huge features to contrast from the elegance the Romans portrayed themselves as. Great ideas!The Romans have played a huge part in the way we construct our lives from buildings to the government. Official state and federal buildings are inspired by their architecture. Our modern day stadiums replicate the Roman amphitheater. So many sport arenas all over the world are reminiscent to ‘The Colosseum’ (70-80 CE). Pottery shards would be used with numbers to keep the crowds organized just as we use tickets today. Humans have always been complex, using art as a tool that opens us to continue to grow, learn, and evolve. For thousands of years societies influenced and shared each other’s cultures. The Romans adopted from others such as the Greeks and the Etruscans before them. Their empire led to growth for other societies and cultures to become a mixing pot that opened doors to innovation.
Throughout this semester we have learned how art has evolved with humans. With the earliest form of art in prehistory, votive figures were used as a teaching tool. As civilizations became more complex, art was used for multiple reasons. People began to use art in innovative ways to influence society. Propaganda starts to emerge as leaders find the need to persuade the growing public in support of their decisions. ‘The Arch of Constantine’ (312-315 CE) is a example of how art can be used to influence the public’s view of a leader. Arches were used to celebrate military conquest that relied on taxes from the people. Constantine’s arch took other artwork from the “Good’ emperors to incorporate into his own monument. This helps Constantine tie in his ruling with some of Rome’s best leaders, but in the process alters the pieces original meaning. As new nations rise it becomes crucial for leaders such as Constantine to use propaganda to gain support. With new factors contributing to art, its use and purpose continues to become more complex in the same way humans are.
To Jessi Willeto
I thought your examples of how the Hellenistic art represents human nature and their emotions was great. Do you think there were factors that played into the Greeks developing this humanist believe, if so what are they? I believe, possibly, that the Greeks dealing with conflicts from other cultures and/or natural disasters could have influenced this ideological belief system. As civilizations become more complex and state like, they usually invest more energy into themselves vs their deities. Great ideas!With any human action, there can be positive and negative result. I see both progression and regression in Hellenistic art influencing the Greeks humanist values. ‘The Laocoon and His Sons’ display true human emotions that emerged through the Hellenistic art style. During this period art became more specialized leading to standardization which could be considered as regression. On the other hand pieces became more complex, moving from ‘Archaic smiles’ to stronger depictions of human emotions. To the Greek culture, humanist values recognizes all behavior and emotions acted out by people. Hellenistic art should be considered with both pros and cons such as progression and regression, but neither should be overlooked.
To Tamara Toy
I thought you used great examples of how women are being represented in broader roles. One thing I try to do when analyzing cultural material is avoid stating the cultures thoughts such as your example of women being subservient to men. In todays society that perspective would be used, unfortunately we don’t know if that’s how men and women viewed their status in the past. Men were typically at the forefront of conflicts protecting women and children. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that women preferred their status. We can recognize that women are being represented more through their art. Great ideas!Many cultures had different views and roles for women that were influenced by multiple factors. Although we may not have much evidence to fully distinguish and compare between the Etruscan culture and their neighbors. Its cultural material suggests women have a higher status then the Greek and Romans. ‘The Cerveteri Sarcophagus’ dated 520 BCE depicts a man and woman reclined in a manor that was common for a banquet. It was typical for them to eat together like this. This differs from their Greek neighbors who found it inappropriate for men and women to converse in discussion. Typically cultural material and art styles between cultures blend faster than social behaviors. It’s also important to mention that we don’t know everything about this society or any due to time and lost context.
