Art History – Roman

  1. Discuss the influence of both Greek and Etruscan architecture on Roman temple design.
  2. Select an example of Roman painting representing each of the Pompeian style (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th), and explain the characteristics of each. Note the devices used to create the illusion of space.
  3. Name three works commissioned by Augustus and describe their political significance.
  4. How were both realistic and Greek idealizing characteristics incorporated into the Ara Pacis Augustae? In what respects did the reliefs from the Ara Pacis Augustae resemble the Parthenon frieze and how do they differ?
  5. How did the Greeks and the Romans differ in their conception of architectural space? Include in your discussion the Greek Parthenon, the Roman Pantheon, the Baths of Caracalla and the Basilica of Constantine. How did the building techniques used by each determine the types of spaces that could be constructed?
  6. The emperors Trajan and Hadrian both made great architectural contributions to Rome. What were they? Which do you think had the greatest effect on later architecture? Why?
  7. Discuss the effect of changing funerary practices on Roman art. Cite specific examples.
  8. Discuss the development of Roman portraiture by comparing and contrasting the heads of a Republican Roman, Augustus, Vespasian, Caracalla, Trajan Decius, and Constantine. How do the various portraits or relate to the concept of ”likeness” and / or to political statements?
  9. Analyze the stylistic differences between the reliefs from the Parthenon, the Column of Trajan, and the reliefs from the Arch of Constantine. In what ways do the style and subject matter of these reliefs reflect the social, religious, and political concerns of the society for which each was made?
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