Etruscan & Roman Art Flashcards
ID - Apollo
Etruscan, Archaic Period 6th Century BCE
ID - Reclining Couple Sarcophagus
Etruscan, Archaic Period 6th Century BCE
ID - Head of an Old Man
Roman, Roman Republic Period
ID - Temple of Fortuna Virilis
Roman, Roman Republic Period
ID - Augustus of Primaporta
Roman, Early Empire Period
ID - The Arch of Titus
Roman, Early Empire Period
ID - Pont-du-Gard
Roman, Early Empire Period
ID - The Colosseum
Roman, Early Empire Period
ID - Pantheon
Roman, High Empire Period
ID - The Tetrarchs
Roman, Late Empire Period
What were the two main architectural advances of the Etruscans?
Masonry architecture and atrium houses (apparently? she said that in class but i think that tumuli are important too)
What was the most common Etruscan painting technique?
Fresco
What characterizes Etruscan sculpture?
Motion, power, dynamism
What do Etruscan frescos provide?
The most important example of pre-Roman figurative art
Who supposedly founded Rome?
Romulus, after killing Remus
What is another common name for the Etruscan culture? (This is definitely on the test)
The Monarchy Period (in relation to Roman history)
What are the origins of the Etruscans?
It is a mystery
What was the role of women in Etruscan society?
They had independence and freedom
How did the Etruscans treat death?
As a celebration
What was a tumulus?
A circular artificial hill that served as a family tomb, often decorated to be identical to the family’s home
What material was used to build tumuli?
Tufa (local limestone)
What type of arch is the “Arch of Constantine”?
Triple & triumphal arch
What is significant about the placement of the “Constatine the Great” sculpture in the apse of the Basilica Nova?
It showed his power
What were the Roman basilicas used for and what did they precede?
Courts of law; Christian basilicas (used as churches)
When did Constantine legalize Christianity?
313 CE
When did Constantine recognize Christianity as the official religion of Rome?
325 CE
What was very important in Roman architecture?
Interior space
What characterizes Roman art as a whole?
It makes use of classical forms but expresses non-classical concepts
Where was Rome’s genius found?
Law, government, engineering, architecture, and the creation of concrete
What were Rome’s energies?
Conquest & administration (includes architecture)
What was the preferred sculptural medium of the Etruscans?
Clay or bronze
What is the sculpture “Head of an Old Man” an example of?
Verism
What is verism?
Truth in sculpture; naturalism
Name an example of religious architecture from the Roman Republic Period.
Temple of Fortuna Virilis
What are engaged columns?
Decorative columns that are attached to exterior walls and serve no function
Name an example of domestic architecture from the Roman Republic Period.
Atrium of the House of the Vettii
What is a compluvium?
A rectangular opening in the ceiling of an atrium
What is an impluvium?
A basin in the floor of an atrium
What are the styles of wall painting?
Masonry (marble illusion), Illusionistic (narrative, architectural/perspective, landscape), Ornate (subdivided panels), and Intricate (combination of all)
What sculpture was the base for the “Augustus of Primaporta”?
“Doryphoros” by Polykleitos
What change did the Romans make to Polykleitos’s statue?
They added a veristic head, in contrast to the idealized style of the original statue
What type of monument is the “Ara Pacis”?
Sculptural & commemorative
What does the “Ara Pacis” represent?
The 41 years of peace under the rule of Augustus
What type of arch is the “Arch of Titus”?
Triumphal arch & commemorative monument
What is a triumphal arch?
An “ancient billboard” which displays ancestry or deeds of the owner (usually the emperor)
What can both the “Pont-du-Gard” and the “Colosseum” be considered?
Triumphs of Roman engineering
What architectural advancements were essential to the construction of the “Pont-du-Gard” and the “Colosseum”?
The invention of concrete and barrel & groin vaults (know what they look like!)
Without what would there be no Rome?
Water, and by extension aqueducts
What does the “Column of Trajan” function as?
A sculptural & commemorative monument with a continuous narrative (important) that displays “content over form” (very important) with a tomb at the base
What classification of architecture is the “Pantheon”?
Religious
What enabled the dome of the “Pantheon” to remain stable?
Concrete, coffered dome, and oculus
What is an ambulatory?
A walkway
What is an insula?
A Roman apartment building
What is a domus?
A Roman single family home
What standard does the “Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius” set?
The style and pose of basically every equestrian statue ever
Who was Marcus Aurelius?
The last great Roman Imperial Emperor
What is important about the “Tetrarchs” sculpture?
It was abstract representation of a form of government: complete departure from the idealism of Greece and the verism of the Roman Republic
Name an example of civic architecture & its time period.
Basilicas, Late Empire Period
