Art History 701 - Roman Art Seminar: Portraiture
Fall
2017
01
3.00
Laetitia La Follette
TU 4:00PM 6:45PM
UMass Amherst
41470
Ancient Rome was filled with portrait statues, which have been called "the other population" of this capital city. What social purposes did they serve and how did they speak to Roman audiences?
In this seminar, we will explore Roman portraits, both private and public (definitions that were culturally determined and do not always correspond to our own), in contexts as varied as imperial baths, lower-class tombs, and religious sanctuaries, to investigate the way they served as catalysts for the imagination and memory, at the same time that they broadcast more "hardcore" messages about social status and political allegiance.
Our sources on Roman portraiture are disparate as well as fragmentary, requiring an interdisciplinary approach that draws on archaeological evidence, the texts of ancient authors, the inscriptions affixed to statues by those who dedicated them, and of course the works of art that survive, along with modern comparanda that may help to provide insight.
In this seminar, we will explore Roman portraits, both private and public (definitions that were culturally determined and do not always correspond to our own), in contexts as varied as imperial baths, lower-class tombs, and religious sanctuaries, to investigate the way they served as catalysts for the imagination and memory, at the same time that they broadcast more "hardcore" messages about social status and political allegiance.
Our sources on Roman portraiture are disparate as well as fragmentary, requiring an interdisciplinary approach that draws on archaeological evidence, the texts of ancient authors, the inscriptions affixed to statues by those who dedicated them, and of course the works of art that survive, along with modern comparanda that may help to provide insight.
Undergraduates must have a class in Ancient or permission of instructor. No pre-reqs for Graduate Students.