3/30/2023 0 Comments Arch of constantineMaxentius had also been an avid builder, raising important new buildings both in the centre and in the peri- phery of the city. He had torn down statues of Constantine and changed or destroyed their faces (Nazarii, Paneg. Before the battle at Pons Milvius, it was Maxentius who was de facto emperor in Rome. The frieze is a visual manifestation of Constantine’s campaign and his entry into Rome. The ‘style’ of the Constantinian Arch is then the result of a negligence of style as an aesthetic factor. 20 Applying the paradigmatic framework of the three main categories, where two of them trigger beauty-related responses, it is clear that the primary purpose of the Arch of Constantine, and later the Obelisk base of Theodosius, was to state a case for the victorious emperor and elicit the proper awe and admiration from his subjects. Caillet, there would have been little point in subtlety. In contrast to art objects meant to be viewed close-up, most people would have experienced the Arch of Constantine from a distance. The pictures on the Arch of Constantine were intended to communicate, but the viewer was not expected to inter- act with the monument as an artwork. 19 In large, official monuments like the Arch of Constantine, the main point was to deliver a message to as many people as possible. Triumphal arches and columns, and a monument like Theodosius’ Obelisk base in Constantinople obviously served different purposes than, say, a silver casket or a golden apse. One could, to some extent, compare this category to the visual images on television and in newspapers and advertisements. ![]() Here the aesthetic properties are much less important than the message to be conveyed. Such works have a public, political and propagandistic function. ![]() A third and quite different category consists of official monuments in outdoor settings. In the realm of the church, golden mosaics give form to heavenly light, a beautiful work being a delight to contemplate and a gift worthy to present to God. In the private realm, a small art work or a mag- nificent interior displays the owner’s status, wealth and refined taste. 18 In the above instances, artistic and aesthetic qualities are paramount: from the exquisite fashion- ing of tiny forms to the layout and design of grand secular and sacred decorations, excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail certainly matter. But from the fourth century onwards, the pictorial programmes especially serve a religious purpose: the dazzling material of large-scale golden mosaics in churches, baptisteries and mausoleums is the new and most significant artistic medium. In imperial and private contexts, it has a representative function. ![]() This is a monumental art form, fixed to interior surfaces. of non-portable art in situ : wall- paintings and sumptuous mosaic decorations of vaults, walls and floors.
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