ARTH 150 Week 2 Assignment: Ancient Roman Sculpture & Formal Analysis Practice

ARTH 150

Week 2 Assignment: Ancient Roman Sculpture & Formal Analysis Practice

Due Date: Monday, July 8th, 2024

Point Value: 120 points

Formal analysis is the tool that art historians use while viewing a work of art to make educated conclusions about the function, meaning and subject matter of a work based upon what one can see visually.

This is the same technique that you will employ while working with your own object for your paper. Based upon what you observe in the work in terms of material, size, texture, medium, gestures, facial expressions, paint handling, color, etc., you will be able to make an educated argument about what you work is communicating to viewers.

These exercises are practice in performing visual analysis. Use these as a model for your own work of art in preparation for writing your paper.

Instructions:

Please visit the following Yale University Art Gallery website links to complete this assignment:

Please note, there are multiple angles to view these sculptures with and you can also enlarge the photos.

Use your knowledge from our Roman Art lecture and your visual observations to complete the following 12 questions.

Please submit the completed worksheet directly to Canvas by the due date.

https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/181281

Portrait bust of a girl, c. 140 CE, marble

Medium: What is the medium of this work? Can you more around it? What changes in what you see as you change your angle around this work?

Size & Scale: How large is this work? Is the figures life-size? Over life-size? Under? How does this scale contribute to the impact of the work? It is overwhelming? Does it appear delicate?

Subject Matter: What is the subject matter of this work? Does it tell a story? Is it religious? Would the ideal viewer need a previous amount of knowledge to fully understand this work?

Audience: Who might have been the original intended audience? Why do you think this? Where would this work have been placed? Do you think this is a work to be viewed in private or by a group of people in public?

Color Scheme: Do you think that this work originally painted? How do the colors impact the appearance and impression of the work?

Perspective: Is there a realistic sense of perspective (depth) depicted? How is space constructed? Is it carved fully in the round? Is this figure carved in high or low relief? Is there an ideal vantage point in which to view this object?

Naturalism: Is this body depicted naturalistically? What is expressed by their facial expression?

How are the figures clothed? Can you see their bodies underneath? Is human sexuality a factor in this work? What does their clothing/lack of clothing suggest about who they are and their status?

What historical/political/or religious contexts is applicable here and would help us to better understand this object? Please pay particular attention to Slides 1-10 to address this question.

Based upon what you see visually, what do you think is the purpose/meaning/function of this work?

https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/110703

How does the Portrait bust of a girl compare with this bust (very nearby in the gallery) of Portrait of the Emperor Commodus as a Boy?

What might this bust have been used for? What is the message here (hint: think about who Commodus grows up to be).