Fresco of Primavera (or Flora), ca. 1st century
Our modern world echoes and sometimes even replicates creative vestiges of the past—from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to Wedgwood pottery, from the paintings of Pablo Picasso to the Washington Monument. One key to understanding our surroundings is through an overview of ancient material culture. Focusing on the Mediterranean region, art historian Renee Gondek surveys art from the Greek “Dark Ages” through the early Christian period of ancient Rome (ca. 11th century B.C.E. to the 4th century).
February 5 The “Dark Ages” and Archaic Greece
Gondek delves into the surviving art and architecture of early mainland Greece. She explores how Greek art developed from geometric styles into the rigid forms of Archaic kouroi and korai and examines the art of vase painting in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E.
February 12 From the Classical to Hellenistic Period
The focus is on the Greek celebration of the human figure in the High Classical Period, highlighted in Polykleitos’ “Doryphoros” and the Parthenon sculptures. Gondek examines how these works reflect a canon of ideal proportions and how later artists shifted toward motion, emotion, and drama. Examples such as the “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” “Venus de Milo,” and “Laocoön” exemplify this trend.
February 19 Rome: Early City and Domestic Spaces
Evidence of Rome’s beginnings is found throughout art and architecture that reveal how the Romans adopted and transformed traditional Greek forms, generating entirely new creations. Such composite works include the Temple of Portunus in Rome, the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia in Palestrina, and sculpted portraits like the one of a Roman general found in Tivoli and the pseudo-athlete of Delos. A discussion of the dwellings of the Roman elite highlights domestic architecture and the styles of ancient frescoes.
February 26 The Roman Empire and Late Antiquity
From the Ara Pacis and Trajan’s Column to the Pantheon and Arch of Constantine, imperial monuments conveyed the strength of the Roman Empire and its rulers. Gondek discusses early Christian art of late antiquity, exemplified by the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus and the basilica of Santa Sabina, which both drew from and challenged the Classical aesthetic.
4 sessions
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