Augustus Of Primaporta Essay

Augustus, formerly known as Octavian, was the adopted son of dictator Julius Caesar and Emperor or Rome. Octavian set out to destroy his father’s murderers and assembled his own army in his quest for power and retribution. At the start, he shared rule with Mark Antony, however, their collaboration proved ineffective leading Augustus to pursue more and more control, culminating in the defeat of Antony in the battle of Actium and assuming rule as Emperor of Rome. Augustus did not inherit rule, his pursuit for power comprised of manipulative actions veiled under his generosity, concern for his people and charismatic tone and tenor. Res Gestae Divi Augusti expresses a sense of self adoration and honor in his quest for power and control, yet the subtext portrays a vastly different undertone, that of use of cajoling and propagandizing messages to benefit his position and accumulation of control of the republic. This Res Gestae is Augustus’ mechanism of self-promotion and adoration for his exceptional leadership qualities, concern and respect gleaned from his citizens and senate, and his military savvy to overpower and gain peace for the Romans, thus proclaiming his reign as one of prestige and importance.

It is a common theme for groups of artist to revolt against their predecessors and the common standards that the pervious community of artist held. This is seen repeatedly from the ancient Greeks, whose bronze and marble sculptures developed around the perfection of the male human form, to the transition to the Romans their ideas followed the individual they sculpted busts of the great leaders and the common people of many different ages showing the uniqueness of all of them. This change was also apart of the architecture, Greek temples focused decorations on the outside of the temples on the metopes with sculptures, almost in the round, to show visitors the wealth of their towns were as the Romans focus the the decorations on the inside they were showing off for themselves.

The image of the statue, Augustus of Prima Porta, portrays Augustus as a strong military leader. His elaborate military uniform, including a very ornate breastplate, conveys both power and strength. His manly stance shows a decisive self-confidence. The painting titled Octavius Caesar (Later the Emperor Augustus), and Cleopatra portrays Augustus in a position of dominance, standing over Cleopatra. He wears a laurel wreath on his head, signifying victory. Cleopatra, a strong ruler in her own right, is kneeling submissively.

The “human form” has changed through art over long periods of time and how each civilization uses their own style to create these pieces is how art gets its depth. I'm going to be talking about one of each sculpture from every major period and explain how each one has its own flavor and own unique style. I will be talking about the Prehistoric period, Egyptian style, Greek style and Roman styles. I also have a list of vocabulary words i will be pointing out in bold to explain how these are used in sculptures.

Emperor Augustus commissioned these sculptures around 20 B.C.E. to be distributed around the Empire as propaganda. This statue communicates his ideology and power. Before Augustus came to power, Roman political culture valued older, wiser men for positions of political power. He decided the Roman empire need to return to the classical idea of an emperor who was a strong, youthful military victor. According to Fischer, “...by modeling the Primaporta statue on such an iconic Greek sculpture created during the height of Athens’ influence and power, Augustus connects himself to the Golden Age of that previous civilization.” Both Augustus of Primaporta and Leviathan Zodiac are both trying to curate an idea of power and masculinity. While Augustus of Primaporta propagandistic in nature, Wiley’s work is trying to send out an innocent but powerful message about how we perceive marginalized groups of

Augustus was the first emperor, and founder, of the Roman Empire. He was a generous leader, and had a sense of caution in mind with every decision. His document, Res Gestae Divi Augusti, notes all of his accomplishments during his reign. He established an especially impressive army during his time. In the first paragraph, he introduces the beginning of his kingship, “In my nineteenth year… I raised an army with which I set free the state, which was oppressed by the domination of a faction” (Res Gestae Divi Augusti, 1). In the second to fourteenth paragraphs he touches on the politics of his career and the events that transpired. In paragraphs fifteen through twenty-four, he notes his donations of money, land, public works, ect. Paragraphs twenty-five through thirty-three take his military and alliances into account. In the final two paragraphs, thirty-four and thirty-five, he discusses Roman people’s assessment of his reign. Augustus was a very powerful leader with his well planned strategies, and made the people of Rome very proud.

I chose to do my research paper on Augustus Caesar. The reason I chose him is because there are few people in history to reach his level of dominance and authority that he possessed. It was over two thousand years ago and his name is still very well known in history. He left his mark on history like very few people that have ever live. In this research paper, I will first write about his story to leadership and how he abstained power. Following this will be an in depth breakdown of his leadership style and how he chose to lead others.

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was bon in 163 B.C. and came from a distinguished family. His grandfather conquered Hannibal, his father brought the Celtiberian war successfully to a close, reduced Sardinia, and was elected consul for two terms and sensor for one. His mother Cornelia was a woman of wide-culture who employed Greek tutors to educate her sons, Tiberius and Gaius. Two tutors who influenced Tiberius at a young age were Diophanes, a teacher of oration and Blossius of Cumae, a philosopher.

This piece of art is an ink drawing by Johannes Stradanus. It is a visual depiction of our hero, Odysseus, standing before a line of shades who are waiting to speak with him. Odysseus had dug a pit with his sword and filled it with the blood of the sacrificed sheep. The shades are to drink from the blood before their meeting with Odysseus, being the main activity occurring in the drawing. The line is lead by Tiresias, and next to him kneels Anticlea, Odysseus’s mother, who is next in line to drink. The most significant figure in the drawing is Odysseus. He is portrayed as honourable due to his pose of pride, and noble clothing. He is the brightest and most detailed of all the figures. The artist wants the observer to focus on the main activity

I am choosing to focus on the imperial portrait reliefs from the Ara Pacis for matrix cell 1 because this monument combines politics, religion and social values. The Ara Pacis Augustae epitomizes the Mos Maiorum, the visual manifestation of Roman virtues and laws. This paper will explain why the reliefs on the Ara Pacis can be considered political propaganda. Furthermore, I will analyze how the art in this monument exhibits the importance of civic piety in Roman politics.

Augustus of Primaporta has both Greek ideals of style and symbolic and the Roman artistic conventions by combining traditions. The sculpture added mythological and historical imagery to exaggerate Augustus. Which is to celebrate his accomplishments as well. Using these combinations, the message of Augustus is clear that is an excellent military leader. With the perfect body of a Greek athlete, it also shows a cupid and a dolphin riding on his right leg. Which symbolise great naval victory as the dolphin while the cupid stands as Augustus is descended from the gods.

Hierarchical scale is a favorite among ancient artists when creating works featuring a high ranking member of society, be it a god or a mortal king. People in power want to remain relevant to the people they serve, and this relevance is often reiterated through forms of political propaganda that make them appear more menacing or divine. One of the more blatant examples of art indicating and reinforcing social status is the “Altar to the Hand and Arm” (Kleiner 402-403). Upon first glance, the most important figure can be picked out of the other figures being depicted in this piece. Ancient African artists had a solid grasp on proportion, but they often honored their leaders by giving them larger heads to represent the endless

The Augustus of Primaporta is a statue that portrays Emperor Augustus in having immense power and purpose. When I strike the pose I truly feel the way Augustus must have felt. I am sticking my beautiful chest plate out and my left leg is swinging forward as if I’m moving into battle. I am not satisfied with what land I have now, no, I want more. I am not simply attacking, I am conquering. I am leading my people into battle and no one can stop me or tell me otherwise. The position feels like I am speaking to motivate my men before going into battle. Every word out of my mouth would receive nothing but the utmost attention from my men as they stare at me with all my glory. With my hand raised my staff in my arm, I would charge and attack wherever

Augustus seemed troubled; his posture drooped benightedly; his beautiful, prussian blue orbs looked weary; his cloak billowed uselessly behind him; his purple laced toga swept across the floor; his beard hadn't been neatly trimmed as usual; what seemed most scandalous of all, though, his sandy hair was ruffled. Augustus always, always took pride in keeping his hair in excellent condition. However, as Mynah surveyed him, he wasn't disgusted or scornful. But rather, sympathetic.

Ever since the creation of the Greek myths, various works of art have been created to represent many of the stories that these myths created. One such example is, Perseus with the Head of Medusa created by Benvenuto Cellini in 1554. This statue, as the title suggest, depicts the hero Perseus holding the recently decapitated head of Medusa. However, this statue does not just serve as a reminder of the story of Perseus, but also a political statement. To explore this history of this statue, and the myth that inspired it, we must examine the myth, the sculptor, and the reason for the statues creation.