The Modern Mosaic

This work of art is from the Greek, Hellenistic period, c. 270- 250 B.C.E. This fifteen inch marble bust corresponds to a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty according to the typical facial features of the ruling family at that time. The Ptolemaic dynasty occurred when there was a succession of Macedonian Greeks over Egypt from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. until the annexation of Egypt by Rome and the suicide of Cleopatra VII in 30 B.C. Therefore, this head was most likely created to symbolize a Ptolemaic Queen. Its subject matter, the themes or ideas in a work of art distinct from its form, is not evident

Choose a work of art from the reading in Chapter 1. Discuss how the work is a reflection of the ancient culture that created it. Also, did anything particularly surprise or impress

decoration of the Dome of the Rock, however, is the mosaic work.” 2 Once inside, the rock that

The glass like surface of the tiles made it appear shiny in nature, very smooth looking stones were used. The design itself isn’t reminiscent of Byzantine Art from that time

| Garum jar in mosaic from the villa of Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, Pompeii, an ‘advertisement’ on the floor of his atrium.

Unlike the stylized sculpture from the Archaic period or ancient period. In this piece, the sculptor Polykleitos made this male figure as perfect as possible, Polykleitos showed people his remarkable observation and skills on this piece, and most importantly, he created a mathematical formula to make a perfect human figure, in another word, he takes human part as a measuring tool to figure out how different parts of body relate to other parts (Stewart, Andrew). Greeks was more obsessed with the idea o perfect than ever, therefore, Polykeitos developed this technique in order to satisfy their desire of perfection. This shift of the awareness of the concept of beauty is a turning point in the art history, This innovation is combined philosophy and art, It promoted the studying and understanding of the idealistic and perfection in human figures, even influenced the artists after thousands of

It was found in Pompeii, Italy. The scene featured is Alexander at the battle of Issos in 333 BCE. Alexander is depicted as fighting with the Persian Emperor Darius (Stokstad and Cothren 146-147). In my opinion, this mosaic seems to show the moment that Alexander and Darius meet on the battle field. This seems to foreshadow the fall of the Persian Empire and the rise of Alexander the Great.

In the fourth and third century BCE, the Etruscans produced many engraved mirrors decorated with scenes from Greek or local mythology. A characteristic product of the Etruscans, they provide a great deal of information about Etruscan bronze technology and the development of Etruscan art. An example at the Walters Museum, "Mirror with Heracles, Dionysus, Ariadne, and Eros," allows the viewer to see such an object and come to an appreciation of the skilled and intricate work required by an artisan to make it. Many Etruscan mirrors are decorated with a similar scene, which also appeared in Greece during the fifth century BCE, often on painted terra cotta vases. Art historians at the British Museum have undertaken a project to catalogue all known existing Etruscan mirrors.

Two additional works of art that we will discuss, is the Justinian Mosaic and the Bull Leaping Fresco. Both being excellent pieces of art from different periods, we will discuss them in detail with characteristics that are similar and contradictory. The Justinian Mosaic is a wonderful piece that exhibits the well trained craftsmanship of artist from the Early Byzantium period, dating to 547. However, the artist ability from the late Minoan Period equally had a true eye for quality, and it shows with the Bull Leaping Fresco from around 1450 BCE.

This artifact was found in Europe, most likely from the ancient Romans (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).

With the invention of mosaics, Greeks and Romans left us a treasure of life. All past and present images, represented in mosaics are something unique and artistically beautiful for our eyes appreciation. No matter the country or region, mosaics will be always accepted for people that appreciate art. We artists have the responsibility to not lose this gif that our historical ancestors left for us, and continue giving this to our young

First off we are going to learn about ancient Greek art. The Greeks mastered the idea of sculpture, in earlier times the sculptures looked fake but by the classical period they started looking more natural with realistic-looking faces. The Greeks also liked to make pottery out of stone and clay, they usually would have mythological or religious scenes on them and grew more realistic over time. The first ancient Greek art that we will be learning about today is the Winged Victory of Samothrace. It was created around 220-185 BC made from parian and rhodian marble. On April 15, 1863 workers were excavating and uncovered parts of a statue. They then sent it to the Louvre, where it is currently on display.You can’t tell from the picture, but can you believe that this statue is over 18 feet tall!! It has been suggested that she was once holding something in her right hand, such as a trumpet, wreath, or a fillet. The base of the sculpture is made up of 23 blocks of marble.

The piece is a red-figured, wine bowl that is attributed to the Niobid Painter. It was made in Athens, Greece around 460-450 BC, and found in Altamura. Puglia, Italy (British Museum). There are two scenes on top of one another that occur in the piece. The top scene is the creation of Pandora. She is standing rigid while five of the gods are standing around her. Athena is about to put a wreath on her head. The scene below displays a frieze of dancing and playing satyrs. Because the vase is round it isn’t possible to see all the figures in the piece. But looking at the piece from the front, six gods are portrayed in the top scene. The gods in the scene from left to right are: Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Pandora, Ares, and Hermes. The gods in the piece are identifiable because of distinguishable traits that certain characters

The piece of art that I selected was Herakles and Athena Attic Red Figure made during 490-470 BC, during the Greek Archaic Period which is from 800-479 BC. Therefore, the art arose during the Late Archaic Time Period and Greeks started to shift more to the Classical Period. During the Archaic Period, there was a vast change in Greek language, society, art, architecture, and politics due to trade. Dates vary by every historian and there is some flexibility with the time periods. Even though the pottery was made in the Late Archaic Period, the civilization began to change and because of that, many believe that the Greek mythology played an important role between both time periods. The Classical Period is more well-known due to “tragedies, comedies, histories, legal cases and more surviving in the form of literary and epigraphic sources.”

The Roman Pool is decorated from ceiling to floor with 1" square mosaic tiles. These glass tiles, called smalti, are either colored (mainly blue or orange) or are clear with fused gold inside. The intense colors and shimmering gold of the tiles combine to create a breathtaking effect. The designs created by the tiles were developed by muralist Camille Solon. The inspiration for some of these designs came from the 5 C. Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (Kastner, p. I-261.)