Some Art Opinions with Mack

One of the most important things about Rome is it's own physical reputation of itself. It's what helps researchers to identify key moments in Ancient Rome. For example, the Colosseum was a staple of Roman culture. It was designed to sit 50,000 people and the events, such as plays, could be performed by 3,000 cast members. Battles between gladiators were very popular, so much so that there was different types of fighting to chose from: boxing, some fighters were armored, some were not, slaves beating other people with whips, and men would fight live animals. Most of the time, the Colosseum used as an area of public execution. The Colosseum is still one of the largest buildings in the world today. Another example is the sculpture that the Romans adapted from the Greeks. However, Romans decided to make their art more realistic. Most people would even keep wax molds of their deceased loved ones. While Rome evolved from the Greeks to go for a more realistic approach, they

Ara Pacis is a monument and former altar dedicated to Augustus's military campaign triumphs in, what is now, Spain and France. Also, it is representative of Roman peace during the time. In fact, Ara Pacis means Altar of Peace. The numerous reliefs of plants and flowers on the altar is meant to show the fertility of the Augustan empire. Ironically, the Ara Pacis was primarily  an open-air altar for blood sacrifice associated with the Roman state religion. The men and women on the sides of the altar are supposed  to represent different screens of the sacrifice. The people, such as  lictors, priests , members of the Imperial household, including women and children, attendants  are dressed in proper clothing and their solemn  faces are somehow meant to be a symbol  of peace.  There are also fragments depicting scenes from myth. Overall, the altar itself is beautiful but it is what you would expect from a piece of Roman architecture. Until you learn that it was used to sacrifice God-kno

Painted Masks: Painted masks start off with a basic form of a face then the details are painted on. Sculptural Masks: Sculptural masks are carved or molded into a face along with some extreme detail. Ancient Greek Masks:  Ancient Greek masks are a form of sculptural masks, but they are far from human likeness. In comedy plays, the masks are so deformed to a specific emotion that they look ridiculous regardless of what they are trying to express. In tragedies, however, masks look more life-like to represent a person instead of a joke. All masks had their mouths wide open so that the actor could talk. They also had hair, nostrils, and large openings for the eyes built in for the actor to breathe and see.

Laocoon and His Sons is a stat ue made by Agesander,   Athenodoros, and Polydorus of Rhodes.   In one version of his story written by Virgil,  Laocoon was a   Trojan   priest  who was killed along with his sons to expose the  Trojan Horse. He did so by s triking it with a spear,  and, after he and his sons were killed by snakes, the Trojans interpreted their deaths as proof that the horse was a sacred object . In another version written by Sophocles, he was a priest of  Apollo  who was married and had children even though he shouldn't have. The snakes killed his only sons, thus leaving Laocoon alive to suffer alone.  The statue expresses extreme  saddeness.  Laocoon's body language  depicts  him in agony as his children and  himself  die. Laocoon's facial expression is  the epitome of agnoy, and the anticipation  of awaiting death shown on all their faces  tells the beholder that they are in extreme  pain. 

Theater was prevalent all throughout Ancient Greece as a way to come together as a community. It was a way to inform commoners about politics, or to ponder some philosophy, or to laugh, or cry, and to be set free from everyday life. The actors would over exaggerate their emotions to make it clear to the audience what they were feeling and would make detailed masks of monsters or people with intense expressions. Music was also a very important part of Greek theater. The Greeks found a way to separate their plays into two genres: tragedy and comedy. We still use these to categorize plays to this day. Tragedy plays include Oedipus Rex , Antigone , and Medea . The Clouds ,  Lysistrata , and The Birds  are some of the more famous comedy plays. These plays were performed all the time in Ancient Greece; for festivals, for kings, for competitions. It such a normal part of Greece at the time that I'm surprised they didn't get wiped out from exhaustion or alcohol poisoning.

Artemis (or Diana if you're Roman) is the goddess of hunting, the wilderness, and wild animals. She is also associated with the moon, is the twin sister of Apollo and, in my personal opinion, one of the most badass ladies in history. For example, when giants attacked Olympus, Artemis transformed into a deer and ran in between them to throw them off. In ancient art, she's depicted as a young woman with a hunting bow and quiver of arrows. A deer or a dog usually follows her. She's also portrayed as strong judging by her height compared to others and has a crescent moon as a crown or a headdress of flowers. Artemis is one of (if not: the ) most powerful and incredible goddess in Greek mythology. Below are paintings and sculptures of Artemis.

This article, Egypt: The Art of Immortality, talks about the Egyptian's obsession with the idea of immortality, and how that shines through their art. Historians have gathered information of Ancient Egyptian culture primarily through the tombs they built for their pharaohs. They would fill the tomb with gifts and paintings for the pharaoh's spirit, or ka , so that he may thrive in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians, also, carved statues of their rulers and, since they are made to last forever, they are made of hard material such as, granite. They were strict about making sure that sculptures and paintings resembled the human form, which is why their art looks so realistic. From the strict way of constructing sculptures and paintings to the complicated pyramid structures, this article covers most of Egypt's eternal art.   You can see how much they cared for their art down below.

The main point of this article,  The Art of Learning: Why Art History Might be the Most Important Subject You Could Study Today , that's expressed throughout is that art history can teach you different ways to look at the world around you from different perspectives because you have to understand what the artist is trying to express with very little evidence to do so. Art history essentially teaches you to be sympathetic: human. However, since STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) along with many Republican senators have been pushing art history as a 'past-time activity,' the field has been nearly eclipsed by other more demanding jobs. Although, the author convinces you that it is definitely worth a shot.  What I appreciate the most about this article is that the author stresses the importance of learning empathy through the field of art history. Since one has to understand what an artist was trying to convey through their art, in order to be good in