The Funerary monument of Flavius Agricola, an ancient piece of art, is a large marble sculpture depicting a man being served at a party on a diner lid. Made of white marble, the sculpture features scratchy black and brown lines running vertically, giving it a visual texture of movement and realism. The man is portrayed in a half seat perspective, with horizontal lines representing his leg and body, contrasting with the vertical lines of his robe, which provide the main detail of the piece.
The sculpture depicts a man with one knee bent upwards, causing wrinkles in the rope. His other leg is flat and crossed under the raised leg, stretching out the robe on that side. The design of his torso and face is simple yet detailed. The size of the lid he is sitting on is fairly large but does not overpower or take away from the overall purpose of the piece. Although the sculpture is not life-sized, it is still considerably large and proportionate to its background element.
The size of the artwork immediately caught my attention as it was among the largest in the ancient art sections, which I have a liking for colossal pieces. In addition, what intrigued me was the description of the artwork. The man depicted in the piece appeared to be simply relaxing and enjoying life, without any worries or cares in the world. He seemed completely at peace with himself, focusing only on himself and whatever was in his bowl. It even felt as though he could be dozing off. Moving on to the next artwork, it is a contemporary piece that captured everyone’s gaze upon entering the room.
This piece possesses a captivating quality that inspired further investigation. It utilizes lighting, lines, and color to create an optical illusion, giving the impression that the object is floating in the air. A faint circular line seamlessly merges with the wall and its shadow, while a prominent horizontal line serves as the centerpiece. The overlapping lines of the shadow contribute to the illusions as well. Notably, the coloring is a subtle combination of light green with a touch of brown.
Once I approached the artwork, I noticed that it had been painted in a gradual fading manner, where the outer edges appeared darker than the middle of the circular shape. Additionally, it seemed like the edges had a slight glossy clear coating, creating an illusion that they seamlessly merged into the wall. This piece was strategically placed on a large wall to serve as the focal point. Instead of being a complete sphere, it was more like a third of a sphere, positioned about two feet away from the wall. The transition from an exciting, visually captivating contemporary artwork to a Renaissance painting was quite significant in terms of style and color.
The painting, “In the libo of crist,” presents a challenge in perceiving a clear flow of lines. The numerous elements in the painting blend and fade into one another, making it difficult to determine their direction. However, what makes this artwork interesting is its color scheme, which predominantly consists of warm colors. Particularly, the back right section of the painting stands out as the brightest spot, resembling fire. This leads the viewer’s attention to a figure that also appears bright within the composition. The overall color palette evokes a dark and sinister atmosphere, employing reds, yellows, and oranges to create fire-like effects in certain areas of the artwork.
The painting evokes a dark feeling with its dark green and blue colors. The darkness starts on the right side and gradually fades towards the left, although it still retains a somewhat dark tone. The composition of this painting appears small in scale since it incorporates multiple images that blend together. For instance, it includes a figure of a person with a dance floor-like surface where people are dancing, and next to that is a building with a man attempting to keep the door shut.
Despite the variety of images, they all have a coherence that makes them appear attainable. From a chaotic and foreboding painting to an eighteenth-century piece, all the way to a serene depiction of Washington Street at dusk. In this artwork, it appears that the artist utilized a two-point perspective as indicated by the straight vertical and horizontal lines that guide our gaze towards the distant background, which gradually dissolves into a blur of tiny buildings.
The building on the left has prominent vertical lines due to the contrasting colors of the shadows in the windows and on the side. These vertical lines are also slightly tilted towards the bottom of the painting. The shadow difference and the roof’s different color make these lines easily visible. The coloring is mostly subdued, with no intense bright colors except for the street lights. The sky transitions from a lingering hint of daylight on the left to a dark and night-like atmosphere on the right. The buildings are depicted in a light, warm gray or brown shade.
The painting exhibits both visible lines and a high saturation of colors. There is a lack of prominent variation in hue between the people, cars, and buildings on the street. The utilization of three-dimensional space is evident in this artwork through shading and the presence of shadows from the buildings and people. The painting itself is quite large, covering most of the wall it is on. The inner scale, however, is smaller than the overall outline. This smaller inner scale is due to the abundance of details, such as numerous small people and a small tram that appears diminutive compared to the entire painting.
The painting showcases numerous buildings, with the primary emphasis placed on the sky, which dominates a substantial portion of the artwork. The technique employed in this painting particularly captivated me. From afar, it exhibited a seamless and fluid appearance. Yet upon closer examination, I observed thick layers of paint overlapping one another, resulting in distinct variations in texture. When scrutinized up close, the colors did not blend seamlessly.
The painting Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan showcases a distinct departure from the use of bland colors and sharp lines seen in the painting of Washington street at dusk. In this artwork, there is a prevalence of curvy lines, varying in thickness. These lines are predominantly vertical, as they depict people sitting upright. Notably, the woman sitting on the man’s lap is distinguished by her pale complexion, contrasting with the man’s dark-toned attire. The sheets and robes contribute to the creation of flowing, wavy lines. Additionally, the worn-out sheets display a juxtaposition of thicker and thinner lines that transition from darker to lighter shades.
The noticeable silhouettes of their bodies are a result of the drastic change in color in the background. Additionally, there is a presence of horizontal lines visible through the clouds both at the bottom and top. The rolling, bubbly lines resemble hills on a grassy plain. The clouds, although the dullest aspect in terms of color, play a vital role in highlighting the bright colors of the picture. Their gloomy shade of gray enhances the visibility of their dark green sheet, which would not stand out as much without the cloudy backdrop.
The man’s shield and uniform would not have the same brightness without the enhancing background. The gold helmet, with its strong highlights, attracts attention to the focal point of the image. From there, one’s gaze is guided to the pale skin, which stands out because of its surroundings. The contrast between her pale white body and the brownish gold and dark red behind her further emphasizes her presence. Most of the picture has a dark shade, except for the woman’s white body that becomes even more noticeable due to the highlight on her shoulder and upper back.
The painting is notable for its vivid colors and size. The central focus of the artwork is a man and woman, occupying a substantial portion of the left side. The man’s helmet and head go beyond the halfway mark. The vacant space is filled with clouds and a smaller representation of gods. In conventional depictions, gods would be portrayed on a larger scale, but in this painting, they are reduced to fit within the composition.
The artist also made the gods in the clouds appear smaller in order to create a sense of depth, making them seem farther away. Furthermore, the artist utilized positive and negative space in the clouds and their coloring to establish a visual contrast. The weight of the picture is concentrated in the lower half through the placement of the main images and the use of darker colors. This darkness gradually transitions into lighter clouds as well as a complete absence of clouds towards the top.
