Throughout history, every period has had an idea that its inhabitants have expressed through art as can been seen by creating an imaginary museum containing their works. First, I will list the pieces that should be placed in such a museum, then each choice will be explained by period.
The pieces I would use are: Greek: Polykleitos of Argos’s Doryphoros, marble, 440 B.C.E. (Benton and DiYanni 37) and Exekias’s Ajax and Achilles, amphora, 550-525 B.C.E. (Benton and DiYanni 39); Roman: Domitian’s Arch of Titus, marble, 81 A.D. (University of Michigan) and Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, gilded bronze, 164-166 C.E. by Anonymous (Benton and DiYanni 60); Early Christian: Emperor Justinian and Attendants, mosaic, 547 C.E. by Anonymous (Benton …show more content…
The Arch of Titus offers many different aspects of Roman art within one piece. The Roman innovation in architecture, that which allowed for buildings such as the Colosseum to be built, along with evidence of the Roman’s obsession with the magnitude of their architecture, are present within the piece. After walking through the arch, the patron will come across a mounted horseman, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Both pieces have this in common, they show the shift in Roman art to representing images emperors and their stories alongside those of the gods’, the arch though its many reliefs and the statue through the presentation of the …show more content…
Ironically, the period that has been termed The Dark Ages was obsessed with light when it came to the design of their architecture. The Gothics believed that God was far above the Earth, therefore, the way to minimize the distance between themselves and their creator was to build tall structures. In addition to height, light was used to symbolize God, consequently, the Gothic cathedral allowed in as much light as possible through stained glass windows, such as the rose windows found in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, as another way to be in closer proximity to God. Shifting their gaze along the direction of the light, the museum patron notices a book opened to an illumination of a calendar for the month of June. This illumination further demonstrates the Gothic hierarchy with the field laborers beneath a Gothic-style building which is beneath a chariot carrying the sun pulled by winged horses which is itself beneath the stars and