I do want to say how much I love Roman statues that look like real people. Warts and double chins and fucked up faces and all. I love that these were no doubt wealthy citizens who could have demanded that they be glammed up, but they said “No, you capture my sunken cheeks! That’s what I look like!” Good for them.
There’s actually a whole ‘thing’ about that! Hellenic sculptures tend to be very idealized, and while the Romans learned most of their artistic techniques from the Greeks, there was a popularity of ‘verism’ in Roman sculpture, emphasizing physical flaws, especially signs of age. It’s thought that this reflected Roman mores and norms rather than being purely stylistic; the imperfections of a person emphasizing republican ideals of citizen-politicians, and of an un-vain age reflecting both wisdom and good, honest Roman practicality!
I think it’s hilarious to compare these to the famous statue of Octavian, the Augustus of Prima Porta. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the first Emperor of Rome had a big ego, but wouldn’t even he be at least a little embarrassed by putting his face (or rather his face when he was younger) on the body of a god? It reminds me of those pictures with Trump’s head put on top of the body of a very muscular athlete.
I do want to say how much I love Roman statues that look like real people. Warts and double chins and fucked up faces and all. I love that these were no doubt wealthy citizens who could have demanded that they be glammed up, but they said “No, you capture my sunken cheeks! That’s what I look like!” Good for them.
Edit:
Look at these:
They’re fantastic.
There’s actually a whole ‘thing’ about that! Hellenic sculptures tend to be very idealized, and while the Romans learned most of their artistic techniques from the Greeks, there was a popularity of ‘verism’ in Roman sculpture, emphasizing physical flaws, especially signs of age. It’s thought that this reflected Roman mores and norms rather than being purely stylistic; the imperfections of a person emphasizing republican ideals of citizen-politicians, and of an un-vain age reflecting both wisdom and good, honest Roman practicality!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verism
I think it’s hilarious to compare these to the famous statue of Octavian, the Augustus of Prima Porta. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the first Emperor of Rome had a big ego, but wouldn’t even he be at least a little embarrassed by putting his face (or rather his face when he was younger) on the body of a god? It reminds me of those pictures with Trump’s head put on top of the body of a very muscular athlete.