Art History - the Portrait Through Time

There are more artists practicing today than were alive during the three centuries of the Renaissance. Today, art is almost indefinable. It reached this position by steps through time. Art represented the world and the lives of the people from that time. The world is constantly changing and art from these times reflects these changes. Looking at Roman, 19th Century and 20th Century art from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts these changes and the influences of the cultures can be seen.

The Romans inherited many ideas in their art from the Etruscans, but they also borrowed many ideas from the Greeks. Sculpture was used to decorate public and private buildings and much of Roman art was made as official propaganda to glorify the ruler, proclaim victories, or to make pious references to the state and its governance. From the time of Greeks, artists created idealized representations of the imperial family. Such statues could portray important personalities in armor to proclaim a military victory, as an orator in reference to learned activities, or even as a deity to suggest an association with the gods.

Roman portrait sculpture from 1AD to 300 AD varied in size from miniature busts to colossal statues. A Roman tradition was to have family members carry images of the deceased during the funeral procession. The Romans believed that ancestry was the best indicator of a man's ability, and so if you were a descendant of great military commanders, then you, too, had the potential to be one as well. Also, there was great rivalry among political leaders, which gave special meaning to the display of one's lineage and therefore necessitated its emphasis. The imagines in the funeral processions were necessary for the success of the family member. An example of this at the Minneapolis Art Institute is Tondo: Portrait of a Young Noblewoman. This was probably used for a funerary sculpture. It is a maternal figure that was intended to bring back ancient Roman virtues. Laws were passed to promote good moral behavior and to encourage marriage, curb adultery and divorce, and increase the birth rate.

Many believe that the images were not replicas of the deceased but rather cultural statements about them. This tradition grew to where politicians and leaders began erecting their images in public places. Gradually these images became representations of the people rather than exact replicas.

Statues were erected of deities, heroes, and mortals not only in public places such as baths, but gardens, pools and villas. . These statues were typically erected to celebrate a noted military achievement, usually in connection with an official triumph, or to commemorate some worthy political achievement, such as the drafting of a treaty.

The Minneapolis Art Institute has several statues on display that represent this period. Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) is a Roman statue from the first century B.C. and Male Torso from the 2nd century A.D. These two statues are examples of how public officials took full-length statues often composed of generic bodies and placed realistic heads. The overall effect of this style gave Republican ideals physical form and presented an image of a real person. Both torsos of the statutes are very much the same.

The Torso of a Dancing Faun is a statue of a man with a goat tail. It probably had pointed ears and small horns like the Roman mythological fauns. Romans associated fauns with the god Faunus who was thought to control the fertility of livestock. Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them form. This art adds to our understanding of the myths and legends during this time.

The 19th Century saw several movements in art styles. Neoclassic was a French art style and movement that originated as a reaction to the Baroque style. It sought to revive the ideals of ancient Greek and Roman art. These artists used classical forms to express their ideas about courage, sacrifice, and love of country.

From 1800 to 1880 Romanticism was the dominant style in Europe. It was basically a reaction against Neoclassicism. It was a deeply felt style, which is individualistic, beautiful, exotic, and emotional.
Although Romanticism and Neoclassicism were philosophically opposed, they were the dominant European styles for generations, and both affected many artists. Artists might work in both styles at different times or even mix the styles, creating an intellectually Romantic work using a neoclassical style.

The Minneapolis Art Institute displays an oil on canvas by John Everett Millais that was painted in 1856. It is titled "Peace Concluded". This is a middle class family in England learning of the end of the Crimean War. This painting is an example of the Pre-Raphaelite style. This style emphasized accuracy of detail and color along with elaborate themes and symbolism. "Peace Concluded" is of an officer who has come home from the Crimea, seated with his wife and children, and reading the news of peace in the Times. One of the little girls has brought out her Noah's ark to show papa, and has selected the four symbolic animals of the warring nations: the lion, the cock, the turkey, and the bear, He closes the idea with the dove bearing the olive branch on the girls hand. The tenderness of expression in the wife is very lovely, and the children's heads are splendidly painted.

The painting consists of shapes that form circles much like the idea of the family circle. The dog, the braids on the mother's hair, her arms around her husband and the back round are all circles. The artist also placed an implied triangle that connects the mother and her daughters. The message of the painting all takes place within this triangle.

As the Revolutions changed art in the 19th Century they also changed art in the 20th Century. These were the revolutions in seeing and thinking. People were challenging reality. It is a world of rapid change with technology, diversity and individualism. The 20th Century art is almost indefinable, which makes sense since the world is changing so rapidly. There were many new styles of art. One of the styles early in the century was the Fauve style.

Matisse was the leader of the "Fauves," who believed that color was the primary focus of painting. The Fauves were not true to representation. They weren't creating photographs of reality. They were using their imagination to create an exciting, but peaceful world. The colors they used most often didn't match reality. Color is used as a tool of language to create new visions in the naked space.

In "White Plume" Matisse didn't want to make political stand and change the world; he wanted to make the world more pleasurable, and make our lives more pleasant in that world. To accomplish that, he sought to create paintings that were beautiful, pleasant, because he thought that art had the power to make life more beautiful, more satisfying. He did not wish to burden his art with political messages. The portrait is of a woman whose face was made up, and reflected the modern preoccupation with fashion and beauty supplemented by artificial means. The young woman is "pretty," not older, not ordinary, but feminine. Today's world is full of global and terrifying issues, we need to come back to a safe place, a beautiful place, a place where love makes sense, even while we're blowing up large parts of the world. Matisse takes us there, to the pleasant safe space.

Roman art and architecture had a profound impact not only on the succeeding art of the Middle Ages, but on the Renaissance and baroque periods as well, and even much of the art produced today has obvious roots in the Roman past. Each artist built on ideas from the past. Today, many paintings and art forms blend and combine those from the past.