The two statues, Bust of Cammodus and the Portrait of Caracalla are both statues of power and high authority. It is obvious both of these men are confident. I do not think it takes a specific audience and can be widely understood, although specific groups of people may understand it more clearly than others.
Both statues appear to have a high authority and power. First of all, the fact that the statue is him as Hercules tells us he is God like, and a strong, powerful, and successful leader. The Bust of Commodus as Hercules has a tiger or lion head as a hat or crown, or a victory item, and the claws are wrapped around his neck, holding the cloak up. He is holding a weapon of some kind as well. All these aspects of this statue of this man show power. Defeating the tiger or lion is powerful. His figure is also very chiseled with bold muscles in his arms and chest. His authority not only comes from the power of his physical strength, but in the position he carries himself in. He is up right, relaxed and has a very calm look to his face. It gives me the feeling that he has just finished a long day of battle, and is just about to collapse in tiredness, which is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of a man who works hard, and defeats (the lion head shows he has had a successful battle). But I feel it is look more so as almost boredom. With his facial expression fairly blank and his eyes part way closed, as if the life he has is not active and vibrant enough to keep him on his toes. The propaganda message this statue sends is mostly his powerful and strong appearance he gives. It would give the people looking at it comfort in knowing that he is capable and strong.
The Portrait Head of Caracalla also appears to show high authority and power, but in a slightly different way than the Bust of Commodus as Hercules. This statue is only the head of a man. The man in the statue gives off the feeling of power and authority with just his facial expression. He does not need trophies of his success to make him look powerful. His face is very stern. His eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are looking upward. It gives the impression that he is thinking very hard about something, or looking at something in the distance or above him very intently. When I see his expression it makes me think there is danger and he is concentrating intently on how to handle it. It is a very deep feeling of strength and confidence. His face gives no room for doubt of his leadership, or power.
Both of these statues look very blemish free overall. The edges and lines in the figures are evident and clear. But I feel like the Bust of Commondus as Hercules is slightly more idealized then the Portrait head or Caracalla just because the Bust of Commodus has the lion head and claws, and the large weapon, whereas Portrait head of Caracalla is a more realistic facial expression and no extra props to show his power.
Yes, I would agree that the Commodus portrait is more idealized than the one of Caracalla. Caracalla's portrait has more wrinkles and lines (it looks a little more realistic), whereas Commodus' statue has been polished to a glassy, perfect smoothness.
ReplyDelete-Prof. Bowen
I agree that Commodus does look bored and inattentive, but I don't think that he has an aura of a man that works hard or that he is tired after battle. He seems drowsy, although he does seem to command respect. Caracalla, on the other hand, does look attentive and like a strong fearless leader, as you put it he "gives no room for doubt of his leadership, or power." Caracalla is definitely more naturalistic than Commodus, I believe that is because he wants to be seen as a real hero, not a revamped version of another hero.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described the facial expression on Caracalla's bust. I find it interesting how powerful this sculpture is but how little there is to it. It is just the man's head and so much feeling comes from the expression he wears. I think when his enemies saw it, it struck fear into them, and when his subjects saw it, a sense of comfort in such a fierce leader.
ReplyDelete