Ancient Roman Art and Architecture

Ancient Roman Art and Architecture
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The Romans employed art as propaganda to promote oneself, one’s accomplishments, one’s relationship to the Imperial family, or to promote a set of common ideals among citizens. Since citizens were often far from the physical extents of Rome, art enabled the propagandist to reach everyone, even the uneducated roman. One example of the use of art as propaganda is the Arch of Constantine which is situated along the Via Triumphalis in Rome between the Temple of Venus and Roma and the Flavian Amphitheater (the Colosseum). The arch is a connective architecture linking the Roman Forum to the primary entertainment as well as the public bathing facilities of central Rome. To understand the propagandist aspect of the arch along with the ideologies upon which it is founded, it is important to understand the political and material settings in which it was constructed. The arch is dedicated to Emperor Constantine, the empire who put an end to the tetrarchy, a period marked by power-sharing and administrative wrangles. Constantine managed to take control of the Western Roman Empire and become the sole ruler of the empire after conquering his co-emperor Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Constantine was a discerning political leader and having won emperorship of Rome, he wanted to consolidate his power by appeasing both the common people and the elite. One way of doing this was through propaganda which was why the Arch of Constantine was constructed just in time for his entrance to the city in 315. The arch was intended to actively advertise his ruling regime and justify his power and ability to rule after usurping a co-emperor in the tetrarchy. Besides legitimizing Constantine’s rule, the arch was meant to communicate certain ideologies of the emperor.[Jas Elsner. "From the Culture of Spolia to the Cult of Relics: The Arch of Constantineand the Genesis of Late Antique Forms." Papers of the British School at Rome 68, 2000: 149-184.] [P. Pierce. "The Arch of Constantine: Propaganda and Ideology In Late Roman Art." Art History 12, no. 4 1989: 387-418.]
Fig 1: The Arch of Constantine, Rome
The Arch of Constantine uses spolia from statues and monuments of different eras to convey certain ideals. While the Constantinian frames are rather disproportionate and lacking in natural aesthetics, those borrowed from the times of the Roman emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius are realistic and intricately detailed. However, the heads of the three emperors which appear in different spolia frames have been replaced by that of Constantine. While the Constantinian figures are lacking in the idealized naturalism of earlier periods, their clarity of form guaranteed that viewers of the time could understand the message Constantine was conveying. The artistic juxtaposition of spolia and the swapping of figureheads was intended to connect the triumphs of the three great emperors with Constantine’s age of rule. Although promoting the virtues and accomplishments of Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius, Constantine was also appropriating the celebration of their victories and even comparing himself with the three emperors. He was situating himself as one...