Roman vs. Dark Ages
The two art periods I decided to chose art pieces from are the Dark Ages and the Roman Periods.
The first piece of artwork is called “Triumph of the Cross" by Tommaso Laureti. It was painted on a ceiling in the Vatican Palace in 1585, which was in the Dark Ages. In this painting, the focal point is the crucifix. It stands out from the background because of the lighter color compared to the dark walls. It also attracts the viewer’s eye because of the location. In the corner of the painting, also standing out from the rest of the painting because of it’s contrasting value in certain parts, is a broken statue of a god. Due to the colors the artist used, the tone of the painting is more somber.
The second piece of artwork is called “House of the Fontana Piccola”. Is it was found in the Villa of Mysteries near Pompeii, the artist is unknown. This painting is also a fresco. It was painted on a specially prepared wall with three layers of plaster and three layers of a special coating. This artwork depicts an every day scene around Rome. The colors are light, but not bright and give the painting a subtle edge.
Both of these paintings represent artworks of their times. “Triumphs of the Cross” symbolizes the main theme of Dark Age art. The Dark Age was after the fall of the Roman Empire and was a time of cultural darkness. Early Christian art soon arose, such as the “Triumphs of the Cross” . This painting, as many others of the Dark Period, celebrated the rise of Christianity and the plummet of other, mainly polytheistic religions. “House of the Fontana Piccola” is a mural, common in the Roman period of art.
Both of these pieces are frescoes, however these two ideas in art, religion and observation, are complete opposites. The artists from the Dark Age used their ideas and thoughts to imagine something unseen. Religion was a very popular subject in that time and they transferred their thoughts on that matter in to art. The Romans painted...