Ornament and art theory in ancient Rome: An alternative classical paradigm for the visual arts /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Barham, Nicola Jane, author.
Imprint:2015.
Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2015
Description:1 electronic resource (447 pages)
Language:English
Format: E-Resource Dissertations
Local Note:School code: 0330
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/10773213
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:University of Chicago. degree granting institution.
ISBN:9781339079516
Notes:Advisors: Jas Elsner Committee members: Patrick Crowley; Verity Platt.
This item is not available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 77-02(E), Section: A.
English
Summary:This dissertation identifies an overlooked classical conceptual paradigm, used to theorize visual culture in Ancient Rome. It contends that, alongside the Greek-derived ideal of the 'great artist', there existed a contemporaneous Roman paradigm that stood in tension with this, and conceptualized visual works, not in terms of their internal dynamics, wrought through an artist's skill, but rather in relation to their external impact upon the environment in which they were exhibited. This paradigm was expressed through the language of 'ornament'. This project first analyses the application of this overlooked concept in extant Latin and Greek texts of the Roman Empire to reconstruct this ancient aesthetic perspective. It subsequently demonstrates how this notion fundamentally shaped Roman visual culture, informing the commissioning, production, and viewing of Roman works in civic space, domestic environments, and funerary monuments. The category of ornament emerges as a paradigmatic concept for the Roman visual arts.