Module description
This module is an in-depth study of art production in the Classical world, providing a history of making from Graeco-Roman techniques to their reception in the Renaissance and use until the present day. You will engage with the materials, tools and processes involved in the production of sculpture, pottery, painting, glass, textiles and jewellery among other artforms. We will study the complex sequence of actions involved in their production, following the artist as maker as well as investigating the client behind these commissions.
This module engages with art objects as the primary evidence for their production and will include visits to museums and discussions with contemporary artists. This will expose the complete making process from the acquisition of the raw materials to the completion of the particular artistic assignment. In addition we will investigate the ancient literature and modern scholarship in order to assess the role of technology in the invention of art and its innovation, as well as the dissemination of new techniques. The place of art within the ancient economy will also be examined. This is an exciting and dynamic subject which harnesses a range of different approaches to expose the materiality behind art and engage with the individuals responsible for its coming into being.
Teaching pattern
20 x 2 hour classes
Suggested reading list
Suggested introductory reading
This is suggested reading and purchase of these books is not mandatory.
- Burford, A. Craftsmen in Greek and Roman Society (London, 1972).
- Cuomo, S. Technology and Culture in Greek and Roman Antiquity (Cambridge, 2007).
- Lapatin, K. ‘The Materials and Techniques of Greek and Roman Art’, in C. Marconi (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Art and Architecture (Oxford, 2015), 203-40.
- Ling R. (ed.), Making Classical Art: Process & Practice (Stroud, 2000).
- Oleson, J.P. (ed.), Oxford handbook of engineering and technology in the Classical World (Oxford, 2008).
- Russell, B. The Economics of the Roman Stone Trade (Oxford, 2013).
- Stewart, P. The Social History of Roman Art (Cambridge, 2008).
- Strong, D. & D. Brown, Roman Crafts (London, 1976).
- Website: The Art of Making in Antiquity: Stoneworking in the Roman World