Art and Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome

Catalog description

This course examines the art of Greece, Rome, and their satellite cultures from early antiquity to the fall of the Roman Empire, focusing on painting, sculpture, architecture, and civic planning within their cultural and political context. Students will investigate monuments in their original settings and reconstruct the original function and role of Greek and Roman art through literature, philosophy, criticism, and early mythology. Themes include democratic ideals in art, the impact of political systems, the rise of Christian art during the late Roman Empire, and the legacy of Greek and Roman art in the modern period, with special consideration given to works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, providing a strong basis for understanding and appreciating the art of Classical Antiquity.