I do want to say how much I love Roman statues that look like real people. Warts and double chins and fucked up faces and all. I love that these were no doubt wealthy citizens who could have demanded that they be glammed up, but they said “No, you capture my sunken cheeks! That’s what I look like!” Good for them.
Edit:
Look at these:
They’re fantastic.
I think it’s hilarious to compare these to the famous statue of Octavian, the Augustus of Prima Porta. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the first Emperor of Rome had a big ego, but wouldn’t even he be at least a little embarrassed by putting his face (or rather his face when he was younger) on the body of a god? It reminds me of those pictures with Trump’s head put on top of the body of a very muscular athlete.
Nothing competes with nero’s neckbeard
There’s actually a whole ‘thing’ about that! Hellenic sculptures tend to be very idealized, and while the Romans learned most of their artistic techniques from the Greeks, there was a popularity of ‘verism’ in Roman sculpture, emphasizing physical flaws, especially signs of age. It’s thought that this reflected Roman mores and norms rather than being purely stylistic; the imperfections of a person emphasizing republican ideals of citizen-politicians, and of an un-vain age reflecting both wisdom and good, honest Roman practicality!
Nah girl, I’m not old I’m just a Verist.
Explanation: I can’t write anything more savage than the Wikipedia summary for this guy:
He is one of the classic historical examples of men who have managed to survive very dangerous circumstances by constantly shifting their allegiances. Beginning his career under Julius Caesar, he allied with his assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in 44 BC, then with the Second Triumvirate in 43 BC, joining Mark Antony in 40 BC, and deserting him for Octavian in 32 BC.
You can joke about him if you want, but he is the only one of these three who survived the civil war and died peacefully, so, in the end, I guess that he won?
You can joke about him if you want, but he is the only one of these three who survived the civil war and died peacefully, so, in the end, I guess that he won?
We are all immortal through our reputations, though.
MAJOR L FOR PLANCUS
