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Ancient Leadership in the Era of Donald Trump

Modern Tyrants, Material for Module on Portraiture, Victoria Gyori

This page is referenced by:

Into My Heart, Into My Life 61 Portraits of Leadership image_header 2017-08-31T17:16:36-07:00
“If you would like to understand…history…you should look carefully at portraits. In people’s faces there is always something of their history to be read, if one knows how to read it.” – Giovanni Morelli
Introduction
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the portraiture of leaders. To what extent is portraiture an “image of power”, i.e. leadership? What is the function of a leader portrait? What does a portrait reveal to us about the likeness, official status, moral exemplum, and veneration of a leader? How does a portrait reflect the essence, or “air”, of a leader? How does a leader portrait fit into the context of the specific time and place it was produced? What can a leader portrait tell us about the artist who created it? We will make a survey of various ancient (e.g. Roman emperors) and modern (e.g. American Presidents) leader portraits from a diverse selection of media: paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, coins, and so on. We will study the pose, facial expression, attributes, and settings of these portraits. We will focus on so-called “tyrannical” leaders as well as so-called “good” leaders. How do so-called “tyrannical” leaders represent themselves and how are they represented by others? How do their portraits differ from so-called “good” leaders? We will examine Donald Trump’s portraiture and compare his portraits to those of other famed “tyrannical” leaders, such as those of Vladimir Putin. We will then investigate how so-called “bad” Roman emperors represented themselves and how others represented them. We will look at portraits of such emperors as Nero, Commodus, and Caracalla. We will also discuss caricatures as well a phenomenon known as damnatio memoriae – that is, how Romans erased the memory of “fallen” Roman emperors. We can still see the workings of damnatio memoriae today. Thus, at the end of this module, students will be better able to employ the artistic medium of portraiture in the attempt to assess so-called “tyrannical” and “good” leaders.
Objectives
- To introduce students to the artistic genre of portraiture.
- To introduce students to the function of portraiture as a political symbol.
- To introduce students to some of the most notorious “tyrannical” leaders and most famed “good” leaders in both the ancient and modern world.
- To answer the following questions:
  - How are we supposed to “read” a portrait?
  - What can a portrait tell us about the sitter’s appearance and the office(s) and/or title(s) which he/she holds/held?
  - Can a portrait express the virtue(s) or vice(s) of the sitter?
  - How does a portrait demonstrate whether the sitter is either “tyrannical” or “good”?
  - What can a portrait tell us about the artist’s creativity/skill and opinion of the sitter?
  - What can a portrait tell us about the context of the time and place in which it was produced? What/who influenced a portrait and what/who does a portrait influence? What can we learn by comparing and contrasting varying portraits of the same sitter (e.g. in different media, by different artists (contemporaneously or over time) or even by the same artist (contemporaneously or over time)?
  - How can a portrait influence the opinion the viewer has/will have of the sitter?
  - Can we think of the possibility of “portraiture as leadership”?
Table of Contents
- UNIT 1: What is a portrait?
- UNIT 2: A portraiture survey of world leaders
- UNIT 3: Portraits of modern-day tyrants
- UNIT 4: Reading a Roman portrait
- UNIT 5: A portraiture survey of Roman leaders
- UNIT 6: Portraits of Roman tyrannical emperors
- DEEPER CUTS: Damnatio memoriae and caricature
Meet the creator of this module, Victoria Győri!

Listening for Leadership One
Read Van Vugt and Grabo, "The Many Faces of Leadership: An Evolutionary-Psychology Approach."

Listen to BBC Radio 4: A Point of View: Mary Beard’s On Tyrants (10 minutes)
[For further reference, see BBC Timewatch: Dictators and Despots (Disclaimer: Julius Caesar is called a “dictator” in the modern sense of the term.)]
Unit One: What is a Portrait?
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/hans-holbein-the-younger-erasmus -David Starkey on “what is a portrait?” while commenting on Hans Holbein the Younger’s 1523 portrait of Erasmus
In this unit, we will investigate the term “portrait”. Consider what is a portrait, who are the sitters and artists of portraits, what are the functions of portraits, what is the significance of the power of authority, beauty and attractiveness, and/or character and personality in a portrait, and what influenced a portrait as well as how a portrait influences.
Listening for Leadership Two
Listen to and read the following sources and answer/discuss the questions listed below.
“The camera…the portrait…character. The app…the shared image…connection.” – Cara Finnegan
Cara Finnegan (University of Illinois)’s “A Presidency in Pictures” lecture
- How is a photograph a tool for communicating character?
- How do photographs provide models for citizens to emulate?
- How does photography shape the role of the Presidency?
Maes, H. The Aesthetics of Portraiture – An Annotated Reading List

Make sure to pay close attention to: I. Definition, II. History, III. Beauty, IV. Medium, V. Expression, VI. Style, VII. Stereotype, and IX. Empowerment.

Griffey, E. and Jackson, B. (2010) ‘The portrait as leader: commissioned portraits and the power of tradition’, Leadership 6: 133-157. portraitasleader.pdf

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/events/events-2008/2008/11/28/The-Power-of-Portraiture.html - Power and Portraiture 2008-9 exhibition in New Zealand
http://artbash.co.nz/events/exhibitions/the-power-of-portraiture - Power and Portraiture 2008-9 exhibition in New Zealand
- What are some of the current definitions of portraiture?
- What are the criteria for a picture/painting to be considered a portrait?
- Do scholars agree or disagree on some of the criteria?
- Would you say there are any common elements in these definitions?
- If so, what are they? Which scholars do you agree or disagree with, and why?
- What is your own definition of a portrait, and what criteria have you considered?
Extra Credit
“Follow the leaders: the art of the political portrait”
West, S. (2004) Portraiture, Oxford.
West, Portraiture 2004.pdf Chapters 1-3, make sure to pay close attention to pp. 21-41 and 65-81.
How does a portrait function specifically as a political symbol?
Unit Two: A Portraiture Survey of World leaders
The world-renowned photographer, Platon, gets up close to capture a person’s truth
The world-renowned photographer, Platon, reveals the power of his portraits of global leaders
In this unit, we will examine some of the most iconic portraits of world leaders. We will answer the following questions:
- Who is the portrait of? Who is the artist of the portrait?
- What is the artistic medium (format (painting, drawing, photograph, sculpture, coin, and so on) and scale), pose (bust, half-length, full-length), facial expression, dress, attributes (e.g. crown and sceptre, sword), setting (i.e. background), employed to create the portrait? Explain the significance for each of these elements of the portrait.
- Who commissioned the portrait (i.e. what was the function and intended audience of the portrait)?
- What is the artistic style of the portrait (e.g. Pop art)? What other portraits may have influenced this portrait?
- What does the portrait reveal to us about the likeness, power and status, personality and morality, and “very soul” of the sitter? Provide your own description of the sitter in the portrait.
- What does the portrait reveal to us about the specific time period and place of its creation? Is it a life portrait – i.e. did the sitter sit for the artist? Or did the artist create the portrait from memory or without even ever meeting the sitter?
- What does the portrait reveal to us about the artist?
- Where was the portrait viewed? Did it circulate? If so, how? What is the significance of the portrait’s location(s)?
- What impact does the portrait have on the viewer? How can the portrait enhance, change, or form the opinion the viewer has/will have of the sitter?
Listening for Leadership Three
Answer the nine questions above as well as each individual “extra question(s)” for each of the following portraits.

FIGS.1-3, Modern Portrait Survey

FIG.1
EXTRA QUESTION: What do you make of Churchill’s sarcastic remark about this portrait being a “remarkable example of modern art”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmWOtRjaZ0Q – The Unveiling of Sutherland’s Churchill portrait
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bazAkko-p_M – Clips of Sutherland and Churchill from Netflix’s The Crown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h59NXd-TND0 – Sutherland’s preparatory portraits
FIG.2
EXTRA QUESTION: Why is JFK looking down in this painting?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs9OMrlqZVs – JFK’s Presidential portrait
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=696q3qbLwHE – Aaron Shikler on his portrait of JFK
JFKartculture.pdf - Ĉupić, S.(2013) ‘The first political superstar: JFK as the new image of history (1960-1963) in Ĉupić, S. (ed.) The JFK Culture: Art Film Literature and Media, Belgrade: 7-44.
FIG.3
*EXTRA QUESTION: Read Richard Avedon’s reflection on photographing Henry Kissinger: http://zoestrauss.blogspot.co.uk/2007/03/henry-kissingers-portrait-by-richard.html
How does the finished photograph express not only Avedon’s thought process, but also Kissinger’s request to “be kind to [him]”?
Do you think “all photographs are accurate, [but] none is the truth”? Is a photograph both a “wonder and a terror”?
Possible In-class Activity
- Divide the class into a few groups and have each of these groups choose a leader from the list above or from their own choosing and create a portrait of their chosen leader. Have the group explain why they chose the leader whom they did and their thought process for creating their work of art.
- Have your students visit a nearby museum and ask them to write a brief reflection about some of the portraits in the museum (e.g. Who are these portraits of? Why were those sitters chosen? Which portrait struck you the must, and why?).
For further reference, see:
http://www.npg.org.uk/ - National Portrait Gallery, London
Watch David Starkey’s “The Genius of British Art: Power and Personality”: http://art.docuwat.ch/videos/art-of-britain/the-genius-of-british-art
*Do you agree with his choices for the “most influential British portraits”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WvYuac8BVY – “How to Paint a Queen: A Culture Show Special”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajjcZOtwwxU – BBC Documentary on Diana: Designing a Princess
http://npg.si.edu/ - Smithsonian Institute National Portrait Gallery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQZnNI0Jr3Y – tradition of Presidential portraits
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/17/how-presidents-use-their-portraits-to-shape-their-legacy/?utm_term=.1d2295dc12a1 – How Presidents use their portraits to shape their legacy
*Read my blog post on a recent exhibition held at the British Museum entitled “The American Dream: pop to the present”: https://teachingleadershipthruclassics.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/art-and-superpowers-america/
Look at this current exhibition being held at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts entitled “Inventing America: Rockwell and Warhol”:
https://www.nrm.org/2017/02/inventing-america-rockwell-and-warhol/ http://discover.nrm.org/ - audio tour of this exhibition
Look at this current exhibition being held at the International Center of Photography in NYC entitled “Winning the White House: From Press Prints to Selfies”:
https://www.icp.org/exhibitions/winning-the-white-house-from-press-prints-to-selfies-mana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOofe_E6NBw – Winning the White House
Unit Three: Portraits of Modern-day Tyrants
“Ah! what tales might those pictures tell if their mute lips had the power of speech.” – Walt Whitman (1846)
In this unit, we will investigate some of the most iconic portraits of modern-day so-called “tyrannical leaders. We will answer the following questions:
1. Who is the portrait of? If it is possible to know, who is the artist (in most cases, all we can say is, e.g., a die-engraver at the particular mint the coin was issued)
2. What is the artistic medium (format (painting, sculpture, coin, gem, and so on) and scale), pose (bust, half-length, full-length), facial expression, dress, attributes (e.g. divine), setting (i.e. background), employed to create the portrait? Explain the significance for each of these elements of the portrait.
3. What is the artistic style of the portrait (e.g. veristic, “Hellenistic monarchic”)? What other portraits may have influenced this portrait?
4. What was the function and intended audience of the portrait?
5. What does the portrait reveal to us about the likeness, power and status, personality and morality, and “very soul” of the sitter? Provide your own description of the sitter in the portrait.
6. What does the portrait reveal to us about the specific time period and place of its creation? Is it a life portrait or is it a posthumous portrait?
7. Where was the portrait viewed? Did it circulate? If so, how? What is the significance of the portrait’s location(s)?
8. How does the portrait compare to any textual descriptions we may have of sitter?
9. What impact does the portrait have on the viewer? How can the portrait enhance, change, or form the opinion the viewer has/will have of the sitter?
Listening for Leadership
Answer the nine questions above as well as each individual “extra question(s)” for each of the following portraits.
FIGS.1-6, Portraits of Modern Tyrants
FIG.1a-l
*EXTRA QUESTIONS: Explain each of the “12 labours” of Putin. Why do you think this comparison between Putin and Hercules was made?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29513589 - “The 12 Labours of Putin”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy2dvJDy9eA – BBC News: Putin depicted as Hercules
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/vladimir-putin-hercules-art-exhibition
https://www.bustle.com/articles/43125-vladimir-putins-62nd-birthday-present-was-12-labors-of-putin-hercules-themed-artwork-yes-really
FIG.2
*EXTRA QUESTION: Explain the significance of this “gift” portrait.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/9802576/Pictures-of-the-day-15-January-2013.html?frame=2451887
FIG.3
*EXTRA QUESTION: Listen to Platon’s reflection on taking this photograph of Gaddafi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf0d1s8ps_0. Discuss. Does Gaddafi’s defiance “permeate the whole picture”?
http://time.com/3775823/the-craziest-guy-in-the-room-a-portrait-of-gaddafi-by-platon/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03tj0n0/storyville-mad-dog-gaddafis-secret-world - BBC Storyville: Mad Dog – Gaddafi’s Secret World
Possible In-class Activity
- Divide the class into a few groups and have each of these groups choose a tyrant from the list above or from their own choosing and create a portrait of their chosen tyrant. Have the group explain why they chose the tyrant whom they did and their thought process for creating their work of art.
- Divide the class into a few groups and have each of the groups choose a different portrait of Donald Trump and answer the nine questions above as well as each individual “extra question(s)”.
FIG.4
*EXTRA QUESTION: Why and how does this portrait reflect Surrealist René Magritte’s The Son of Man? Why was this particular portrait of Trump chosen to be installed in National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.?
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/13/509734172/national-portrait-gallery-installs-photo-of-president-elect-trump
FIGS.5a-b
*EXTRA QUESTIONS: Platon asked Trump how does he “weather the storm”. Trump’s answer was: “I am the storm.” How does this FIG.5a reflect Trump’s own description of himself? Does Trump’s official White House portrait convey the same message (FIG.5b)?
What do you find “strange” about Trump’s official White House portrait?
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/26/14376784/trump-portrait-white-house-experts-explain
https://www.bustle.com/p/donald-trumps-white-house-portrait-is-a-glimpse-into-the-president-he-wants-to-be-33626
http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-evolution-of-the-presidential-portrait
FIGS.6a-b
*EXTRA QUESTION: Why did Deborah Kass choose to emulate Warhol’s “Vote McGovern” portrait of Nixon for her own Trump portrait? What message was she trying to convey? Can we really compare Richard Nixon to Trump? If yes, then in what way(s)?
https://news.artnet.com/opinion/ben-shahn-andy-warhol-deborah-kass-trump-hillary-552272
http://revolverwarholgallery.com/artist-creates-anti-trump-art-style-warhols-mcgovern/
http://revolverwarholgallery.com/portfolio/two-sale-vote-hillary-deborah-kass-vote-mcgovern-andy-warhol/
https://news.artnet.com/opinion/ben-shahn-andy-warhol-deborah-kass-trump-hillary-552272 - Warhol and Nixon

For further reference, see:
“The Donald Trump sessions: the stories behind the greatest portraits”
“Photographers on their best shot of Trump: ‘I think he’s a damaged person’”
Unit Four: Reading a Roman Portrait
In this unit, we will investigate Roman portraits. Consider who are the leading Roman figures these portraits depict, what are the artistic media used (e.g. statuary and coins), what are the artistic styles used (e.g. veristic, “Hellenistic monarchic”, with or without divine attributes), what are the functions and circulation of these portraits, what is the significance of the power of authority, beauty and attractiveness, and/or character and personality in these portraits, and what influenced these portraits as well as how these portrait influenced.
Listening for Leadership
Read the following sources and discuss/answer the questions listed below.

Nodelman, S.(1981) ‘How to read a Roman portrait’ in D’Ambra, E. (ed.) Roman Art in Context, N.J., 10-26.
Nodelman.pdf
Walker, S. (1995) Greek and Roman Portraits, London.

Make sure to pay close attention to: Chapter 2 (What is a Portrait For?), Chapter 5 (Greek Portraits of Rulers), and Chapter 7 (The Roman Image)
Walkergandrportraits.pdf
- What are the main types of artistic media used in Roman portraiture? When were they employed, and what is the significance of such art forms?
- What are the main artistic styles used in Roman portraiture? When were they employed, and what is the significance of such artistic trends?
- How does a Roman portrait function specifically as a political tool? In what role(s) are leading Roman figures portrayed (e.g. militaristic, civil, religious, dynastic), and what is the significance of such representations?
For further reference, see: Breckenridge, J. D. (1981) ‘Roman imperial portraiture from Augustus to Gallenius’, ANRW 2.12.2: 477-512.
Breckenridgeromanportraits.pdf

Hallett, C. (2005) The Roman Nude: Heroic Portrait Statuary: 200 BC-AD 300, Oxford.
Roman Portrait Sculpture: The Stylistic Cycle – Helibrunn Timeline of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.
Unit Five: Portraiture Survey of Roman Leaders
In this unit, we will examine some of the most iconic portraits of Roman leaders. We will answer the following questions:
1. Who is the portrait of? If it is possible to know, who is the artist (in most cases, all we can say is, e.g., a die-engraver at the particular mint the coin was issued)
2. What is the artistic medium (format (painting, sculpture, coin, gem, and so on) and scale), pose (bust, half-length, full-length), facial expression, dress, attributes (e.g. divine), setting (i.e. background), employed to create the portrait? Explain the significance for each of these elements of the portrait.
3. What is the artistic style of the portrait (e.g. veristic, “Hellenistic monarchic”)? What other portraits may have influenced this portrait?
4. What was the function and intended audience of the portrait?
5. What does the portrait reveal to us about the likeness, power and status, personality and morality, and “very soul” of the sitter? Provide your own description of the sitter in the portrait.
6. What does the portrait reveal to us about the specific time period and place of its creation? Is it a life portrait or is it a posthumous portrait?
7. Where was the portrait viewed? Did it circulate? If so, how? What is the significance of the portrait’s location(s)?
8. How does the portrait compare to any textual descriptions we may have of sitter?
9. What impact does the portrait have on the viewer? How can the portrait enhance, change, or form the opinion the viewer has/will have of the sitter?
Listening for Leadership
Answer the nine questions above as well as each individual “extra question(s)” for each of the following portraits.
FIGS.1-3, Roman Portraiture

For additional reference refer to my 2016 “Money Talks” module and Walker, S. (1995) Greek and Roman Portraits, London.
Walkeraugustus.pdf (Chapter 6: The Imperial Image of Augustus)

How would you compare all these portraits of Octavian/Augustus to Suetonius’ description of Octavian/Augustus in Augustus 79?

FIGS1a-b
EXTRA QUESTIONS: How would you compare FIG.1a to FIG.1b?
“You know how in all moneychanger’s bureaux, booths, bookstalls, eaves, stalls, porches, windows, anywhere and everywhere there are likenesses of you exposed to view.” -Fronto to Marcus Aurelius (Ad M Caes. 4.12.4)
FIGS.2a-c

EXTRA QUESTION: Read Equestrian-statue.pdf. Why is this equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius so iconic?
-Stewart, P. (2012) ‘The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius’ in van Ackeren, M. (ed.) A Companion to Marcus Aurelius, Blackwell.
Constantine the Great was “matched by none in grace and beauty of form, or in tallness, and so surpassing his contemporaries in personal strength that he struck terror into them.” – Eusebius
Read http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/symbols/ (Excellent bibliography at the bottom of the page!)
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Christian/ChristianSymbols.html
http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/

FIGS.3a-3b

EXTRA QUESTIONS: What impact does the Chi-Rho monogram have on FIG.3a? Why is Constantine “gazing heavenwards” in FIG.3b?

For further reference, see http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/bibliography/
Possible In-class activity
Divide the class into a few groups and have each of these groups choose a leader from the list above or from their own choosing and create a portrait of their chosen leader. Have the group explain why they chose the leader whom they did and their thought process for creating their work of art.
Unit Six: Portraits of Tyrannical Roman Rulers
Horrible Histories: Bad Roman Emperors

In this unit, we will investigate some of the most iconic portraits of Roman so-called “tyrannical” emperors. We will answer the following questions:
1. Who is the portrait of? If it is possible to know, who is the artist (in most cases, all we can say is, e.g., a die-engraver at the particular mint the coin was issued).
2. What is the artistic medium (format (painting, sculpture, coin, gem, and so on) and scale), pose (bust, half-length, full-length), facial expression, dress, attributes (e.g. divine), setting (i.e. background), employed to create the portrait? Explain the significance for each of these elements of the portrait.
3. What is the artistic style of the portrait (e.g. veristic, “Hellenistic monarchic”)? What other portraits may have influenced this portrait?
4. What was the function and intended audience of the portrait?
5. What does the portrait reveal to us about the likeness, power and status, personality and morality, and “very soul” of the sitter? Provide your own description of the sitter in the portrait.
6. What does the portrait reveal to us about the specific time period and place of its creation? Is it a life portrait or is it a posthumous portrait?
7. Where was the portrait viewed? Did it circulate? If so, how? What is the significance of the portrait’s location(s)?
8. How does the portrait compare to any textual descriptions we may have of sitter?
9. What impact does the portrait have on the viewer? How can the portrait enhance, change, or form the opinion the viewer has/will have of the sitter?
Refer to Gradel, I. (2002) Emperor Worship and Roman Religion, Oxford (Chapter 6: The Augustan Heritage and Mad Emperors)
Varner, E. (2000a) ‘Tyranny and transformation in Roman imperial marble portraits and coins’ Minerva 11: 45-49.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8438454/Romes-most-controversial-emperors.html
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2017/jan/25/donald-trump-president-tyrants-ancient-rome
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2017/jan/25/donald-trump-president-tyrants-ancient-rome

For further reference, see:
Varner, E. (2000b) From Caligula to Constantine: Tyranny and Transformation in Roman Portraiture, New Haven.
--(2004) Mutilation and Transformation: Damnatio Memoriae in Roman Imperial Portraiture, Leiden.

Listening for Leadership
Answer the nine questions above as well as each individual “extra question(s)” for each of the following portraits.

FIGS.1-3, Portraits of Roman Tyrants

Listen to and read my paper entitled “Teaching leadership through numismatics: the coins and medals of Nero and Mussolini” for the Teaching Leaders and Leadership through the Classics Virtual Conference (May 8-22, 2017)
Why and how did Nero emulate Augustus? Name three Augustan themes found in Neronian visual media.

FIGS.1a-b
EXTRA QUESTIONS: What is significant about Nero wearing a radiate crown as early as AD 56/57-59/60? What precedents can you think of for the reverse image, and why? What impact do the radiate portraits of Nero and Divus Augustus on the same coin type have?

“Am I not merciful scene?” (Gladiator)

Read HekstermadCommodus.pdf – (2000) Hekster, O. ‘Commodus: Rome’s third maddest emperor’, Omnibus 40: 2-4.
HeksterHercules.pdf (2005) ‘Propagating power: Hercules as a second-century emperor’, in Bowden, H. and Rawlings, L. (eds.) Herakles and Hercules: Exploring a Greco-Roman Divinity, Swansea, 205-217 (cf.208-214)

PalagiaHercules.pdf – Palagia, O. (1986) ‘Imitation of Hercules in ruler portraiture. A survey from Alexander to Maximinus Daza’, Boreas 9: 137-151 (cf.147-149).

For further reference, see HeksterCommodus.pdf (2001) ‘Commodus-Hercules, the people’s princeps’, Scripta Classica Israelica 20: 51-83. On Commodus and Hercules (Biblio at the bottom of the page!)

Why and how does Commodus emulate Hercules?

Vast numbers of statues were erected representing him in the garb of Hercules. And it was voted that his age should be named the "Golden Age," and that this should be recorded in all the records without exception. – Cassius Dio 73.15.6

[The emperor Commodus (ruling AD 180-192) was obsessed with the idea of being a famous gladiator.] He actually had the head of the Colossus removed and replaced with a new one in his own features. He also gave the Colossus a club and had a bronze lion placed at its feet to suggest the figure of Hercules, and then added the inscription: “Best of the Gladiators.” – Cassius Dio 73.22.3

FIGS.2a-b

EXTRA QUESTIONS: Why is FIG.2a so iconic? What impact does the obverse portrait of FIG.2b have paired with Hercules’ club on the reverse? Can you think of a famous Hellenistic monarch who is also portrayed wearing a lionskin headdress?

http://en.museicapitolini.org/collezioni/percorsi_per_sale/museo_del_palazzo_dei_conservatori/sale_degli_horti_lamiani/busto_di_commodo_come_ercole

For further reference, see: http://www.coinarchives.com/a/results.php?search=commodus+hercules&s=0&upcoming=0&results=100

Caracalla: The Worst Roman Emperor You Never Heard Of (set to the Star Wars theme song!)
Why and how did Caracalla emulate Alexander the Great?
FIGS.3a-b
EXTRA QUESTIONS: How would you compare FIG.3a to FIG.3b?
http://art.thewalters.org/detail/3501/medallion-with-roman-emperor-caracalla/
http://art.thewalters.org/detail/21555/medallion-with-alexander-the-great/
ImrieCaracallaAlexander.pdf – Imrie, A. ‘He suddenly became Alexander: Caracalla, Alexander the Great and the historicity of the Macedonian phalanx’
Dahmen, K. (2007) The Legend of Alexander the Great on Greek and Roman Coins, London (cf.34-38).
For further reference, see BaharalCaracallaAlexander.pdf - Baharal, D. (1994) ‘Caracalla and Alexander the Great: a reappraisal’, in Deroux, C. (ed.) Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History 7: 524-567.
Possible In-class activity
Divide the class into a few groups and have each of these groups choose a tyrant from the list above or from their own choosing and create a portrait of their chosen tyrant. Have the group explain why they chose the tyrant whom they did and their thought process for creating their work of art.
Extra Credit: Damnatio Memoriae and Caricature
A statue of Putin is toppled down in The Simpsons
A statue of King Joffrey (Game of Thrones) in Aotea Square, Auckland is toppled down

In this unit, we will investigate damnatio memoriae, the condemnation of the memory of a particular person or group of people, of both Roman and modern so-called “tyrannical” leaders and caricature.

Let us keep the nine general questions about portraiture (both ancient and modern) that we discussed throughout this module in mind.

To begin with, let us look at a couple examples of anti-tyrannical art. Tyrannicides became symbols of revolutionary agendas.
The Greek tyrannicides, Harmodios and Aristogeiton, slew the Pisistratid tyrant Hipparchus in an attempt to bring about democracy, Brutus and Cassius’s assassination was an effort to preserve Roman Republican traditions . Jean-Paul Marat became a martyr of the French Revolution. The execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico was also famously commemorated.

FIGS.1-5, Damnatio Memoriae and Caricature
Read my blog post on a recent exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London entitled “Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932”

Discuss the dichotomy between the Avant-Garde movement and Socialist Realism.

FIG.1

EXTRA QUESTION: Explain the juxtaposition between Putin and Malevich’s Black Square. What statement do these artists want to make?
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/artists-victoria-timofeyeva-and-dmitry-vrubel-unveiling-news-photo/170982678#artists-victoria-timofeyeva-and-dmitry-vrubel-unveiling-their-joint-picture-id170982678
http://www.gif.ru/eng/people/vrubel-timofeeva/
"Auf wiedersehen, Putin: Berlin’s new Russian émigrés”

Watch What is damnatio memoriae? and Women and damnatio memoriae
Read Damnatio Memoriae
“Erasing the Face of History”
“Damnatio memoriae: how the Romans erased the memory of their fallen emperors”
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/05/romans-didnt-like-theyd-erase-history-damnatio-memoriae/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/damnation-memory-and-efforts-erase-condemned-history-002331
“Damnatio Memoriae: Why Mobs Pull Down Statues”
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=damnatio%20memoriae – Damnatio Memoriae
http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/past_exhibitions/2017/defacing_the_past.aspx and http://coinsweekly.com/index.php?pid=4&id=4384 and https://theidlewoman.net/2017/02/05/defacing-the-past/ - 2016-2017 “Defacing the past: damnation and desecration in imperial Rome” British Museum Exhibition
Petersendamnatio.pdf - Petersen, L.H. (2011) ‘The presence of “Damnatio Memoriae” in Roman art’, Notes in the History of Art 30: 1-8.
FIG.2
EXTRA QUESTION: Why are there gashes across both the obverse and reverse of this coin?
On the Nero/Apollo Citharoedus coin type

FIG.3
EXTRA QUESTION: Why is the Severan tondo so iconic?
Watch How Hitler and Stalin erased people from history
Stalin erased people from history
The Soviet Photoshop
2012-2013 “Faking it: manipulated photography before photoshop” Met Exhibition, NYC (cf. Politics and Persuasion)
http://www.businessinsider.com/people-who-were-erased-from-history-2013-12?IR=T
https://kristinczerminski.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/photo-manipulation-the-impact-on-society-the-advertising-industry/
http://www.alteredimagesbdc.org/
FIGS.4a-b

EXTRA QUESTION: Why are these photographs so iconic?
http://www.alteredimagesbdc.org/stalin/
Possible In-class activity
Divide the class into a few groups and have each of these groups choose a tyrant from the list above or from their own choosing and create a damnatio memoriae of their chosen tyrant. Have the group explain why they chose the tyrant whom they did and their thought process for creating their work of art.

Read “The Power of a Cartoonist”
https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/the-15-most-influential-political-cartoons-of-all-time/
“The Power of Political Pratfalls”
Examples of caricatures of modern-day leaders
Distorted images of modern-day leaders
Syrian artist portrays modern-day world leaders as refugees

For further reference, see:
The Rt Hon Lord Baker of Dorking CT’S lecture on “The History of British Cartoons and Caricature”
FIG.5

*EXTRA QUESTIONS: What does “getting the old band back together” mean, and why does this phrase “hit the nail on the head”? Can you think of a TIME Person of Year Runner-up Cover that also reflects this same message?

The Putin/Peter the Great TIME Person of Year Runner-up Cover

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7262661.stm

putinnationalism.pdf – Peters, R., Joffe, J., and Yu, M. (2016) ‘Putin and Russian nationalism’, Strategika 37: 1-16.

For further reference, see the following links:
“USNews Editorial Cartoons on Vladimir Putin and Russia”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/01/putin-portraits-2015-simpsons-fitness-mantras
http://www.freakingnews.com/Reading-Putin-Pictures--4571.asp
http://thediplomat.com/2016/07/what-putin-learned-from-peter-the-great/
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/6/historians-speak-valdimir-putin-likened-peter-grea/
France’s comparison between Putin and Peter the Great
Current exhibition on Peter the Great in Paris which Putin attended
https://www.rt.com/news/390026-putin-macron-meeting-versailles/
Putin’s equestrian portrait
Equestrian statue of Peter the Great
http://saint-petersburg.guide/monuments/Peter_the_Great_Equestrian_statue_the_bronze_horseman_st_petersburg_russia
https://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS241/Notes/Falconet.html
http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/pushkin/bronze_horseman.html
http://www.leighkimmel.com/writing/academicpapers/pushkin.shtml
Putin unveiling a statue of Pushkin in Seoul
On Lomonosov
Possible In-class Activity
Divide the class into a few groups and have each of these groups choose a leader from the list above or from their own choosing and create a caricature of their chosen leader. Have the group explain why they chose the leader whom they did and their thought process for creating their work of art.