Continuous Narrative Art

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the Roman aesthetic approach, known as continuous narrative, makes use of a number of images of the same figure within a work, linking different aspects of a story together and evoking meaning while setting events distant in time in the same frame. The author points out that these works are reproduced in a variety of media, including on vases and cups, on huge towers, on walls as friezes or frescoes and on panels to be placed on the wall. The paper relates that an examination of some of the panels found at Pompeii shows some of the ways in which images were linked together to form a narrative, although this narrative would often be less then crystal clear because of the possibility of different interpretations.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Continuous Narrative Art
Continuous Narrative at Pompeii
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Under and slightly to the right of the tree and column, Polyphemus sits on top of an outcropping formed by a steep pile of rocks, on which four white, wooly sheep graze. In the right foreground, at the base of the outcropping, a tall column carries a small statue. The statue is depicted in three-quarters view to the left, facing towards Polyphemus. Although the figure appears to wear a cloak and some sort of headdress, the statue's large, erect phallus allows for a secure identification of the figure as Priapus."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Blanckenhagen, Peter H. von. "Narration in Hellenistic and Roman Art." American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 61, No. 1 (January 1957), 78-83.
• Cooley, Alison E. & M.G.L. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. New York: Routledge Press, 2004.
• Holliday, Peter J. "Roman Triumphal Painting: Its Function, Development, and Reception," The Art Bulletin,(March 1997). May 29, 2006. http://www.highbeam.com/library/docfree.asp?DOCID=1G1:20824299&ctrlInfo=Round20%3AMode20b%3ADocG%3AResult&ao=.
• Mason, Moya K. Humble Beginnings, Glorious Destiny: A Look at Roman Art. (2006). May 29, 2006. http://www.moyak.com/researcher/resume/papers/roman_art.html.
• Pollitt, J.J. The Art of Rome. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.

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