Abstract
This paper argues that Alma-Tadema's representations of the ancient city of Rome can be seen as significant explorations of urban experience, parallel to the more familiar nineteenth-century representations of modern Paris. Alma-Tadema distinguishes clearly between the small-town environment of Pompeian subjects and the metropolitan environment of pictures set in the capital. Using techniques such as oblique viewpoints and edge cropping, Alma-Tadema presents the "shock" experience characteristic of the modern city in urban theory. The late nineteenth-century notion of the city's modernity thus provides a novel perspective on traditional fascination with Rome as the ultimate paradigm for the urban.
Translated title of the contribution | Lawrence Alma-Tadema and the Modern City of Ancient Rome |
---|---|
Original language | English |
Pages (from-to) | 115 - 129 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Art Bulletin |
Volume | 84 (1) |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2002 |