ARCH OF CONSTANTINE.
Constantine's conception of his role is clearly
reflected in his triumphal arch (fig. 285), erected near the Colosseum
between 312 and 315 A.D. One of the largest and most elaborate of its
kind, it is decorated for the most part with sculpture taken from
earlier Imperial monuments. This procedure has often been viewed as
dictated by haste and by the poor condition of the sculptural workshops
of Rome at that time. These may have been contributory factors, but
there appears to be a conscious and carefully considered plan behind the
way the earlier pieces were chosen and employed. All of them come from a
related group of monuments dedicated to Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus
Aurelius, and the portraits of these emperors have been systematically
reworked into likenesses of Constantine. Does this not convey
Constantine's view of himself as the restorer of Roman glory, the
legitimate successor of the "good emperors" of the second century?
The arch also contains a number of reliefs made especially for it,
however, such as the friezes above the lateral openings, and these show
the new Constantinian style in full force. If we compare the medallions
of figure 286, carved in Hadrian's time, with the relief immediately
below them, the contrast is such that they seem to belong to two
different worlds. The scene represents Constantine, after his entry into
Rome in 312 A.D., addressing the Senate and the people from the rostrum
in the Forum.
The first thing we notice here is the avoidance of all the numerous
devices developed since the fifth century B.C. for creating spatial
depth. We find no oblique lines, no foreshortening, and only the barest
ripple of movement in the listening crowds. The architecture has been
flattened out against the relief background, which thus becomes a solid,
impenetrable surface. The rostrum and the people on or beside it form an
equally shallow layer: the second row ol: figures appears simply as a
series of heads above those of the first. The figures themselves have an
oddly doll-like quality. The heads are very large, while the bodies seem
not only dwarfish because of the thick, stubby legs, but they also
appear to be lacking in articulation. The mechanism of contrapposto has
disappeared completely, so that these figures no longer stand freely and
by their own muscular effort. Rather, they seem to dangle from invisible
strings.
Judged from the Classical point of view, all the characteristics we have
described so tar are essentially negative. They represent the loss of
many hard-won gains—a throwback to earlier, more primitive levels of
expression. Yet such an approach does not really advance our
understanding of the new style. The Constantinian panel cannot be
explained as the result of a lack of ability, for it is far too
consistent within itself to be regarded as no more than a clumsy attempt
to imitate earlier Roman reliefs. Nor can it be viewed as a return to
Archaic art, since there is nothing in pre-Classical times that looks
like it. No, the Constantinian sculptor must have had a positive new
purpose of his own that we can only surmise. Perhaps we can approach it
best by stressing one dominant feature of our relief: its sense of
self-sufficiency.
The scene tills the available area, and fills it completely. (Note how
all the background buildings are made to have the same height.) Any
suggestion that it continues beyond the frame is carefully avoided. It
is as if our artist had asked, "How can I get all of this complicated
ceremonial event into my panel?" In order to do so, an abstract order
has been imposed upon the world of appearances. The middle third of the
strip is given over to the rostrum with Constantine and his entourage,
the rest to the listeners and the buildings that identify the Roman
Forum as the scene of the action. They are all quite recognizable, even
though their scale and proportions have been drastically adjusted. The
symmetrical design also makes clear the unique status of the emperor.
Constantine not only occupies the exact center, he is shown full-face
(his head, unfortunately, has been knocked off), while all the other
figures turn their heads toward him to express their dependent
relationship. That the frontal pose is indeed a position of majesty
reserved for sovereigns, human or divine, is nicely demonstrated by the
seated figures at the corners of the rostrum, the only ones besides
Constantine to face us directly. These figures are statues of
emperors—the same "good emperors" we met elsewhere on the arch, Hadrian
and Marcus Aurelius. Looked at in this way, our relief reveals itself as
a bold and original creation. It is the harbinger of a new vision that
will become basic to the development of Christian art.
285. Arch of Constantine. South Face
Arch of Constantine. North Face
286. Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail)
Arch of Constantine (detail). Attic West
Arch of Constantine (detail).
Attic East
