Well, have a nice Ides of March, and be careful of your colleagues. The togas feel heavy and the figures almost appear to be frozen in stone, like marble statues. The figures seem to be lined up as if they were on a stage. Overall, there is a certain order in this painting. Now I’m not an art expert or art historian, but that appears to be Mark Antony, being delayed by a senator. While looking at this image, I also noticed this small scene in the far left of the painting. We can see other senators further away reacting in surprise. What we do see is a sharp contrast between the white togas of this group of attacking senators and the red-orange color of Caesar’s toga. Now normally, we could notice some purple on a Roman senator’s toga, but we don’t see that in this painting. This was a wool cloth worn by male citizens of Rome. Along with these three statues in the background, this all helps give the painting a monumental feeling. These square tiles help give us a sense of depth while the blank wall in the background helps focus our attention on the bottom of the painting. Our eye is drawn to this part of the painting ( to be drawn to: in this case, to be pulled to). Caeser died near the foot of a statue of Pompey, which Camuccini represents here in this painting.Ībout the painting, note how the main action forms a triangle here. This marble statue is of Pompey, one of Julius Caeser’s biggest rivals. The assassination took place within the Theater of Pompey. ![]() These senators resented (to feel anger or bitterness at someone.) the popularity of the appointed dictator for life and claimed to have killed Caesar in order to protect the Roman Republic. ![]() There were about 60 senators who conspired to assassinate Julius Caesar. (to stab is when you put a knife, dagger, or sword into someone). Not to get too bloody here, but Caesar was stabbed at least 23 times. This specific type of dagger was called a pugio. The senators are holding daggers in their hands. He is turning his head to the side and is not showing his full face to his victim… whose final words were possibly… “you too, my son”. His face is not full of cruelty, but we can sense a feeling of hesitation. This figure is Brutus, who had been protected by Caesar and treated almost like a son. This senator is Cassius, who is attacking Caesar head on. We can only image the shock in this moment, though in this painting, Caesar still appears to have a somewhat proud expression. This is Caesar, falling backwards as he reaches out with his left hand. ![]() We are seconds away from his bloody death. ![]() In the painting, we can see a group of Roman senators surrounding and attacking Julius Caesar. This painting was created by Vincenzo Camuccini, an Italian neoclassical painter. To mark this date, let’s describe this well known painting named The Death of Julius Caesar. Today is March 15th, the Ides of March, a date made famous by the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. If you could visit ancient Rome for a day, what would you want to see? Which is more interesting to you? Standing on the exact spot where a famous person from history once stood, or being the first human in history to stand on a specific piece of land, rock, or mountain peak? Have you ever visited an ancient Roman ruin? Describe your experience. What do you think of this painting? Do you like neoclassical art like this?ĭescribe what you know about Julius Caesar (and his assassination) to someone who has never heard of him before. Link: You can find this painting at the Museo di Capodimonte (Naples) Painting Title: The Death of Julius Caesar by Vincenzo Camuccini DESCRIBE THE PAINTING - EXPAND YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY
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