The Arts Past and Present: Mosaics: Track 1

How can we read an image to tell us more about its...

How can we read an image to tell us more about its ancient maker? In this album a mosaic artist, Catherine Parkinson, visits the splendidly-preserved ancient Roman mosaics at Brading Villa on the Isle of Wight. With the help of two archaeologists she discovers that the iconography reveals important clues about the villa inhabitants' world view, taste, and aspirations. Their leisure pursuits, the value placed on learning, and their views on men and women are just some of the themes revealed in the mythological narratives. Did the craftsmen bring pattern books to the villa owner so he could choose how to decorate his house, much like today? Catherine's own practical experience of mosaic-making also helps us understand the methods the Romans used to lay the mosaics. In the audio track, Open University classicist Jessica Hughes explores some of the issues surrounding interpretation of these mosaics' meanings. This material forms part of The Open University Course AA100 The arts and past and present.

By: The iTunes U team (The Open University, Programme and web teams)

Duration: 30 mins
Published on: Tuesday 9th February 2010
Introductory Level
Posted under: History & The Arts

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Track 1: The Arts Past and Present: Mosaics

A short introduction to this album.

Read a transcript of this track - you'll need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe's free Adobe Reader
See details of the Open University course this album comes from
Discover more from The Open University and iTunesU at open.edu/itunes

Tracks in this podcast:

Track	Title	Description
1	The Arts Past and Present: Mosaics	A short introduction to this album. Play now The Arts Past and Present: Mosaics
2	Mosaics at Brading Villa	Mosaic Artist Catherine Parkinson goes to visit a Roman Villa, Brading, on the Isle of Wight Play now Mosaics at Brading Villa
3	The Astronomer	The iconography in this mosaic reveals more than meets the eye. Play now The Astronomer
4	The Cockheaded Man	A mosaic like today's political cartoons. Play now The Cockheaded Man
5	Orpheus	Clues that this mosaic was made in a hurry. Play now Orpheus
6	The Shepherd	A mosaic depicting a castrated shepherd and a nymph Play now The Shepherd
7	Medusa	Catherine Parkinson realises why this mosaic is laid a little crooked. Play now Medusa
8	Reading Roman Mosaics	Open University classicist Jessica Hughes talks about the the Brading Villa mosaics and explores some of the issues raised in the video tracks. Play now Reading Roman Mosaics