Lesson plan based on Hadrian
Design an installation for a portrait of Hadrian in an ancient Roman town to illustrate and comprehend its propaganda role in daily life.
Skills and Focus: Art History, Studio
Subject Area: Fine Arts
Thematic Connection: Signs and Symbols
Grade Level: Secondary School
Time Needed: 30 minutes, plus time to design, complete, and evaluate projects
Objectives
• Describe how this image of Hadrian and other sculptures of the emperor were used as propaganda in the Roman empire.
• Design an ancient Roman installation for the bust based on analysis of the object.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of these installations through a juried competition.
Instructional Materials Needed
Stories: Who Was Hadrian? and Portraits of Roman Emperors
Materials as needed to complete installation designs
Bibliography of Roman and Greek portraiture:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/~acsmith/Portraiture.html#sources
Activity
Portraits of emperors were powerful propaganda tools in ancient Roman society. Towns throughout the empire erected copies of the official portrait in public places to demonstrate their allegiance to the emperor. Have students imagine they are responsible for designing the installation for this portrait of Hadrian in their ancient Roman town. Students can submit both drawings and three-dimensional models to a student jury which will then pick the winning design.
Goals
This activity meets Illinois State Goal 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
This activity meets Illinois State Goal 27: Understand the role of the arts in civilizations, past and present.
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