The Lost Ram 60-79AD Examine the following painting
What do you see?
Sacro-idyllic Countryside / pastoral religious
Impressionistic – what figures are the most detailed?
Composition At centre is sacred shrine on marble base Flanked by two elegant marble monuments Behind it a sacred tree In middle distance a rocky cliff face From a dark foreground figures of a shepherd and sacrificial victim stand out against marble of the shrine Composition is balanced in both vertical and horizontal axes, with human shapes and animals on each side of the central shrine
Depth Artist has effectively distinguished, by colour, light and shade, several planes A dark, yellow foreground The sharp focus of the figures against the brightly lit sanctuary Fainter, hazier outlines in middle distance Jagged cliff face that forms the background, with its gradation of colour