Roman portrait through I, Claudius (BBC, 1976)

Abstract

The series I, Claudius (Herbert Wise, 1976), based on the novels by Robert Graves, is one of the productions that has best conveyed the early years of the Roman Empire. An era whose presentation in the classroom often causes confusion, due to the intricate political context that pervades any particular vision of its history. In the case of Art history and, more specifically, in the case of Roman portraiture, this circumstance is especially plausible, causing a loss of interest in comparison to other periods and artistic manifestations. The use of audiovisual resources helps to alleviate the situation, even awakening curiosity for cross-cutting artistic issues that, in addition to expanding content, can be applied to different subjects. The case we are dealing with is particularly significant because, in addition to having an accessible duration, its high artistic and technical level allows us to explore different possibilities: narrative, art direction, costume, hairdressing, makeup, music... through which to propose activities of a different nature, where initiative and creativity are a relevant criterion. Direct experience in the classroom with students of the Art History Degree and the Universal Art course of the History Degree confirms the effectiveness of the method.