Colouring the classical past: Mark Bradley and the rediscovery of painted sculpture

About this episode

Mark Bradley discusses the vibrant colors used in ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, challenging the notion of monochrome marble.

Conventional perceptions of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture tend to emphasise the purity of white marble surfaces. However, as classicist Mark Bradley argues, this view is fundamentally misleading. In antiquity, statues were not conceived as monochrome objects but were instead richly painted in a wide range of vivid colours. Guest: Mark Bradley, Professor of Classics at the University of Nottingham Producer: Ali Benton

People in this episode

Guest: Mark Bradley

Topics covered

• ancient sculpture
• classical studies
• art history
• color in art
• Greek culture
• Roman culture

Keywords

• painted sculpture
• classical past
• Mark Bradley
• ancient art
• Greek sculpture
• Roman sculpture
• colorful statues

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Nottingham

Books & works: ancient Greek and Roman sculpture

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