(artist unknown, Roman copy of original) (c.220 bc). Gallic Cheiftain Killing His Wife and Himself [marble, original in bronze]. Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.

The combination of figures is rendered in stark realism. Placing them on a pedestal perhaps protects the observer somewhat, but the subject matter and content are undeniably immediate and inspire emotions of pity and discomfort. Still grasping the lifeless body of the one he loves, the man is less than a moment from ending his own life. The figures are identifiable as non-Greek by their hair style, however the woman’s gown could easily be Greek.

While the subject matter is decidedly Pergamene, formal choices line up with classical mature traits with some consistency. The medium is marble, but the appearance of texturing is soft and warm on fleshy surfaces, whooly with stronger edges on clothed surfaces. In most lighting situations, this builds a subtle, interest-generating value pattern, or at least interplay of values, that is defined by both sharp and blended edges, established and yielding textures.

Formal development is diffuse, leaving the individual activities to dictate most of where the observer’s attention rests: the tragic, lifeless expression of the woman, horizontally-oriented patterning of her clothing folds, and the twisting, energy-generating motion of the man’s arms plunging the gladius into his chest. The almost jagged, complicated interplay of limbs, edges and energy forms an analogous, supportive relationship to this masterpiece’s emotional density.

Depending on the expert asked, The Pergamene style is possibly the first to establish Expressionism. In this example, though the victory of the Greeks is celebrated, the figures are thoroughly humanized, drawing emotional energy and pity from all but the most calloused observer. The defeated subjects are rendered with sensitivity with an unmistakable sense of heroism. The artist’s ability to withdraw a specific emotional over intellectual response from the viewer is the central defining characteristic of Expressionism.