Roman Art Notes

Roman Art

Origin of Roman Art

  • Roman art spanned nearly 1,000 years across three continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia.
  • It dates back to 509 B.C., the founding of the Roman Republic, and lasted until 330 A.D.
  • Roman art was influenced by many cultures due to Rome being a melting pot of civilization.
  • The Romans were open to artistic influences from surrounding Mediterranean cultures.

Relationship between Roman and Greek Art

  • Greek art significantly impacted Roman art practices.
  • Despite Rome's invasion of Greece, Rome adopted much of Greece's cultural and artistic heritage.
  • Romans commissioned copies of famous Greek works, and Roman marble versions exist of lost Greek bronze originals, like Polykleitos' "Doryphoros" statue.
    *A copy of statue of "Doryphoros" from the Roman period of the artist (Polykleitos). Naples National Archaeological Museum. Material: Marble. Height: 2.12 meters (6 feet 11 inches).
  • Romans did not consider copies less valuable than originals, but they often made changes, often as a joke, by subverting the serious nature of Greek art.
  • Roman artists adapted other cultures and added humor, making Roman art unique.

Roman Art Features

  • Roman artists embraced classical art from the Greek classical and Hellenistic periods.
  • Classic elements:
    • Soft lines and elegant fabrics.
    • Perfect bare bodies.
    • Impressively natural shapes and balanced proportions.
  • Emperor Augustus was impressed by classical art, as seen in the Augustus of Primaporta statue.
  • The Augustus of Primaporta statue was created at the end of emperor Augustus's life, yet his young-age statue was embodied and showed him a perfect medallion and a sporty body, and all the features of classical art were used on it.
  • Emperor Hadrian, known as "philhellene" (lover of all things Greek), wore a Greek "philosopher's beard" and decorated his palace with Greek paintings.
  • The empire eventually moved away from classical influences and reverted to antiquity art.
  • Example: Chariot procession of Septimus Severus sculpture.

Characteristics of Ancient Roman Arts

  • Key characteristics:
    1. Front-facing show
    2. Hardness and non-flowing of fabrics and clothing
    3. Deep lines etched, moving away from natural shapes
    4. People appearing in groups, lacking individuality

Media and Materials

  • Roman art used a wide range of media and materials, including fresco, mosaics, and marble.
  • They also produced works in silver, bronze, and used precious stones.
  • Art was displayed publicly in homes for presentation and education.
  • Decorations in homes included frescoes, mosaics, and sculptures integrated with bronze statues and silver bowls.

Wall and Floor Drawings

  • Drawings spread on walls and floors of palaces.
  • Wall painting became prevalent in interior decoration.
  • Emphasis was placed on highlighting psychological and emotional expressions on faces.
  • Pictures were decorated with painted decorative frames.

Roman Art Subjects

  • Common topics:
    • Important and famous ancestral statues
    • Legendary and historical scenes
    • Silent nature and landscapes
  • These topics expressed the public's intellectual knowledge and cultural awareness.

Roman Decorative Elements

Plant Elements
  • Romans used elements from Greek art, such as countess paper snails, Anthemone leaves, ivy, grape leaves, lotus, and burdy.
  • Leaf necklaces, flowers, and fruits were used, often interspersed with thin strips in bends.
  • Sometimes, elements included human heads, animals, birds, or sea shells.
Animal Elements
  • Heads of animals, women, and children with plant snail bodies were used.
  • Ektens were used in stereoscopic decorations on building facades and water fountain designs for palaces and gardens.
Geometric Elements
  • Circles and spirals were used extensively.
  • Drawings were distinguished by good composition and uniform distribution.
  • Most motifs were borrowed from the Greek with slight changes.
  • Vertical acanthus leaf and spiral motifs were used in Corinthian and composite column capitals.

Roman Art Colors

  • Prevailing colors were white, margarine, and violet.
  • These colors adorned clothes and indicated social status due to their rarity and expense.
  • Crimson, red, blue, brown, and yellow were also used.
  • Court men in the second and third centuries A.D. did not adhere to specific colors in their clothes.
  • Women's colors varied, with brides wearing white.
  • Dark colors like brown, black, and lead were used for lower layers in ionics and cloaks.
  • Colors used in ionica and estola included white, purple, yellow, black, sulfur yellow, orange, turquoise, dark sea green, or bluish-green.
  • The ionica and estola were sometimes yellow with a white or green belt.
  • The damachia was initially the natural color of cloth but later used bright colors.
  • In mourning, women wore black.