Roman Art—The Republic summary

The following texts are the property of their respective authors and we thank them for giving us the opportunity to share for free to students, teachers and users of the Web their texts will used only for illustrative educational and scientific purposes only.

The information of medicine and health contained in the site are of a general nature and purpose which is purely informative and for this reason may not replace in any case, the council of a doctor or a qualified entity legally to the profession.

Roman Art—The Republic summary

I. Roman Art—The Republic (509-27BCE) Western Civilization

211 BCE. A turning point for the history of art
In the words of historian, Livy, “the craze for works of Greek art began”
Influences of Greek and Etruscan mix into a distinctly Roman style

Temple of “Fortuna Virilis” (Temple of Fortunus),

Rome, late 2nd century or early 1st century BCE.

Temple Roman god of harbors
Tufa, travertine, overlaid with stucco
High podium accessible from front,

Ionic columns engaged on cella’s sides

Temple of “the Sibyl”, or of “Vesta,”

Tivoli, early 1st century BCE.

a. Greek round or tholos temple type; Corinthian columns

with frieze of garlands held up by heads of oxen

b. High podium, narrow stairway leading to cella; un-Greek

c. Concrete-recipe limemortar, volcanic sand, water and small stones

Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, Palestrina, late 2nd century BCE.

Republican taste for colossal Hellenistic designs
Concrete barrel vaults
Man-made design symbolic of Roman power and dominion

Sculpture______________________________________________________________________________

Surviving sculptural portraits of prominent figures of the Roman Republic
Veristic—super-realistic portraits
Ancestral images kept in their homes

Head of a Roman Patrician, from Otricoli,

75-50 BCE. Marble, approx. 14” high.

a. Blunt record of the sitter’s features

b. Personality—serious, experienced determined,

virtues admired during the Republic

Roman Patrician with Busts of his Ancestors,

Marble, lifesize.

Father and Grandfather

Portrait of a Roman general,

from the Sanctuary of Hercules, Tivoli, c. 75-50 BCE.

Marble, approx. 6’2” high.

a. Romans believed head alone sufficient to constitute a portrait

b. Commonly placed on bodies they could not possibly belong

Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius_________________________________________________________

Aerial view of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius in the background

Historian, Pliny the Elder, wrote Natural History in 37 books, observed the eruption

Forum, Pompeii, 2nd Century B.C.E. and later.

(aerial view)

a. Forum-center of civic life

b. Temple of Jupiter (Capitolium)-converted into triple shrine

of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva

c. Basilica-housed the law court of Pompeii

and used for other official purposes

Amphitheater, Pompeii c. 80 B.C.E.

(aerial view)

Amphitheater literally means double-theater
Supported by artificial mountain of concrete barrel vaults

Atrium of the House of the Vettii,Pompeii,

rebuilt CE. 62-69.

Atrium-large central reception area
Basic model, similar plan of Etruscan house

Painting___________________________________________________________________________________

Custom painted frescoes in nearly every room
Just another craze for things Greek

First Style wall painting in the fauces

of the Samnite House, Herculaneum,

late 2nd Cent. B.C.E.

Masonry Style-imitate with stucco relief

appearance costly marble panels

Dionysiac mystery freeze, 2nd Style wall paintings

in Room 5 of the Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii,

60-50 B.C E., Frieze approx. 5’4’’ high.

a. Illusion of three-dimensional world

b. Rites of the Greek god Dionysos

Detail: Villa of Mysteries

Female mortals all interact with mythological figures

Gardenscape, 2nd Style wall painting from the Villa of Livia,

Primaporta, c. 30-20 BCE. Approx. 6’7” high.

Atmospheric perspective—depth indicated increasingly

blurred appearance of objects in the distance

Architectural View, wall painting

from a villa at Boscoreale,

near Naples, 1st century B.C.E.

Theatrical design
Intuitive perspective—artist creates

general impression of real space

Cityscape, detail of a 2nd Style wall painting

from a bedroom in the House of Publius,

late 1st century C.E.

Diagonal lines that eye interprets as parallel lines

receding into the distance;

not yet a true linear perspective

Detail of a Third Style wall painting

in the house of M. Lucretius Fronto,

Pompeii. Mid-1st century CE.

Solid planar surfaces adorned with decorative details

And “framed” paintings

Fourth Style wall paintings in the Ixion room

of the house of Vettii, Pompeii, c. C.E. 70.

Combination of all styles
Crowded, confused compositions,

Sometimes garish combinations of colors

Portrait of a husband and wife, wall painting

from House VII,2,6, Pompeii, c. CE. 70-79

Roman marriage portrait
Man holds a scroll and woman a stylus

and a wax writing tablet

Heracleitus, The Unswept Floor,

mosaic variant of a 2nd century B.C.E.

painting by Sosos of Pergamon, 2nd century C.E.

Tesserae-pebbles, shaped hard stone,

marble, or manufactured color glass

II. Roman Art—The Early Empire_______________Western Civilization

Drew inspiration from Etruscan and Greek art as well as Republican traditions
Developed art of portraiture, official images and private individuals
Recorded contemporary historical events on commemorative arches, columns and mausoleums
Contributed to Roman political propaganda

Augustus and Julio-Claudians (27 B.C.E.-C.E. 68)_______________________________________________

Portrait of Augustus as General from Primaporta,

copy of a bronze original of c. 20 B.C.E.

Marble, 6’8” high

Present populace with image of a god-like leader
Produced in great numbers,

inspired by art of Classical Greece

c. Imperial portraiture for political propaganda

Close-up of Augustus’s cuirass (torso armor)

Reference to current events,

return of captured Roman standards

by the Parthians is depicted

Cupid serves as a reminder of Augustus’s

divine lineage

Portrait bust of Livia, from Faiyum,

Egypt, early 1st century CE.

Marble, approx. 13 ½” high.

Wife of Augustus
Strong features and serene expression
Promoter of social legislation aimed at

increasing the Roman birth rate

Ara Pacis, Augustae, Rome, 13-9 B.C.E. Marble, approx. 34’5”.

Altar of Augustan Peace
Commemorate triumphal return,

end of civil war, establishment of

Roman rule in Spain and France

Decoration is union of portraiture and allegory

religion and politics and the private and the public

Reconstructed during Fascist era in Italy,

connection with 2,000 anniversary of Augustus’s birth

when Mussolini seeking to build modern Roman Empire

with himself at the head

“Telus”, relief panel from the east façade

of the Ara Pacis Marble 5’3”high.

Allegorical representation of the peace and prosperity

Augustus presumably brought to empire

Procession of the Imperial family,

detail of the south frieze of the Ara Pacis,

marble, approx. 5’ 3” high

Senators and imperial family members
Actual individuals with artist’s attempt at spatial depth

Model of the Forum of Augustus, Rome,

dedicated in 2 BCE.

a. Augustus found Rome “a city of brick and transformed it into marble”

Pont-du-gard, Nimes, c. 16 BCE.

a.Roman engineering, an aqueduct

b. 100 gallons of water a day for every person in Nimes

8. Close-up Aqueduct

Three arcades (walls with series of regularly spaced

arched openings)

9. Maison Carree, Nimes, c. C.E. 1-10.

a. Or Square House

b. Appealed to American president and

amateur architect Thomas Jefferson

The Flavians (C.E. 69-96)________________________________________________________

10. Aerial View, Colosseum, Rome c. CE. 70-80.

a. Flavians erected to bolster popularity in Rome

Enormous entertainment center
Name “Colosseum”, derived from Colossus, bigger than life

statue of Nero that had been left standing next to it

11. Exterior View, Colosseum

a. Curving outer wall, three levels of arcade,

Engaged columns, each level different architectural order

12. Interior, corridors, barrel vaults

a. barrel vaulted corridors provide access to

ascending tiers of seats

13. Interior, floor of arena

a. Floor laid over a foundation of service rooms

and tunnels provided backstage area for athletes,

performers, animals, and equipment

14. Portrait of Vespasian, from Ostia,

c. CE. 69-79. Marble approx. 16” high.

a. Colosseum’s patron

b. Revived veristic tradition of the Roman Republic

15. Portrait bust of a Flavian woman,

c. C.E. 90, marble, approx. 2’ 1” high

a. Flavian portraits of all ages preserved,

b. Idealized portrait

16. Middle aged Flavian woman, marble

a. Revival of verist style popular in the Republican period

18. Arch of Titus, Rome, after C.E. 81

a. Vespian’s older son Titus died, brother Domitian

succeeded him and erected an arch in Titus’s honor

b. Triumphal arch, one passageway only

19. Spoils of Jeruselum, relief inside passageway,

Arch of Titus

a. Relief panel, Triumphal parade of Titus

b. Roman soldiers carrying the spoils from

the Temple in Jerusalum

20. Triumph of Titus, Relief from Arch of Titus,

marble, approx. 7’10”

a. Titus in his triumphal chariot

b. Allegorical figures transform relief into

a general celebration of imperial values

Preparation to design a Roman City—Linear perspective

Materials needed: Pencil, eraser and 12” ruler

III. Roman Art-The High Empire and the Late Empire_____________Western Civilization

Trajan ( C.E. 98- 117)_______________________________________________________________________

a.Empire reached its greatest extent

b.Constructed largest and most elaborate of Imperial Forums

Column of Trajan, 125’ high

and remains of the Basilica Ulpia

in the Forum of Trajan,

Architect--Apollodorus of Damascus

a. Commemorate victory over the Dacians

b. Monument to Trajan and his tomb

c. Continuous spiral narrative frieze, 625’ long

Close-up of Trajan’s column

Square base served as Trajan’s mausoleum
Story told in over 150 episodes, with 2500 figures

Detail of the shaft of Trajan’s column.

Originally enhanced with paint
Focus of attention always on emperor
Only ¼ frieze devoted to battle scenes

Hadrian (C.E. 117-138)_____________________________________________________________

a. Trajan’s chosen successor and fellow Spaniard

b. Connoisseur and lover of all arts, as well as author and architect

Portrait Bust of Hadrian as General

from Tel Shalem, c. C.E. 130-138.

Bronze, 35” high

a. Always depicted as mature adult, wore a beard

b. Inspired by Classical Greek statuary

Pantheon, Exterior View, Rome, C.E. 118-125,

concrete, “Temple of all the Gods”

Revolutionary design, concrete’s full potential

Pantheon, interior and longitudinal

and lateral sections of the floor plan

Design based on intersection of two circles
Space imagined as orb of the earth and dome as vault of the heavens

Pantheon, interior view

Niches—7 rectangular alternating with semicircular,

Originally held statues of gods

Coffers—sunken panels in circle patterns in dome’s ceiling
Oculas—29’ wide central opening in dome

Canopus, Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, c. 135 CE.

Architectural complex of many buildings, lakes, gardens

spread over half square mile

Colonnade with alternating semicircular and straight entablatures
Canopus—city on the Nile near Alexandria

Battle of Centaurs and Wild Beasts, Floor mosaic from Hadrian,s Villa,

Tivoli. C. 118-28, 23” x36”

Fight between centaurs and wild animals
Variety of poses with shading and foreshortening

Hadrian’s Wall,

seen near Housesteads, England.

2nd century C.E.

a. Stone barrier with forts for protection

b. Coast to coast, narrow (80-mile-wide) part of Britain

c. 15 feet high, symbolic as well as physical boundary

between Roman territory and the barbarian Picts and Scots to North

The Antoinines (138-192)____________________________________________________________________

Hadrian adopted 51 year-old Antonius Pius as son and required

that Antonius adopt Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus;

assuring peaceful succession for next generation

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius,

C.E. 175, Bronze, Approx. 11’ 6” high,

Campidoglio, Rome.

Commonly used for imperial portraits

b. Express majesty and authority of the Roman emperor

c. Super human grandeur, larger than steed, no armor or weapon

d. Thought to portray Constantine, inspires Renaissance sculptors

Portrait of Marcus Aurelius

New portrayal of Roman emperor
Weary, saddened, even worried
First time strain of constant warfare and

burden of ruling a worldwide empire

Roman Art--The Late Empire___________________________________________________

a. Two centuries after establishment of Pax Romana; erosion of Roman power evident

b. Pivotal era in world history

c. Pagan ancient world gradually transformed into Christian Middle Ages

The Severans (C.E. 193-235)___________________________________________________________________

Painted portrait of Septimus Severus and his family,

from Egypt, c. 200 CE. Tempera on wood,

approx. 14” diameter.

a. Only painted likeness of any Roman Emperor

b. Erasure of face of Emperor’s younger son, Greta

c. Son, Caracalla, ruthless character

d. Ordered death of his wife and arranged murder of his father-in-law

Portrait of Caracalla, c. 211-217 CE.Marble approx. 14” high.

Baths of Caracalla, Rome,

C.E. 212-216, brick-faced concrete,

140’ high

a. Severans, active builders in Rome

b. Bathing and recreational complex,

Erected with imperial funds to win favor of public

The Soldier Empires (C.E. 235-284)_____________________________________________________________

a. Unstable times

b. No emperor had luxury of initiating ambitious architectural projects

Heroic Portrait of Trebonianus Gallus from Rome,

C.E. 251-253, Bronze approx. 7’ 11” high

a. Another short-lived emperor

b. Heroic nudity

c. Image of brute force suited to era of soldier emperors

Temple of Venus at Baalbek,

third century C.E.

Decline of classical art also manifests itself in architecture
“Baroque” fantasy, concave forms and niches in cella wall

Diocletian and the Tetrarchy (C.E. 284-306)____________________________________________________

a. Attempt to restore order

b. Diocletitian decided to share power with rivals,

established tetrarchy (rule by four)

Portraits of the Four Tetrarchs,

C.E. 305, Porphry, approx. 4’ 3” high.

a. Portrayal of four equal partners in power

b. Porphry—purple marble

c. Lost all individual identity

Constantine (C.E. 306-37)___________________________________________________________________

a. CE. 312 defeated chief rival Maxentius, battle at Milvian Bridge

b Edict of Milan, ended persecution of Christians

Arch of Constantine,

Rome, C.E. 312-315

a. Commemorate victory over Maxentius

b. Triple-arched, recycled sculpture

Medallions and Frieze

from the Arch of Constantine

Taken from a monument to Hadrian

Portrait of Constantine,

from the Basilica Nova, Rome,

C.E. 315-330, Marble, approx. 8’ 6” high

a. Constantine was master use of portrait statues

for political propaganda

b. Marble fragment of colossal 30-foot-tall enthroned statue

Basilica of Constantine,

Basilica Nova (New Basilica)

Constantine’s statue placed in apse, a permanent stand-in

when he was in the East

Similar to large, unbroken, vaulted space found in baths

Aula Palatina (Basilica), Trier.

Early 4th century CE. (exterior)

Austere brick exterior
Two rows of windows

Aula Palatina,Trier, interior

Semicircular apse with triumphal arch that divides interior space
Design adopted by Christians for use in churches

Source : http://www.myeport.com/published/u/hs/uhse002/collection/2/4/upload.doc

Web site link: http://www.myeport.com/published/u/hs/uhse002

Google key word : Roman Art—The Republic summary file type : doc

Author : not indicated on the source document of the above text

If you are the author of the text above and you not agree to share your knowledge for teaching, research, scholarship (for fair use as indicated in the United States copyrigh low) please send us an e-mail and we will remove your text quickly.