Time Period 7 - Roman Art

Ancient Rome Republic - 500 B.C. Empire - 27 B.C. - 200 A.D.

Quick Overview:

• Borrowed the best from the cultures they conquered
• Architecture - New engineering developments in the design of the arch, vault, and the dome
• Huge scale - impressive and massive
• Concrete used - strong, cheap, and flexible
• Sculpture - Realism - anatomical exactness in both animals and humans
• Painting - Copied many of the Greek originals
• Realism - portraiture and relief

Between the Etruscans on the north and the Greek culture on the south, a city-state was established that was to grow to eventually dominate the western world for seven centuries. To the lands that were conquered, the Romans took their laws, religion, customs, their superb ability to organize, and the Latin language. They developed a literary system that allowed a detailed record-keeping of history. The Roman Empire was destined to become one of the greatest in the world.

The Romans had a great admiration for Classical Greece. They imported original art and profusely copied both the Greek idealism and Etruscan realism. After the conquest of Greece, in 146 B.C., sculptures and paintings were shipped to Italy by the conquering generals. Their beauty and perfection inspired Roman artists. Many Roman artists created new styles that assimilated and recreated the art they admired. Borrowed elements were combined to produce effects of magnificence and grandeur.

Roman art has been considered eclectic. As one trend started, another developed and assumed the style of the time. Most of the art produced honored emperors and their greatness, although there was a creative stream that led to the realistic and mystical, and an almost impressionistic rendering of nature.

Roman art and architecture flourished in Italy from about 200 B.C. into the 4th c. A.D. It exerted a strong influence on the arts of the Middle Ages and of the Renaissance. And its architecture was particularly important because of the brilliant development in structural engineering and design.

The characteristic qualities of the Roman Empire were partly of pompous display and of celebrating the triumphal moments of Imperial leadership. Rome became a town of re-designing and re-modeling. Both the Greek and the Roman civilizations have strongly influenced major aspects of western society today. In the Late Roman Empire, another powerful influence was adopted by the Emperors of Rome and would change the perspective of man for a few hundred years, Christianity. It was during this time, amidst turmoil and strict religious guidance, that art both reached new elevations and saw the demise of some art styles.

Ancient Rome Roman Art Historical & Cultural Architecture

The Romans created new architectural styles:

• Roman Forum - Rome
• Pont du Gard - Nimes, France 1st. C.
• Colosseum - Rome 70 - 82 A.D.
• Altar of Peace - Ara Pacis - 27 B.C.
• Pantheon - Rome 118 - 125 A.D.
• Basilica of Constantine - 310-320 A.D.
• Arch of Constantine - 312 - 315 A.D.

Early forms of architecture were built in the Etruscan style until 2nd c. B.C., when the conquest of Greece brought new artists and ideas to Rome. Terra-cotta, wood, and mud-brick structures gave way to stone and concrete using the Greek orders. The Romans made their greatest contribution to art in their architecture. At first, they borrowed styles, but soon a combination of styles emerged that was uniquely called "Roman."

The Romans built both religious and non-secular buildings and public works structures from bridges, roads, and aqueducts to arenas and public forums. Their developments in architecture added an enormous creative achievement in engineering, planning, and construction. The Romans used structural materials such as the arch, vault, and the dome to a greater advantage than previous cultures had used them.

Many of these basic building concepts are still used today.

Architecture
Ancient Rome - The City
Rome in the Regal Period

According to tradition, the city was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus, one of a line of seven kings. Titus Livius (or Livy), Roman historian, describes the events. Aeneas escaped from the Greek destruction of Troy at the end of the Trojan War. He landed in Laurentum in Italy, formed an alliance with King Latinus and married his daughter. Thirteen generations later, Amulius usurped the throne of Numitor, the rightful king, and gave instructions to drown Numitor's twin grandchildren, Romulus and Remus. But the servant was too kind-hearted and left the twins on the bank of the river Tiber. There they were discovered by a she-wolf who brought them up. When the twins reached manhood, they decided to avenge Amulius and establish a city near the place they were left to drown. Livy continues:

Since the brothers were twins, and neither had seniority over the other, it was decided that the gods who kept watch over the site would choose by augury (the flight of the birds) which brother should give the new city its name and be its first king. So Romulus took the Palatine Hill for his observation point and Remus chose the Aventine. Remus is said to have seen the first augury - a flight of six vultures - but as soon as it was announced, Romulus reported seeing twice that number. Each brother was accordingly saluted as king by his own followers, Remus on the grounds that he had seen the first heavenly sign, Romulus because his augury had been twice as big. Angry words followed, the two parties came to blows which led to bloodshed, and Remus himself was killed. But a more common version of the story is that Remus taunted Romulus by leaping over the newly-built city walls. At this Romulus, in a rage, killed his brother and added this threat: 'Death to anyone who leaps over my city walls.' In this way, Romulus gained sole power, and the city was founded and named after its founder.

The She-Wolf, originally a sculpture from the Etruscan period, shows the figures of Romulus and Remus, added by the Italians in the 16th c.

Rome grew quickly, and larger structures were needed. In the valley, between Palatine and Capitoline hill, a civic center was constructed, the Roman Forum. This valley, formerly a swamp, was drained into the Cloaca Maxima, the main sewer system and instead this land became the center of the Empire. With the development of concrete, the old swamp area was paved and covered by a finishing of brick, stone, marble, or thin layers of plaster. People from the surrounding hills, Palatine, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, and Caelian, now had a community place for gathering.

Ancient Rome

In the earliest period of The Forum, the main monuments were built, The Shrines of Vesta and Janus and The Regia. Capitoline hill served as the center of the state religion.

The Temple of Vesta

For entertainment, the Circus Maximus was organized. Races and games took place between Palatine and Aventine Hills.

Visit the Circus Maximus to complete the...... Circus Maximus - Exam.

Architecture
Republican Rome
506 - 549 B.C.

With the expulsion of the last Etruscan king in 510 B.C., a Republican culture was established. Facilities were constructed for the meetings of the senate and the assembly of the people. At the northwest end of the forum, The Curia, or Senate House, was built. It had an enclosed rectangular room for the officials and a semi-circular area for the people. This all faced a rostrum, the speakers' platform.

Take a side trip - visit the Republican Curia...... The Curia Lulia.

From the the 5th-1st c., many other forums were constructed; among the most significant were the Forum Boarium and Forum Holitarium.

Take a side trip to photograph the sites of Ancient Rome.

Smaller centers to conduct daily business were also created in basilicas (originally covered walkways), such as the Basilica Porcia and Basilica Aemilia.

A large cistern at the foot of Capitoline hill served as a state prison, and organized warehouses for grain storage were built along the Tiber River.

By the Late Republic, the majority of the people of Rome were living in multiple-level apartment houses constructed of wood and unbaked brick, and this became the typical living design. The wealthier classes lived on the hills, in large residences surrounded by open courts with sculptural gardens containing pools and fountains.

Romans excelled in civic planning. Cities were designed to have waste-treatment facilities, running water, paved road systems, residential and shopping areas, public bathhouses, gymnasiums, sports arenas, theaters, temples, and storage areas.

To provide water for the expanding population, Rome built the Appian Aqueduct in 312 B.C. This was an underground channel that brought water to Rome from Campagna, ten miles away. The largest water system, the Marcian Aqueduct, was built of stone arches in 144 B.C. and brought spring water from the Sabine Hills, fifty-six miles away. Stone-arch construction was also applied to walking bridges across the Tiber River. There were 13 aqueducts supplying water to Rome at its height. One, the Aqua Virgo, is still in use today.

The Pont du Gard, near Nimes, France, is a triple-storied aqueduct built of unmortared stone. It spans the gorge of the Gard River and was typical of other aqueducts throughout the Empire. Visit the Pont du Gard. The arch and the vault became the essential elements of Roman architecture and can be seen in bridges, aqueducts, and waste-water facilties. The arch provided both a way to span distance and to provide a balanced strength. Roman roads held the Empire together, and many are still used today throughout Europe. The Roman people enjoyed entertainment, both in physical sports and oratorical feats. To their credit, they built the first structures having vast interior spaces for the gathering of people for both events.

Pont du Gard

The grandest of all Roman structures is the Colosseum (left), 72 A.D., a double theater or amphitheater, having two theaters placed face-to-face.

At the time of constructdion it was the first eliptical construction of its size, the size of a football field - 300 feet in length.

Looking at the Colosseum from the outside, the arched niches were filled with carved statues.

The Colosseum held events of daring feats to the delight of the Roman citizenry, from chariot races and other contests to mock naval battles for which the arena was flooded. Underneath the main wooden floor of the Colosseum were smaller rooms where gladiators and wild animals waited for their contests. Fifty thousand spectators could be seated on the marble bleachers.

The outer wall was 187 feet tall and went completely around the Colosseum. It supported poles that held an awning stretched to protect observers from the rain or the sun.

Visit the Colosseum to complete the ..... Visit the Colosseum - Exam

Three Emperors: Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, were involved in its construction between 72-80 A.D. Today, it stands only in partial form, unfortunately, due to the ravaging of materials in later years to construct other buildings. Amphitheaters were popular and were constructed in every major Roman city. Many of them are still in use today. An additional circus, or games area was built in the Campus Martius in 221 B.C., the Circus Flaminius.

Colosseum - interior

Interest in theatrical performances came in the 1st c., with the earliest stone theater, built in 55 B.C. by Pompey, near the Circus Flaminius. It was decorated with art and had a large inner garden. In 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was murdered there.

Architecture
The Architect Emperors -
Early Roman Empire

As part of pomp and grandeur, the Roman Emperors played an important part in designing the structures of the Empire. Some had ideas of new designs, while others actually drew architectural plans and were the main builders.

This is a photo opportunity - visit Emperor Augustus.

In 27 B.C., Emperor Augustus renovated the city and built new structures of marble. A new variation of Greek ideals was seen in the Altar of Peace (right). Take a side trip to the Ara Pacis ...you won't want to miss this! The building material was brick-faced concrete, faced with white or colored marble. This made it possible to achieve new engineering designs in strong, vaulted spaces.

Altar of Peace - Ara Pacis

Greatest was the change on the Palatine hill. It was here that the Imperial residence was built. Eventually, with each Emperor making additions, it extended over the entire hill. It gradually evolved into an elaborate network of luxurious vaulted rooms and courts. This large complex set a pattern for future European royal residencies. Later, this architectural design was called the palatium or the "palace."

It was Julius Caesar, 37-41 A.D., who decided that there was a need to open up more space in the heart of the city for public use. He redesigned the old Roman Forum and built another of his own. He also designed Exedrae, semi-circular monuments, built and decorated with statues glorifying the Romans of the past. This reflected a new reverence given to the leading rulers.

Take a side trip to the Forum of Julius Caesar.

For Emperor Nero, 54-68 A.D., even the spacious Palatine hill was not big enough. He built his Golden House across the valley and on to Appian hill. Huge underground painted and stuccoed vaulted chambers remain. They were the models for the Renaissance style known as grotesque. After the fires in the Roman slums in 64 A.D., it was Nero who enforced safer concrete construction designs.

The Thermal Vaticanus, on the present site of St. Peter's Square, was the first of the great Imperial bathing establishments. These bathhouses contained several pools of various temperatures. They also had libraries, offices, meeting rooms, conversation areas, and spaces for recreation.

Visit the Baths of the Roman Empire: Hadrian's Bath at Lepcis, Libya, and the Baths of Diocletian.

Take a side trip - visit the Arch of Constantine.

Architecture
The Architect Emperors -
The Late Empire

Destruction of the ancient city began in the 5th century A.D., when pagan temples were dismantled to furnish material for Christian churches. As government authority weakened in the wake of barbarian invasions, and new centers of government were established, seeds were planted for change.

Ancient Rome Roman Art Historical & Cultural Painting

Examples of different styles of frieze painting:

• The Ixion Room, House of Vettii - Pompeii 63-79 A.D.
• Villa of Mysteries - Pompeii 50 B.C
• Mosaics

It is also known that the Romans admired and copied the paintings or friezes, pigment painted on wet plaster, of the Greeks and Etruscans. The extent of their influence cannot be fully determined because much has been lost or destroyed. What is known comes from the still lifes, portraits, landscapes and mythological paintings that were preserved in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, protected by ashes from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. A few paintings were also uncovered in Rome. They reveal four main styles of representation.

Visit Pompeii, and then complete the..... Roman: Tell Me about Pompeii - Exam.

The First Style emphasizes ideal mythological figures, carefully outlined and solidly drawn in clear, brilliant colors, resembling the Greek influence. Their compositions are gracefully arranged in spaces of limited depth, reflecting the classical tradition of ideal beauty. They often had frames or backgrounds which imitated colored marble paneling.

The Second Style was new and progressive. It opened up the flat surface of the wall by using a skill of illusionary architectural perspective. They also used the technique of atmospheric perspective, which means that as the distance goes way from the viewer, the images are lighter and less distinct in color. These "window effects,", or "open-aired" spaces, included both landscapes and figures.

The Third Style is similar to the Second, but had a new boldness by combining blocks of wall color and illusionary perspective.

It is in the Fourth Style that the most intricate design is composed. This style combines imitation marble painting and framed mythological scenes intended to give the effect of scenes viewed through windows. It offered a feeling of projected space where there was only a flat wall.

Take a side trip to the Ixion Room, House of Vettii - a fine example of the Fourth Style.

All paintings were done in fresco, the method of applying color to wet plaster. In the Ixion Room, House of Vettii, Pompeii (right), entire walls were plastered to look like marble and wood, or decorated with florals and vines. On the walls were painted the portraits of household members. "Windows'' painted on the surface gave the illusion of architectural views beyond.Can you tell what is real and what is illusion? Go on a tour to see the Styles of Painting. The wall painting, Scenes of a Dionysiac Mystery Cult, is a well-preserved frieze in one of the rooms in the Villa of Mysteries near Pompeii. The artist placed the figures on a narrow ledge in front of panels showing a sequence of scenes in an enactment of the Dionysiac Mysteries, a semi-secret cult of ancient origin brought from Greece to Italy.

House of Vettii - Pompeii - 1st c. A.D.

Romans also excelled in the art of mosaics. By using small bits of glass and highly polished marble, they created floor and wall mosaics in both geometric and realistic styles.

Take a side trip to see the magnificient Roman Mosaics.

Ancient Rome Roman Art Historical & Cultural Sculpture

Sculptures were to glorify the Roman imperial pomp and power: Column of Trajan - 113 A.D. Augusta of Primaporta - Vatican Museum, Rome - 20 B.C. Constantine the Great - Capitoline Museum, Rome - 400. A.D. Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius - Rome - 161-80 A.D. Roman artists excelled in three types of sculpture - portraits, historical reliefs, and narrative ornament. Roman official art was designed to glorify the emperor by chronicling his exploits, both ceremonial and military in historical relief sculptures. This style of sculpture perfected a new method of pictorial narration, similar to the comic strips of today. In the Byzantine and Middle Ages, this style was adopted by Christian artists.

Augustus of Primaporta

Most impressive was the continous spiral band encircling the huge Column of Trajan (left) - 113 A.D. In hundreds of scenes and thousand of figures, the embattling events of war and Trajan's victories appear.

Take a side trip to see the Column of Trajan.

Take a side trip - Examine Historical Reliefs.

Early portraits, in the Republican period, were made to honor and pay tribute to military and civic leaders. They revealed a strong Etruscan influence for realism. Most of the sculpture prior to the first century B.C. has been lost. The portraits of the Empire period show emperors ennobled by Greek idealism, a monument to perpetuate their greatness.

Augusta of Primaporta (above right), Octavian Caesar, was given the name of Augustus because of the reverence that the Roman people had for him and for the achievements he made. His statue reflected a new trend in sculpture. At first glance, it reflects a Greek idealism. One might ask, does it represent a god or a human being? The answer, it reflected both: a beloved Emperor, as well as a strong leader.This idea of attributing a superhuman stature to the Emperor soon became official policy and an enhancement to his authority.

Take a side trip to be introduced to this famous Emperor.

Another excellent example of this superhuman attribution is the enormous sculpture of Constantine the Great (left), once a part of his basilica. He was a major factor in reorganizing the Roman state and was the first Christian emperor. The head, arms, legs, and feet were of marble, and the drapery which covered his body was assumed to be made of bronze plates over an armature of wood. The head of the sculpture is over 8 feet tall, with modeled eyes looking toward the heavens. The eyes are recessed to cast shadows, creating an outline of the pupil. This was the first time this technique was applied and a substitute for the actual painting of outlines directly on the marble.

A photographic opportunity......examine Imperial Portraits

Presently, atop the Capitoline hill, in the piazza center (square) of Roman government, stands the bronze Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius (right), one of the most famous Roman emperors. The figure of Aurelius is large in perspective to the exquisite anatomy of the horse. The entire sculpture is over life-size. His pose was characteristic of Roman sculpture. The bearded Emperor looks out to the world with his right arm, in an oratorical gesture, while his horse stands in perfect balance on three legs.

Michelangelo, who designed the piazza and surrounding buildings during the Renaissance, placed the statue here by the wishes of the Pope who thought it was of the first Christian Emperor, Constantine.

Craftsmen also gained levels of excellence as silversmiths, gemcutters, and metal-workers. They made products for utilitarian purposes as well as for luxury.

Extensions
For those who are intriqued with the Roman Empire......

Visit Rome during the reign of Emperor Trajan.

Roman Emperor Trajan, reigned from 98-117 A.D. He had a distinguished military career before becoming emperor in 98 A.D. His reign was characteristized by grand public-works programs and large philanthropic funds were established. He provided entertainment facilities for games and established a good government policy. He was given the name Optimus Princeps, Best of Princes, after his death, and impressive memorials were built to him.

Meet the Emperors of Rome - sculptures showing their prestige.

Extra Credit - Emperor Trajan

Rome created a unique civilization that was destined to become one of the greatest in the world and one that would influence the major characteristics of many societies today. Rome was also a major force in nurturing another powerful development - Christianity. We shall travel next to vist the Late Roman Empire and Early Christianity and see their reflection in works of art.

But before we do - let's take a closer look.

Ancient Rome
Roman Art

Aesthetics & Art Criticism

Using the resources below, complete the ...... Roman: Compare and Contrast - Exam.

· Zeus
· Hermes with Infant Dionysus
· Augusta of Primaporta

Create

Take home a souvenir! Create your own historical relief. Don't forget to send your original Create project or a scanned image. When submitting digital work, upload this to your student folder by going to "My Tools," and then clicking on "Folders." Choose the file you want to upload. After uploading, scroll to the bottom of the page to make sure that it's associated with a specific assignment and MOST IMPORTANTLY, that you "submit for grading." This triggers an e-mail to me that I have work to grade :)

Student Example

E-mail your Instructor that you have completed this time period.

Our last journey will be to the Middle Ages - Late Roman, Early Christianity, and Byzantium.

Go on to Time Period 8, Late Roman, Early Christian, and Byzantine Art - c. 180 B.C. - 1453 A.D.