Classical Art
Greece and Rome
1300B.C.-500A.D.
Roman Art
The Organizers
The poet Horace noted the irony: “Conquered Greece,” he
wrote. “took her rude captor captive.”
Later, however, Romans put their own spin on Greek art
and philosophy. Having founded the greatest empire the
world had ever known, they added managerial talents:
organization and efficiency. Roman art is less idealized and
more intellectual than Classical Greek, more secular and
functional. And, where the Greeks shined at innovation,
the Romans’ forte was administration. Wherever their
generals marched, they brought the civilizing influence of
law and the practical benefits of roads, bridges, sewers,
and aqueducts.
Do you recognize
this picture?
What do you
know about the
Romans?
Objectives
Identify the inspiration behind much of
roman architecture and art.
Identify the differences between
Greek and Roman art
List some of the innovations of the
Romans
Identify some examples of Roman art
and architecture
Behavioral Expectation
•Raise your hand to make a
comment or ask a question
•No side conversations,
please
•Active listening
Where in the world is
Rome?
Roman Art
• The Romans became the heirs to Greek
art but made important contributions of
their own
• Shading, shadow, reflected light
• Portraiture
• First to use the Arch
• First to use the concrete
Differences between
Greek and Roman Art
• The Greeks preferred Idealistic portraits:
the Romans wanted theirs to be realistic.
• Greek portraits were designed for public
monuments; Roman portraits served private
needs.
• The Romans thought the character could
best be depicted through facial expressions;
the Greeks thought a sculpture of a head or
bust (head and shoulders) is incomplete.
Aphrodite
Cato and Portia
Review
Roman
realistic
Greek Idealized conformed to
the perfect proportion.
portrait
Mural painting
• Wealthy Romans lived in luxurious
homes with marble walls and
mosaics on the floors and
numerous works of art
• They did not like to hang paintings
on the walls so they hired artists
to paint murals.
• A mural is a large picture painted
directly on the wall.
Bedroom from the Villa
of P. Fannius Synistor
Pompeii
Pompeii
Roman Innovations
The Baker and his Wife
Roman Architecture
Innovations
• The round arch was an improvement on post
and lintel construction because it allowed a
wider space to be bridged.
• An arch needs the support of another arch or
wall to prevent it from collapsing, for this
reason the Romans created a series of
smaller arches to replace the single large
arch
• Concrete had been used in the near East for
some time but the Romans were the first to
make extensive use of it.
• The arch + concrete + large scale buildings
Roman arch
• An arch is made of a
number of cut stones
or bricks.
• Arches were
constructed by holding
stones in place with a
wooden form until a
keystone, or top stone
of the arch could be
placed in position
Domes
Pantheon
• Wherever the Roman legions went, they introduced
the arch and the use of concrete in architecture.
With these they constructed great domes and
vaults over their buildings.
•Made of brick and concrete
•Diameter of dome is 144 feet
•3 zones
the lowest has 7 niches(recesses
in the wall)
next 12 signs of the zodiac
the dome represents heaven and
is covered with coffers, or
indented panels. The coffers
reduce the weight of the wall.
•Well illuminated through a round
opening at the top (30 ft. across)
•To solve the problem posed by rain
the floor is raised slightly in the center/
formed shallow depression directly
under the opening creates a drainage
system to carry the water away.
PANTHEON
Aqueducts
• Aqueducts demonstrate the Romans’ ability
to combine engineering skills with a
knowledge of architectural form.
• An aqueduct, a system that carried water
from mountain streams into cities by using
gravitational flow, was constructed by
placing a series of arches next to each other
so they would support each other.
Roman Aqueducts
2 types of Vaults
• The Barrel Vault: a
series of arches.
• The groin vault: two
intersecting arches.
The colosseum
•4 stories of stone,
brick and concrete
•Holes between
pilasters for poles
which supported a
canvas awning to
protect spectators
form sun and rain
•Top level Corinthian
pilasters , flat,
rectangular columns
attached to a wall
•Corinthian columns
•2nd level Ionic
columns
•Lowest level, Doric
•Arch on 1st 3 levels
Constantine
• Legalized Christianity
• Moved the Capital of Rome from Rome to
Byzantium.
• He changed the name from Byzantium to
Constantinople.
Lesson Quiz 9-2
Match each item in the left column with the correct
description in the right column
1. Baths
2.groin vault
3. Pilasters
4. Niches
5. Coffers
6. Basilica
7. Nave
8. Apse
9. triumphal arch
A. recesses in a wall
B. a heavily decorated arch
used for processions after a
n important victory
C. indented panels
D. a functional building made
to hold large numbers of
people
E. Flat, rectangular columns
attached to a wall
F. a long, wide center aisle
inside a basilica
G. when two barrel vaults
meet at right angles
H. enclosed structures that
contained libraries, lecture
rooms, gymnasiums, shop,
and walkways
i. the semicircular area at the
end of the nave.
Happy
Easter!!!
Assignment 3/20
• Trace egg shape on paper
• Cut out
• Decorate using your choice of the
following media: markers,
colored pencils, water color,
construction paper
• How to draw sheets on rabbits,
chicks, lambs, and birds available