Roman Art
Roman Empire stretched north to Scotland, south to the Sahara Desert, east to Mesopotamia, and west to
the Atlantic Ocean. The Romans used art and architecture to help unify their empire. Temples,
amphitheaters, and aqueducts were all visual expressions of the power and benefits of Roman civilization.
Greek
Roman
Preferred structure
Temples to glorify gods
Civic buildings (baths, forum) to
honor Empire
Walls
Made of cut stone blocks
Concrete with ornamental facing
Trademark forms
Rectangles, straight lines
Circles, curved lines
Column style
Doric, Ionic
Corinthian
Support system
Post and lintel
Rounded arch, vaults
Sculpture
Idealized gods and goddesses
Realistic human beings, idealized
officials
Painting
Stylized figures floating in space
Realistic images with perspective
Subject of art
Mythology
Civic leaders, military triumphs
Roman Art:
Philosophy: Efficiency, organization, practicality
Art Forms: Mosaics, realistic wall paintings, idealized civic sculpture
Most famous building: Pantheon
Signature city: Rome
Role Model: Greece
Major Contributions: Law, engineering, cement
Legacy of Rome:
Roman architects used Greek forms but developed new construction techniques like he
ARCH to span greater distances than the Greek post and lintel system.
CONCRETE allowed more flexible designs, as in the barrel-vaulted roof, and the dome-covered, huge
circular areas. Here are some Roman contributions to architecture:
1. Basilica—oblong building with semicircular apses on either end and high clerestory windows,
used as meeting place in roman times and widely imitated in medieval Christian churches.
2. Barrel Vault-deep arch forming a half-cylindrical roof
3. Groin vault---tow intersecting barrel vaults at the same height that form a right angle
Temple of Portunus
 Good example of early Roman temple
 Constructed around 75 BCE
 Temple combines Etruscan and Greek elements to create distinctive Roman design
 Like Etruscan temples, it sits atop a high podium accessible only at the front
 Much like the Temple of Athena Nike, freestanding Ionic columns support an Ionic frieze and a
pediment
 Series of engaged Ionic half-columns on the sides and back of the cella
 Engaged Ionic columns do not actually provide support because the cella is a solid wall made of
concrete
Concrete Revolution
 Discovery of concrete revolutionized Roman architecture
 It was made from a mixture of lime mortar, volcanic sand, water, and small stones
 Builders learned to pour this mix into wooden molds and it became when dry, as hard as stone
1








It was strong, cheap and easy to use….unlike marble, concrete does not have to be quarried, cut or
transported
They could build arches and cover large spaces with barrel vaults, groin vaults, and domes
True arch is constructed with wedge-shaped bricks or stones called voussoirs
Row of round arches produces a barrel or tunnel vault,
Groin vault is formed by intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults of equal size
Corbelled Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae was the largest domed space in the ancient world
Using concrete, Roman architects could build does that surpassed the Mycenean tombs
A dome is a hemispheric vault that usually rests on a cylindrical wall called a drum
Early Roman Portrait Sculpture
 Prominent Romans preferred veristic or superrealistic portraits to the idealized ones of the
Greeks
 Greeks believed that the head and the body were inseparable…Romans believed that the head was
enough to constitute a true portrait
 Romans used death masks to create portraits of the head, neck and shoulders called busts….they
carefully and even proudly recorded signs of age, including wrinkles, sags, and warts
 These busts provide important insights about Roman values...as confident, experienced rulers of a
rising Mediterranean power, the Romans prized a trait they called GRAVITAS…or
weightiness…serous-minded Roman men and women honored strength more than beauty, power
more than grace, and steadiness more than quickness of mind
 These busts showed that aristocrats were proud of their family lineage and they proudly displayed
them
POMPEII: Domestic Architecture
 On August 24, 79 CE, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii under a layer of volcanic ash 20 ft
thick
 Unearthed in the mid-eighteenth century…Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum have uncovered a
remarkable trove of info about Roman domestic architecture and art
 Aristocratic Romans wanted to be remembered as sober men of state….but their lavish homes in
Pompeii demonstrate that they also prized luxury and comfort
 Private homes in Pompeii all followed a common basic plan
 No green lawns, front porches or picture window…instead
 High stone walls kept strangers, noises, and odors outside
 Entered through narrow, dark foyer, which led to a large open ATRIUM or court
 Atrium often more than 40 ft wide, 50 ft long, and 28 ft high
 Splendid paintings decorated the walls and beautiful mosaics covered the floors
 Light, air and rainwater entered the atrium through an opening roof called the compluvium and
was collected in a rectangular basin called an impluvium
 Atrium often connected to a beautiful PERISTYLE, or open-air garden
 Peristyles were private mini-parks filled with bubbling fountains, fruit trees, shrubs, and
vegetable gardens…# of rooms surrounded the atrium and the peristyle provided places where
family members slept and dined
POMPEII: WALL PAINTINGS
 Almost all the surviving Roman wall paintings come from Pompeii and Herculaneum
 Paintings are frescoes in which water-based pigments are applied directly to moist plaster
 The subjects including portraits, mythological scenes, landscapes, cityscapes, and STILL LIFE
compositions of inanimate objects
2
 Hellenistic artists influenced many of these works
MIXTURE OF PERSPCTIVE MODELS used by Pompeian artists
 Intuitive perspective----objects smaller in distance
 Atmospheric perspective…illusion of depth by muting colors and blurring details as objects
get farther away
 Single-point linear perspective…long thought to be Renaissance innovation, this technique
creates depth and distance by using receding lines that converge at a single point
 Still life….creates a realistic illusion of depth
 Green peaches and a jar half filled with water
 Artist used touches of white paint to capture the effect of light playing on the surface of the jar
 Peaches are cleverly placed on receding shelves to create the illusion of depth
AGE and ART OF AUGUSTUS
 THE ASSASSINATION OF Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BCE plunged the Roman
world into a bloody civil war that finally ended 13 years later, when Caesar’s grandnephew and
adopted son, Octavian, defeated Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt at the battle of
Actium
 Octavian consolidated power while claiming to be only the “first citizen”…the senate granted
Octavian the title of Augustus or “supreme ruler”…Augustus was Rome’s first and ablest ruler
 During his 41 yr. Reign 27 BCE to 14 CE he promoted trade, commissioned pubic works and
inaugurated a period of peace and prosperity known as the PAX ROMANA
 He understood ART AS PROPAGANDA---art that projected his power and authority
 300 surviving portraits of Augustus were designed to create a visible image of a commanding,
divinely inspired and ageless leader.

 See all this in AUGUSTUS FROM PRIMAPORTA
 …conveys important message about Augustus’s divine lineage
 Venus’s son Cupid next to the emperor’s right leg
 Augustus’s family traced his ancestry back to Venus, Cupid proclaims his divine descent
 Augustus is thus a divinely inspired leader who enjoys the approval of the gods
 ARA PACIS (Altar of Piece) shows Augustus’s use of art as imperial propaganda
 Comm. by the senate, the altar celebrates Augustus’s role as leader who brought Rome the
blessings of peace and prosperity
 During the PAX ROMANA (27 BCE-180 CE) Romans justifiably believe that eh city of Rome was
unequaled in wealth, taste, and power
 Augustus and his successors filled the city with columned temples, heroic statues and imperial
monuments
 Arch of Titus, Trajan’s Column and the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius…all three imperial
monuments illustrate how Roman rulers used art as a form of propaganda---by 2nd cen CE there
were more than 30 marble triumphal arches

 Arch of Titus….Emperor Domitian erected this to commemorate is older brother Titus’s conquest
of Jerusalem...noteworthy for 2 relief panels prominently located on the inside walls
 One panel depicts a line of Roman soldiers carrying a sacred seven-branched candelabrum taken
from the Temple of Jerusalem..
 The other panel shows Titus in 4 horse chariot…he is accompanied by statues of divinities
representing the imperial virtues of victory, honor, and valor

3













40 years later, Emperor Trajan (89-117 CE) crushed the Dacians, a warlike tribe living along the
Danube River
125 ft tall column
a statue of the emperor once adorned the top of the column, and his cremated remains were
placed inside a golden urn at the base….it was more than an unusual tomb…also masterpiece of
continuous narrative storytelling
low relief frieze 625 ft long winds around the column like an enormous carved scroll
Trajan appears in 1/3rd of the 150 episodes
Pope Sixtus removed the STATUE OF TRAJAN with the STATUE OF SAINT PETER that we
see atop it today
At the same time all the ancient Roman bronze statues were melted down for their metal
value…lucky break because of an error,, the bronze-gilded Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
was saved because they thought that it was a portrait of Constantine, considered to be the first
Christian emperor
this larger than life statue portrays Emp. MA sitting calmly on Spanish war steed…defeated army
may have once cowered under the horse’s right foreleg while the emperor extends his right hand
in a peaceful gesture suggesting clemency for the defeated adversary
This statue inspired Renaissance Italian sculptors who used it as a model for the first equestrian
statues cast since antiquity
In 1537, Michelangelo used it as a centerpiece for his new design for the Capitoline Hill in Rome
The statue now stands in the Capitoline Museum, where a through restoration returned the
famous bronze figures to their former extraordinary beauty
AQUEDUCTS
 “Will anybody compare the idle pyramids, or those other useless though renowned works fo the
Greeks, with these aqueducts, those indispensable structures?” asked a practical-minded roman
engineer
 Rome had 11 aqueducts that used gravity to carry water from distant lakes and steams to satisfy
the needs of Rome’s one million thirsty citizens…enabled Romans to enjoy bathing in enormous
baths constructed by the emperors

 During the reign of Augustus, engineers built aqueduct-bridge at Nimes that is known today as the
Pont du Gard...most was built below ground or on a low wall. When it reached a deep gorge cut
by the Gard River, the engineers built a three story bridge that is still standing
 The Pont du Gard aqueduct-bridge is both an impressive engineering feat and a visible symbol of
the power and greatness of Roman culture
 3 rows of true arches, the imposing structure reaches a height of 150 feet
 the wedge-shaped voussoirs that make up the arches weigh up to 6 tons each
 the water channel runs along the top and is covered by stone slabs
COLOSSEUM
 80 CEE…50,000 went to the sports arena, the Colosseum...the largest building of its kind in
the ancient world, enclosed an arena with a floor 280 ft long and 175 ft wide….76 numbered
entrances allowed spectators to efficiently enter and leave the area
 large amphitheater or “double theater”
 resembles 2 Greek theaters put together
4







Greek theaters were set into natural hillsides…the Colosseum is an artificial concrete
mountain
Greek theaters housed refined plays, the Colosseum was the venue of bloody gladiator fights
15 ft high curving outer wall consists of three levels of arches culminating in a fourth-level attic
or to story
arches on each level are framed by a distinctive pair of ¾ engaged columns
“hierarchy of orders”...the first story uses Tuscan or Doric columns, and the next 2 levels use
Ionic and Corinthian columns
the columns are purely decorative
this visually appealing hierarchy profoundly influenced later Renaissance architects
PANTHEON:
***Domed Rotunda illustrates the Roman architects’ ability to enclose space.
 TO HONOR the gods whose divine favor made Rome’s greatness possible
 Emperor Hadrian erected the Pantheon (118-125 CE) to serve as a temple literally dedicated to all
(pan) the gods (theoi)
 It the best preserved ancient Roman building and one of the world’s architectural masterpieces
 Revolutionary design and awe-inspiring interior have made it one of the most influential buildings
in architectural history
 Enter through traditional portico or porch
 When they opened the temple’s massive bronze doors, they entered an interior space unlike any
that had been created in the ancient world
 142 foot high concrete dome covered a 142 foot wide spherical floor]a Roman standing at the
center of this perfectly proportional space could easily understand that the dome was meant to
symbolize the vault of the heavens protecting the orb of the earth
 circular opening in the center of the dome reinforced this cosmic symbolism
 diameter of 29 feet, the OCULUS allowed light and rain to enter
 light passing through the oculus formed a circular beam illuminating the P’s marble walls and
ornate statues of gods and goddesses
 the sun’s rays symbolized Jupiter’s all-seeing eye
 to support the dome and lighten the weight:
1.
varied the thickness and thus the weight of the concrete
2. dome is 20 ft thick along the drum but only 5 ft thick at the oculus
3. series of coffers or recessed panels, decorate the ceiling while also lightening the dome’s weight
4. it revolutionized architectural history by combining a portico with a domed rotunda
5. this design influenced Renaissance architects and the neo classical style in Europe and America
DIOCLETIAN AND THE TETRARCHY
 the Pax Romana marked the zenith of Roman power…a long process of decline began during the
3rd century CE
 this turbulent century witnessed a series of economic disruptions, military defeats, and political
upheavals that shook the empire’s foundations
 during one particularly chaotic 50 year period (235-284 CE), 20 emperors seized power only to
meet violent deaths
 the TETRARCHS depicts the decline of Rome’s political leadership…
 4 figures: two Augusti and two Caesars
 anonymous rulers each stand just 4 feet 3 inches tall
 they embrace each other for strength and security
 the four huddled figures form a stark contrast with the larger than life statue of Augustus raising
his arm in a supremely confident gesture of command
5
LEGACY OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT
 hoping that the Caesars would take his place peacefully, Diocletian voluntarily abdicated his
throne in 305 CE
 didn’t work….numerous rival leaders vied for power
 brilliant young military commander named Constantine ws one of them
 in 312 CE, Constantine invaded Italy only to find Rome defended by a formidable army led by
Maxentius
 Constantine saw a vision…a fiery cross and these words ”by this sign you shall conquer”…he
ordered the Christian symbols x (chi) and P (rho) standing for Christos...inscribed on is army’s
shields and battle standards
 He attributed his overwhelming victory over Maxentius to the power of the Christian God…he
showed his gratitude by issuing the Edit of Milan…landmark decree ending the persecution of the
Christians
 Eventually hailed as first Christian emperor…he behaved more like a traditional R emperor
 He erected a huge triple arch to commemorate his great military victories
 ARCH OF CONSTANTINE includes sculptures taken from earlier monuments honoring Trajan,
Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius
 In some cases, sculptors cut off head of his predecessors and replaced them with C’s.
 This may have been to associate C with the virtues of great emperors from the PAX ROMANA
time period

 The Arch of Constantine was not the only gigantic monument
 Colossal 30 ft tall statue of emperor seated on a throne
 The enormous head…8 ½ ft tall survives
 The size conveys an image of power and absolute authority
 Constantine’s eyes look out from an unblemished face that is eternally young…unlike his
forebears
 C’s reign 312-337 CE marked the end of R’s exalted position as capital of the empire
 In 330 CE C. founded a “new Rome” on the site of Byzantium...he renamed the city
Constantinople…the “City of C”
 Constantinople became the capital of the Byzantine Empire..
 While C flourished, R faltered and then fell
 In 410 CE the Vandals breached the city’s once impregnable walls
 By the time the Western Empire collapsed in 476 CE, the capital was a shadow of its once glorious
past
Conclusion
 Artistic heritage of R is an essential ingredient of Western culture
 R artistic styles varied as the empire rose and fell
 Un-idealized realism characterized portraiture during the republican era
 In contrast, emperors such as Augustus and Constantine understood how to use art as a form of
political propaganda
AP heavy on architectural achievements of R
Concrete enabled R architects to use barrel and groin vaults to enclose large spaces
Know characteristics and functions of aqueducts, the revolutionary design and influence of the Pantheon
and a comparison of Roman amphitheaters with Greek theaters
6
7