Roman Art
753 B.C.E.-315 C.E.
Unit Theme: M.E.R.I.T.
Monuments
Engineering
Realism
Interior Space
Temples
The Roman Empire
• Rome began its rise to power in the
Mediterranean.
• Its massive empire extended through
Europe, Africa, and Ancient Near East
• They ruled over numerous cultures such as
the Britains, Gauls, Greeks, Egyptians,
Africans, Syrians, Jews and Christians.
The Roman Empire
• Empire lasted 500 years
• Romulus and Remus (twin sons of Mars)
were the mythological founders of Rome.
• It eventually collapsed due to financial
stress and barbarian invasions
Roman Empire
Politics and Classes
• Originally had Kings
• Established democracy with elected male
officials known as a Senate
• Population divided into 2 classes– Patricians-wealthy, upper class
– Plebians-lower class
Roman Empire In a
Nutshell
• Philosophy-Efficiency, organization,
practicality
• Art forms-Mosaics, realistic wall paintings,
idealized civic sculpture
• Most famous building-Pantheon
• Signature city-Rome
• Role model-Greece
• World contributions-law, engineering, city
planning, cement
Romans & Greeks
• Rome took over Greece in 146 BCE
• Conquered then imitated them!
• Valued Greek cultural riches
• Imported boatloads of Greek sculpture, pottery,
and jewelry.
• Set up workshops to reproduce Greek art and
make copies of Greek sculpture.
Art and Architecture
• Art was prized but artists were low members
of society
• Used to help “unify” empire
– Some used for propaganda
– Unified visual style throughout
Architectural contributions
• Cement meant rounded arches and domes were
created
• Shaped and opened up interior space for the
first time
• Inventions– Round Arch
– Barrel Vault
– Groin Vault
– Domes
Round Arch
Barrel Vault
Groin Vault
Dome
PierA vertical support that
holds up an arch or
vault
Pilaster-A rectangular vertical element of
masonry in the shape of a flattened
column with both a capital and a base
Spandrel-A
triangular space
enclosed by the
curves of arches
Art of The Republic
Temple of Fortuna Virilis,
nd
Late 2 c. BCE
• Early Roman temple
• Combines Etruscan and Greek
elements• High podium
• Accessible only by the front- single
entrance with a wide flight of steps
• Freestanding Ionic columns support
an Ionic frieze and a pediment.
• Romans added – engaged Ionic half
columns on the sides and back of the cella
which is called “pseudoperipteral”.These engaged columns do
not actually provide support, they are
placed there for aesthetic purposes.
•
• A temple which has freestanding columns
all the way around the temple is called –
“Peripteral” (like the Parthenon)
Imagines
• Romans had great
interest in faces
• When ancestors in
aristocratic families
died, a wax portrait
called an IMAGINE
was created.
• Represented status
• Very proud of lineage
Head of a Roman Patrician,
75 BC
• Life-size marble portrait bust
• Extremely realistic face, called a veristic
portrait
• Realism shows influence of Greek
Hellenistic art
• Full of experience and wisdom- traits
Roman patricians would have desired
Art of Pompeii and
cities of Vesuvius
The most important city in
discovering Roman culture is
Pompeii-sealed off for centuries in
volcanic ash
Atrium of the House of Vettii,
2nd c. BCE-1st c. CE
• Roman house, seen outside Rome more
• Focused inward to keep out noise and dust
• Focus on privacy
• Sign of wealth and status
3a. Compluvium
• Atrium- large open area in the center of
the house, reception area. Paintings
decorated the walls.
• Compluvium- rectangular opening in the
roof that allowed in air, light and
rainwater.
• Impluvium-rectangular basin in the floor
under the compluvium that held rainwater
• Triclinium- dining room
• Cubicula- series of small bedrooms off
of the atrium.
• Peristyle- row of columns that
surrounded an outdoor eating area
Wall Painting
• True fresco
• Four styles
– 1st style: illusion of marble with real architectural
details
– 2nd style: figures on shallow “stage” or
landscape/cityscape close-up. Painted arch. details
– 3rd style: solid color with slender, whimsical details
– 4th style:combination
Second Style Wall Painting,
50-40 BCE
• Inside a cubiculum (bedroom)
• Use of Linear Perspective- objects
appear smaller in space by using receding
lines that converge at a single point.
– Refined mathematically in Renaissance
Still Life with Peaches
• another example of perspective
• The peaches are placed on receding
shelves to create the illusion of depth
• Artist uses touches of white paint to
capture the effect of light on the surface of
the jar.
Art of the Early Empire
Augustus of Primaporta,
20 CE
• Emperor known for 40 yr. “Pax Romana”
• Idealized view of the Roman emperor
– Propaganda
• Contrapposto, likeness to Polykleitos’
Doryphorous
• Confusion between God and man intentional
• Breastplate indicates he is a warrior,
judges robes show him as a civic ruler
• Roman oratorical gesture
• Base: Cupid on back of a dolphin- a
reference of Augustus’ divine descent
from Venus
Ara Pacis Augustae,
13-9 BCE
Altar of Augustan peace
• Made to celebrate Pax Romana under
Augustus
• Lower half-vine scroll traceries meant to
symbolize peace
• Upper half- Procession of the Imperial
Family
Procession of the Imperial Family,
from the Ara Pacis, 13-9 BCE
• Upper half of the altar contains low-relief
sculptures inspired by the Panathenaic
Procession.
• One side shows Augustus leading the
procession of priests, magistrates, and
members of the imperial family, including
children that took place at the founding of the
altar.
• Augustus sought to present his new order as a
golden age like that of Athens under Pericles.
Maison Carree, 20 BCE
• Corinthian psuedoperipteral temple
• set on a high podium
• front entrance emphasized
• used as a model for Jefferson’s State Capitol
in Richmond, VA
Pont du Gard, 16 BCE
• Served as a bridge and an aqueduct in
Southern France.
• One of 11 aqueducts that brought Rome 350
million gallons of water a day-used gravity
• It was composed of a triple storied aqueduct
built of limestone that ran for about 30 miles.
• Mostly built below ground
• Voussoirs-wedge shaped sections that
make up the arches weighed up to 6 tons
each.
• Arcades-a row of repeating arches.
• The water channel runs along the top and
is covered by stone slabs
Early Empire
The Flavians
(family name of a ruling family,
included 3 emperors-ruled 25 yrs)
Colosseum, 70-80 CE
• Flavian amphitheatre “double theatre”
• Grandest Roman structure—glorified
Rome
• Demonstrates both the brilliance and the
brutality of ancient Rome.
• 3 Emperors involved in construction
– Built by war prisoners
• Designed mostly for staging battles
between animals and gladiators for up to
50,000 spectators
• thousands could die every day
• Seats were set by social standing
– Wealthy families had marble seats closest to
action with wire screens
– Poorer families had wooded seats further away
• Heavy wooden floors covered layers of cells
below in which gladiators and animals were
held.
• An amazing system of winches and lifting
tackle brought the beasts from their dens
to the arena.
• The floor (which was about 100 meters
long) could be flooded and used as a
shallow lake for mock naval battles.
• Primarily built of Concrete
– covered by marble
• Interplay of barrel vaults, groin vaults and
arches
• Exterior façade has pseudoperipteral
columns: first story Doric, 2nd-Ionic, 3rd
floor flattened Corinthian; each thought of
as visually lighter than the order below.
Young Flavian Woman,
90 BCE
• All people deemed worthy of depiction-not
just elders/mythological subjects
• Idealized beauty through contemporary
fashion—not through imitation of
goddesses
• Marble, graceful long neck
• Hair creates a dramatic interplay of light
and dark; created with a drill instead of a
chisel
Roman arches
• Originally had religious significance
– FYI: At the end of a military campaign, soldiers
were encouraged to pass under an arched “magic
door” to siphon off their aggression, taming them
for civilian life.
• Later, freestanding triumphal arches were a
monumental gateway through which emperors
paraded during victory marches.
– Also celebrated other kinds of special events
Arch of Titus, 81 CE
• The Emperor Domitian erected an arch to
commemorate his older brother Titus’
victory over Jerusalem
• One passageway
• Psuedoperipteral with COMPOSITE
columns (Ionic/Corinthian)
• Spandrels-area between curve of arch and
entablature/columns.
– Held winged victory reliefs, like Greek art
• Famous for reliefs inside passageway
Spoils from the Temple of Jerusalem
(relief from the Arch of Titus)
• Under Titus, the Roman army captured
Jerusalem
• Shows the spoils (treasures) from the Temple of
Solomon carried in the triumphal procession
after the Romans destroyed it
• Taking the Menorah , clearly seen as part of the
spoils.
– Depicting the most humiliating thing they could
take-representation of Jewish faith
• Higher relief in front and lower relief
behind to show space
• Reliefs are very individualized and
creative.
• Roman quality of crowding space.
High Empire
The height of power and expanse
in the Roman Empire
Emperor Trajan
• Trajan was a Spanish-born general who
controlled Roman troops in Germany
• Appointed Emperor in a new tradition where
a successor was named (or adopted) by his
predecessor
• So popular he was called, “Optimus” (the
best)
Trajan’s Forum and Markets
Forum
• A roman city center; site of temples and
administrative buildings. Also used as a
market and gathering place for citizens.
• Included a basilica-large rectangular
building used for a variety of government
purposes
• Connecting market was equivalent to
modern day shopping center
Column of Trajan,
dedicated 112 C.E.
•Column inside Trajan’s Forum
•Colossal 128’ free standing column with a
narrative continuous 625’ spiral frieze based
on historical event
– Tells the story of Trajan defeating the Dacians
– Shows how Trajan and the Romans won due to
superior efficiency and organization
– Made Trajan out to be strong, stable, efficient
• 150 episodes hold more than 2500 figures
• Band gets wider as it moves to the top for
legibility
• Trajan’s ashes placed inside the column
• Statue at top was nude statue of Trajan,
replaced by St. Peter in 1600’s
Pantheon, 125 C.E.
• Temple built to honor all gods. Pan means “all”
and theos means“gods”.
• One of the most influential designs in
architectural history.
• Frieze Inscription: “Marcus Agrippa, son of
Lucius, having been consul three times, built it”
• Its pediment, portico (column lined porch) and
Corinthian columns are Greek, but the huge
dome is Roman.
• Reveals the full potential of concrete, both as a
building material and as a means of shaping
architectural space
• Façade has 2 pediments, one deeply recessed
behind the other.
• Created out of a giant drum topped by a dome
• Height of building equals its width (144’);
building is based on a circle, a hemisphere
• Varied weight and thickness of walls
– Dome wall thickness 20’, up at oculus 5’
– Heavier cement recipe at bottom, lighter mix
at top
• Interior of drum decorated with statues of
gods and goddesses, columns, and
decorations
Pantheon
• Oculus 30’ diameter round opening allows
for sunlight and air; acts as a moving
spotlight across the interior
• Oculus symbolized Jupiter’s all seeing eye
• Coffering-in architecture, a sunken panel in
a ceiling, which helped lighten the load of
the dome.
• Rectangular coffering used, originally
painted blue with gold rosette in middle to
represent sky—dome of heaven
• Rainfall carried away by elaborate
drainage system
Hadrian’s villa,
125-128 CE
• Huge complex for delight of Emperor
Hadrian
• Highest quality workmanship in mosaics,
murals, architectural decoration
• We see here a Canopus: colonnade with a
cornice connecting the tops of the columnsalternating rounded and flattened lines.
• Sculptures put inside rounded arches
• Frames a reflecting pool
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius,
175 C.E.
• The Statue expresses the emperor’s majesty
and authority
• Shown on parade, passing before his people
• Horse is spirited, hard to control, but Marcus
has mastery over man and beast
• Characteristic Roman oratorical gesture
• Rider is larger than the horse
• FYI: almost all bronze statues were later
melted down for the metal value, this
one survived
Art of
Late Empire
Characteristics reflect the chaos
and dissolution of the Roman
state.
Compositions evolve into those
marked by figures that lack
individuality and are crowded
tightly together.
Ludovisi Battle
Sarcophagus, 250-260 C.E.
• Burial began taking the place of cremation-sarcophagi were becoming more popular
• Extremely crowded surface with very
emotional figures piled on top of one another
• No sense of space
• Chaotic scene of battle
The Tetrarchs, 300 BCE
• Emperor Diocletian appointed 4 rulers
known as The Tetrarchs (“The Four”)
• Artist represents 4 equal partners in power
– Cling to each other for strength and security
– Represent unity of the four corners of Rome
• Lack of individuality-didn’t want to
represent the individual Tetrarchs, wanted
to represent the concept of the Tetrarchs
• Made of porphyry-hard purple stone
Aula Palatina,
(now known as The Basilica), Early 4th century.
Trier, Germany
97
• Built by a Tetrarch-exemplifies their style
-Simple, blocky, imposing, no-nonsense
• Brick walls originally stuccoed on outside
and veneered in marble on inside
• Centrally heated with hot air flowing under
floor
• Optical illusion inside with windows getting
smaller-distance-tetrarch larger than life
Constantine the Great
• Became emperor by winning Battle of Milvian
Bridge over Maxentius
• 1st Emperor to recognize Christianity
• Issued Edict of Milan, ending religious
persecution and promoting religious tolerance
• His rule was the beginning of the end for the
Roman Empire
• In 330 CE Constantine founded a “new Rome”
on the site of Byzantium.
• Renamed the city, Constantinople.. meant the
city of Constantine.
• Constantinople became the capital of the
Byzantine Empire.
The Arch of Constantine,
312-315 C.E.
• Triple triumphal arch
• Built to commemorate Constantine’s
victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the
Milvian Bridge in 312
Placed at this location so that the central
arch would, at a distance, frame a 100
foot-tall statue of the sun god, Sol.
Epitome of reuse/appropriationOlder sculptures and decorative elements used
to decorate the arch, heads were chopped off
and Constantine’s head was added
Head of Constantine
• 8’6” head, whole statue over 30’ seated.
Body has been lost
• part of an enormous figure that sat as the
focal point inside the Basilica Nova in
Rome
• Idealized portrait; timelessness. Similar to
Egyptian pharoah sculptures
What happened next?
Beginning of Early
Christian art
Often true in history of art:
A period of upheaval was accompanied
by the emergence of a new aesthetic.
• Empire came to an end around 476 CE.
• Christian influences:Art became more
dogmatic in tone.
• Greek idealism was dying-human figures
became harsh and brutal.
• There was a great struggle between pagans
and Christians.
• Pagans made ancient looking monuments
focusing on pagan rituals.
• Christians focused on primitive but
emotional figures focusing on youthful
depictions of Christ.