Roman Art History from Goodbye-Art Academy

The term Roman art immediately brings to mind classical architecture complete with Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns along with perfect white busts of the important men and women of this era, but Roman art encompassed much more, in fact the Romans put their own spin on it. artistic to almost everything they did. including coinage buildings walls sculpture metalwork glass and jewelry most of the Roman artistic legacy we know today was created between 800 B.C. and 500 AD It was during this era that authors such as Cicero, Virgil, Ovid, and Horace would create a legacy of philosophical thought, poetic style, and mythology that played an important role in Roman art and are highly influential to this day.

One of the interesting things about Roman art is that these artists were quite open to new ideas and influences from other cultures and empires. Early Roman art, around 800 BC. C., drew largely from Etruscan art The Etruscans were the powerful people of Tuscany north of Rome, firm believers in the afterlife. Much of the artistic energy of the Etruscans was devoted to making beautiful funerary objects and decorating the dead and their burial places for their next eternal life. The Romans were experts with clay. Sculpture and bronze also had a preference for realistic portraits. The Romans relied heavily on Greek styles, but there was one thing that set the two styles apart quite distinctively, even though Greek art became more realistic as time went on.

The Greeks generally preferred their subjects highly idealized. It meant that even a subject with a double chin and crooked eyes would be depicted in his sculpture as the epitome of beauty, as a result, it was quite difficult to say exactly who a given sculpture was supposed to represent, since they all supported such perfect characteristics of the artists. Romans. had a much more realistic perspective and an idealistic Greek influence moderated with that of the ideas of the nearby Etruscans who preferred a good dose of realism in their artwork, as a result the Roman bus would actually have a good resemblance to the subject, double chin, pockmarked face, receding hairline. and, of course, Roman artists would embellish the final production enough to make their patron, the subject of their art, appear worthy and impressive despite the shortcomings.

Relief work was one of the distinctive artistic styles that developed in the Roman Empire, especially after Augustus came to power after Julius. The death of Caesar Augustus was a clever man incapable ruler who knew that art was an excellent way to communicate with the masses regardless of whether they could read or write. More importantly, art could be used to subtly promote oneself as a representative of the gods. Augustus is the divine Wright. He was illustrated in many reliefs depicting the ruler interacting with the gods of Roman mythology and asserting his power in memorable scenes of victory.

These reliefs were common in the temples and other public buildings of ancient Rome, in addition to the reliefs on the buildings, powerful Romans had their portraits and initials. engravings on coins, as well as expert sculptors The Romans were prolific architects and in the mid-1st century the first concrete revolution occurred in Rome. The discovery of concrete made possible the widespread construction of arches, domes and vaulted ceilings among the most famous ancient architectural elements. Rome is known for our decorative columns, arched aqueducts, bridges, public baths and spacious domes. The Pantheon features one of the most impressive domes in Rome.

The Pantheon was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian to honor all the Roman gods and was completed in 125 AD. Its dome was built with more than 5,000 tons of concrete and measures 142 feet in diameter and 71 feet high. The opening in the center of the dome is called the oculus and it illuminates the marble interior of the Pantheon while drawing attention to the heavens, the heaviest materials of the Pantheon. They are at its base, progressively lighter materials were used on the top of its base and dome. The temple remains an architectural marvel to this day. The Romans loved their entertainment and the Colosseum, completed in AD 80, with seating for about 50,000 people, was the largest amphitheater in Rome.

The Colosseum displays the three styles of columns used in Roman architecture. Ionic and Corinthian Doric columns are the simplest variety. Ionic columns feature scroll designs and Corinthian columns are the most complex and decorative. The second and third levels of the Colosseum feature statues of gods and goddesses beneath each. Impressive arch The Colosseum features such advanced architectural features as an underground system of passageways and trapdoors, drainage pipes, and a retractable roof. Most perishable Roman art from the period before 79 AD. It was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted, but fortunately the mural art survived to an astonishing level. Graduate archaeologists have discovered wall paintings in Pompeii houses that have been well preserved by volcanic ash.

White, yellow, black and Pompeian red were the most used colors in the murals that decorated the interior walls of the houses with scenes from nature mythology and scenes that enhanced status such as expensive stones and scenes from Greece. , these scenes created the impression of spaciousness in the home of the patrons who commissioned them. The murals of Pompeii attest to the good eye of Roman painters and the contrast between light and shadow. Much of the Roman art we have from the 3rd century AD. In later years they were preserved in catacombs and in Nero's Palace, battle and punishment scenes were more common during this era, when they changed from chisels to drills, making sculpture much easier, making this art form was becoming more and more common.

It was also the time when Christianity was taking over. Roman society and arts began to reflect Christian themes. This focus on divine mythology was accompanied by a gradual shift toward more stylized art that would characterize later medieval art after Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to modern-day Istanbul. The death toll rang for the Romans. High status in the abundance of Roman art as Rome slowly lost its status as the center of the Empire. Roman art also began to decline and gave way to new styles and techniques. Byzantine art would fill Rome with cathedrals and basilicas inspired by designs and construction. techniques of ancient Rome, over 800 years later, Roman art would inspire a whole new era of stunning art during the Italian Renaissance.