Roman Art – The Identity of an Empire
Christina Kapua
ARTS/100
April 18, 2013
Taurie Kinoshita

Roman Art – The Identity of an Empire
The Romans ingeniously display majestic art while incorporating function and purpose to build an empire. The Romans had many forms in which they created art. They adorned their city, homes, and palaces with paintings, sculptures, and grand architectural structures. Rome admired and emulated the artistry of the Greek, Egyptians, and Celtic designs. They learned engineering techniques from the Etruscans that has developed Rome’s historical development and style. With its influence of other cultures, Romans have established its own characteristics of ancient classical Rome, which has carved a pathway to many forms of artwork in the past and present time. The different genre that Rome has influenced is two-dimensional arts, sculpture, and architecture; with significant contributors, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti and Gian Lorenzo Benini.
Historical Development and Evolution of Style
Influenced by the Etruscans and inspired by the Greeks, the Romans artistry evolved to display realism and power. Romans learned practical and advanced engineering techniques from the Etruscans that began the groundwork for the vast buildings built to serve the needs of a growing population. After the overthrow of Greece majority of their artwork, and sculptures were brought back to Rome to adorn their city and palaces. Many Greek artists migrated to Rome to impart their skills and offer patronage to their predecessor. Greek artists skillfully integrated their knowledge and conveyed Romans love for realism in sculptures and nature in artwork that developed into Roman Classical Art as it is known it today. This is one historic occurrence that took place that led to the evolution of the Roman style. Although there are many similarities between the Greek and Roman art styles; Roman art commands admiration by its distinctive characteristics in portraying nature, accuracy, and practicality.
Characteristics of Ancient Classical Roman
Romans depicted boldness and sincere character of its people in the form of paintings, statues, and architecture. Landscapes and pastoral scenes appealed to the Romans’ love of nature and depicted on large wall paintings or murals. These were valued and many Roman Emperors had them on the walls of their palace, the ceiling of temples, and seen in public places. Mosaics were laboriously laid in grand villas and temples mostly illustrating battle scenes. These forms of two-dimensional arts also illustrated every day scenes found around Rome, historical events, and mythological scenes depicting heroism. . The primary paint colors used in Roman paintings were black, red, white, blue, yellow, and purple (Dept. of Greek and Roman Art, 2004). Painting techniques were used to enhance or soften images and painted on various materials such as wood, ivory, stucco, plaster, and marble.
Romans also constructed sculptures and portrait busts. Sculptures of full bodied forms of gods, goddesses, Emperors, and important people and were very life-like. The Romans individualized their style by staying true to their character and sculpted their subjects with honesty. They valued accuracy over beauty and individual character over harmony. Portrait busts were statute that consisted of the head and shoulders of emperors to display status and common people for tracing ancestry.
Architecture is one of the most important types of art the Romans mastered. Increase in wealth and population encourages the Romans to invent concrete and enabled architects to build structures, such as the Colosseum in grand scale. The Romans were revolutionary, as they integrated archways in their architecture that provided both durability and beauty- changing the face of Rome forever. Public places were open and impressive providing easy access, residential buildings sheltered families from the public and elements, and inner courtyards provided light and greenery bringing nature indoors. Rather than religious buildings Romans focused on city planning such as roadways, bridges, baths and, aqueducts. The combination of various art forms, architecture, and skillful engineering were prominently displayed to demonstrate control and power of the empire. The stateliness of the Romans were recognized and admired by many and has had a profound influence on the world.
Influences of the Style on other Styles
Much like the Ancient Greece art has influenced the Roman art, Roman art also managed to influence several art eras, such eras like the Byzantine and the Renaissance. Byzantine art is devoted to Christian art and revolves around the church. It is dominated by mosaics and icons, for which it is world famous for. Artists in the Byzantine-era excelled at fresco mural paintings and miniature. These paintings were used as illustrations for church books and other devotional documents. In the beginning, 500-1200 C.E., Christian art was prohibited. Once legally permitted, architects of this era built new churches using the architectural design of the basic Roman Basilica. The interior decoration of the churches was done with mosaics and mural painting. Sarcophagi or a stone coffin were more intricate and illustrated biblical scenes. Sculpted carvings also known as relief sculptures were mostly made of stone; however, ivory carvings were another popular medium. During the Renaissance period Italian artists were inspired by the ideas and forms of ancient Greece and Rome. Artists in the Renaissance period felt the need to create a form of art that describe the new and more confident mood of times. Artists in the Renaissance period produced bust sculptures and, much like the Romans it was used to decorate their homes and share their lineage. The following are other types of art from the Renaissance period: coin art, funerary sculptures, portrait painting, landscaping, still life portraits, three-dimensional art, and free-standing sculptures.
Influence of Two-Dimensional Art
The Romans were also renowned for their two-dimensional art of painting. There are five different painting media which are oils, watercolor, tempera, acrylics, and fresco. Roman paintings are predominantly fresco paintings. According to Sporre (2011), “Fresco, a wall painting technique, uses pigments suspended in water and applied to fresh wet plaster” (p. 32). The Romans painted directly onto the walls of their living quarters due to its structural design. The interior of Roman quarters were constructed without windows in return making their living space dark with limited natural light. To remedy this, the Romans painted their interior walls using the Fresco technique by painting bright colored backgrounds in order to brighten their living space. The artists painting these Fresco paintings had to be extremely skilled due to the fact that mistakes could not be painted over. The mistakes or imperfections needed to be dug out and re-plastered due to the Fresco painting process. The Roman myths, gods, and goddesses also influenced the Romans to paint. They painted these myths as if to honor their gods and goddesses. It is believed that the Romans painted these grandeur paintings because they believed the gods controlled every aspect of their lives such as: war, harvest, fathom, fertility, and so on.
Influence of Sculpture
Roman sculpture played an important role in the Roman daily life. Sculptures took the form of full body statutes, busts, reliefs, and sarcophagi. They were heavily influenced by the Greek sculpture and many times they were of themselves or their ancestors. The Romans decorated with figures in a number of places, including public buildings, public parks, and private homes and gardens. One of the most popular types of sculptures in Ancient Rome was the bust. The wealthy Romans would put the bust of their ancestors in the atrium of their homes as a way to show off their lineage. Other popular subjects for sculptures included gods and goddesses, philosophers, famous athletes, and successful generals. Many sculptures would tell a story or illustrate events that went on during that time. An example would be the statute of Augustus that was constructed to celebrate his victory over the Parthian. Every element on the statute symbolizes the history of the emperor. The rising of his right hand is a Roman gesture that emphasizes Augustus as a powerful ruler of Rome. His breast plate signifies him as the leader of military power and is covered in figures that commemorate his victory over the Parthian in 20 B.C.E. The robe enhances Augustus’ sanctity and implies his close connection with Julius Caesar and the divine world. On Augustus’ lower right side is the statue of cupid riding a dolphin. It refers to Augustus’ naval victory at Actium. The stance makes it seem as if the statue is moving forward and although he is in his military outfit his bare feet is a notion of his divinity.
Influence of Architecture
Architecture is a practice which demands attention to detail in order to construct a sound structure. The Romans have mastered the art of architecture not only by its structural integrity, but also by its sheer beauty. The architecture of Rome displayed a deliberate expression of a powerful, ethical, and beloved empire. With the adoption and alteration of Greek architecture, Rome was able to enhance their architecture capabilities with the application of outside culture’s technologies. The Romans constructed a multitude of different structures in order to advance their empire. To do so, the Romans built government buildings, commercial buildings, markets for economical growth, recreational facilities for morale and welfare, bridges for the ease of commuting, aqueducts in support of the essence of life, and also temples to honor their gods and goddesses. An architectural design for which the Romans are most known for are their columns. The columns are the vertical posts which support beams and or roofs. These columns are identified into three categories, but are more commonly known as orders. These three orders are called the Doric order, the Ionic order, and the Corinthian order. These orders improve in style, design, and beauty beginning with the Doric order escalating to the Ionic order, then ending in the Corinthian order. The Romans were also known for their execution of the arch. The arch was an ingenious design of which bricks were carved at precise angles and stacked in a specific order for which they were supported by the downward force of gravity. This technique was constructed quickly but still maintains its structural integrity. According to Strickland (2010), “The arch’s ability to carry loads, its beauty, and the ability to construct it quickly made it one of Rome’s most recognizable architectural features” (p. 30). Rome is a prime example of adopting, adapting, and altering outside technologies in order to enhance the capabilities and skills of any practice.
Significant Contributors to the Development or Evolution of the Style
Michelangelo Buonarroti was recognized as one of the significant contributors to the development of the Ancient Classical time period visual art. Some of his work includes: Pietà, The Piazza del Campidoglio and Palazzo Senatorio.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini an Italian artist was considered one of the greatest sculptors during his time. He also played a major role in the development of the Ancient Classical time visual art. His most notable sculpture is The Apollo and Daphne. Bernini’s work can still be seen in Rome today. Bernini and Buonaroti both created exceptional work that is appreciated by people all over the world. There are a couple of museums that are pursuing their famous art work.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Roman art has been influenced by various civilizations. Its urban architecture, landscape painting, and portrait busts were innovative. The Romans did not produce any notable masterpieces; however, the exceptional relief sculpture on monuments like the Arch of Titus is exquisite. Roman art was mainly copied and above all, effective. It served a purpose and told the story of Roman values along with respect for Roman power. The classic art of the Romans laid the foundation and had a significant influence on art for many years.

References

Department of Greek and Roman Art. "Roman Painting". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ropt/hd_ropt.htm (October 2004)
Encyclopedia of World Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ma-Mo/Michelangelo.html
Influences of the Greek & Etruscan Civilizations on Roman Art. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_8375035_influences-etruscan-civilizations-roman-art.html
Kimball Art Museum. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.kimbellart.org/exhibition/bernini-sculpting-clay
Merriam-webster. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarcophagus
Sporre, D. J. (2011). Perceiving the Arts (10th ed.). Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Strickland, M. H. (2010). Roman Building Materials, Construction Methods, and Architecture. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.