The Art of

Ancient Rome

Roman Republic of Italy formed in 509 BCE

Romans expanded through continuous warfare / Powerful government. Romans conquered and took over a large area around the Mediterranean Sea.

Romans inspired by the Greeks (Gods, Greek art, etc.)

Roman government undertook big building projects to make city life more comfortable and attractive (roads, bridges, stadiums, theaters, etc.)

Roman Empire

Augustus of Primaporta

Sculpture (Marble)

1st Century CE

2 m Tall

Augustus of Primaporta

Portrait sculpture of Emperor Augustus

Augustus leads the way

Combines Greek idealism and Roman individualism

Propaganda for the Empirical Roman Government

Cupid at the base of the sculpture – Augustus ancestor of the gods

Constantine the Great

Constantine the Great

Constantine the Great, Marble Sculpture, height of head 2.6 Meters, 325-326 CE

Portrait head of Roman ruler

Fragment from a giant statue of the seated emperor

Constantine reigned 324 CE – 337 CE

Constantine made the port city of Byzantium the new capital of Roman Empire and renamed it Constantinople after himself (modern Istanbul, Turkey)

Constantine used his portrait to spread imperial propaganda

Antinous

Sculpture (Marble)

130 – 38 CE

2.41 m tall

Antinous

Emperor Hadrian’s lover who died in the Nile River

Realistic portrait of Antinous

Combination of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Styles

Comparison

Greek Sculpture Roman Sculpture

She-Wolf

Sculpture (Bronze)

500 BCE

85 cm Tall

She-Wolf

Story of Twin Brothers Romulus and Remus who were raised by a she-wolf - founded city of Rome

She-Wolf made in 500 BCE, but Romulus and Remus sculptures added later in 1400’s CE

Awkward proportions

Colosseum

Architecture

70 – 80 CE

ColosseumName Colosseum derived from a statue called the Colossus, which stood next to the building

Giant Entertainment Center (athletic events, Greek plays, gladiator and animal fights)

Could seat up to 70,000 people

Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian Columns

Giant cloth roof which protected people from the sun

Reconstruction Drawingof the Colosseum

Arch of Constantine

Arch of Constantine

Arch of Constantine, Rome, 312-315 CE

Tripled-arched Monument to Emperor Constantine's Victory over Maxentius in 312 CE

Memorial located next to the Colosseum

Used recycled sculpture – panels on top story, statues of prisoners, giant roundels from other monuments

Pantheon, Rome

Pantheon, RomePantheon - “all the Gods”

Built as a temple to the Olympian Gods

The entrance with 8 columns and a portico is typical of Roman architecture (based on Greek style)

Shape of building in back concealed (circular room – rotunda – is a surprise to visitors)

Pantheon, Rome, 118-128 CE

Rotunda (circular room)143 feet in diameter and 143 feet from floor to summit

Cityscape

Painting (Wall Painting)

1st Century CE

Cityscape Cityscape – image of buildings

Wall Painting from a House near Pompeii, Italy

Romans decorated their houses and buildings with painted walls, decorative tiles (mosaics)

Intuitive Perspective – buildings shown in smaller size in the background to show space / different angles of building

Painted Corinthian Column

Bedroom,

House of Publius Fannius Synistor

Architecture (Interior)

1st Century CE

The Unswept Floor (Mosaic)

The Unswept Floor

Heraklitos, The Unswept Floor, mosaic, 2nd Century CE

Mosaic on the floor (also used in fountains) – created with colored stones, marble, and sometimes pottery

Trompe L'oeil (“fool the eye”) style based on realism

Looks like floor littered with trash after a meal (bones, fruits, nuts) and a mouse eating the scraps

Based on a Greek painting