ancient roman art
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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.)
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, 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
Emperor Hadrian’s lover who died in the Nile River
Realistic portrait of Antinous
Combination of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Styles
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
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
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, 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
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
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