Lesson 3 - Roman Art

Title: Roman Art - Mosaics Artists: unknown Project Description: Students will explore and discuss ancient Roman civilization and create mosaics using colored paper. Class Time Needed: 1 hour Suggested Resources: pictures or written descriptions of Roman society, art, writing, or architecture Date For Time Line: 800-150 BC Countries: Italy and Greece Materials Needed: Each student will need: 1 black piece of construction paper several strips of colored construction paper approximately 1cm wide scissors glue stick pencil Before the Discussion: Identify the time period on the class time line, and help students to mark it on their own time line. As well, identify the country or countries on the world map and help students to label their map the same way.

Titttle: Roman Art - Mosaics Artrttrtisttts: unknown Projojjecttt Description: Students will explore and discuss ancient Roman civilization and create mosaics using colored paper.

Class Time Needed: 1 hour Suggesttteteted Resources: pictures or written descriptions of Roman society, art, writing, or architecture Datetete For Time Line: 800-150 BC Countttries: Italy and Greece

Mateteterials Needed:Each student will need: 1 black piece of construction paper several strips of colored construction paper approximately 1cm wide scissors glue stick pencil Befofofore the Discussion: Identify the time period on the class time line, and help students to mark it on their own time line. As well, identify the country or countries on the world map and help students to label their map the same way.

©S.Westby2013

Teacher’s Script: Last time we explored the lives and art of people in ancient Egypt. In contrast to the prehistoric people, their society was very advanced in that it had, for example, more complicated systems of writing and drawing. The next period we will explore was also very advanced. The Roman Empire, although based in Rome, actually stretched from England all the way to Egypt. (Point out these areas on the world map.) Does anyone know anything about the Roman Empire? Has anyone heard the name Julius Caesar? He was one of the most famous leaders of ancient Rome. Does anyone know what sort of art could be found in ancient Rome? Because the Roman Empire included so many different areas, the art of the Roman Empire included all of the different art styles of those areas. For example, when the Romans took over Greece, they were so impressed with the Greek style of art that they copied it in their own artwork. In modern times, some people have trouble telling Greek and Roman art apart.

TeTTeTeT acher’s Script:Last time we explored the lives and art of people in ancient Egypt. In contrast to the prehistoric people, their society was very advanced in that it had, for example, more complicated systems of writing and drawing. The next period we will explore was also very advanced. The Roman Empire, although based in Rome, actually stretched from England all the way to Egypt. (Point out these areas on the world map.)

Does anyone know anything about the Roman Empire? Has anyone heard the name Julius Caesar? He was one of the most famous leaders of ancient Rome. Does anyone know what sort of art could be found in ancient Rome?

Because the Roman Empire included so many different areas, the art of the Roman Empire included all of the different art styles of those areas. For example, when the Romans took over Greece, they were so impressed with the Greek style of art that they copied it in their own artwork. In modern times, some people have trouble telling Greek and Roman art apart.

©S.Westby2013

How could you compare your cave drawing to the original that you copied? When you copy someone else’s artwork, the result is often similar, yet a little bit different because of your own style, ideas or details. This was true of the Romans - they copied the art of other areas, but added their own style to it as well. In fact, much of art history involves a group of artists reacting to the art of people who lived before them, either copying it with slight variations, or creating art that makes a statement rejecting the art that came before. One of the most famous ancient cities is Pompeii, which was a resort town near a mountain called Mount Vesuvius. One summer day at around lunchtime, Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupted. The entire town was buried under a layer of ash and lava, and it remained frozen that way for hundreds of years. When it was finally discovered much later in the 1800s, archaeologists began to excavate or dig out the buried town. They discovered that everything remained just as it had been at the time of the eruption. Once everything had been uncovered, they saw that there were still plates with the day’s lunch on them, loaves of bread, fish and wine. There were childrens’ toys and writing equipment, such as tablets. Tablets were pieces of wood with a layer of wax spread across the surface. Students would scratch into the wax to write, and when done, they could erase the work by spreading the wax smoothly again. How does that compare to your writing on paper? What would be the advantages or disadvantages of using a wax tablet to write? How else might a child’s life in Pompeii be different from yours?

How could you compare your cave drawing to the original that you copied? When you copy someone else’s artwork, the result is often similar, yet a little bit different because of your own style, ideas or details. This was true of the Romans - they copied the art of other areas, but added their own style to it as well. In fact, much of art history involves a group of artists reacting to the art of people who lived before them, either copying it with slight variations, or creating art that makes a statement rejecting the art that came before.

One of the most famous ancient cities is Pompeii, which was a resort town near a mountain called Mount Vesuvius. One summer day at around lunchtime, Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupted. The entire town was buried under a layer of ash and lava, and it remained frozen that way for hundreds of years. When it was finally discovered much later in the 1800s, archaeologists began to excavate or dig out the buried town. They discovered that everything remained just as it had been at the time of the eruption. Once everything had been uncovered, they saw that there were still plates with the day’s lunch on them, loaves of bread, fish and wine. There were childrens’ toys and writing equipment, such as tablets. Tablets were pieces of wood with a layer of wax spread across the surface. Students would scratch into the wax to write, and when done, they could erase the work by spreading the wax smoothly again.How does that compare to your writing on paper? What would be the advantages or disadvantages of using a wax tablet to write?

How else might a child’s life in Pompeii be different from yours?

©S.Westby2013

What did the houses look like? Most of the walls and floors were decorated with pictures of people, gods, animals and landscapes. Many of these decorative pictures were not painted on the walls, but rather made of small pieces of stone, shells or glass arranged to form a picture. This method is now known as a mosaic. Can you think of anywhere in your house where the wall is covered with tiles? (Kitchen, bathroom) Do the tiles form a picture? How big are the tiles and what are they made of? (Several inches, made of clay and then covered with colored glazes) Why did the house builders use tile in those areas? (Water resistant, easy to clean) How are the tiles held in place? The Romans used slightly different materials in their mosaics as we find in our houses today, and it was more decorative than practical in some places. In fact, the details in some Roman mosaic were so precise that the artists used pieces that were just millimeters wide, carefully placed, side by side but not quite touching. Today we are going to design and make our own mosaics with paper so that we can get a sense of the process of building pictures out of little pieces, and the challenges the Roman artists faced.

What did the houses look like? Most of the walls and floors were decorated with pictures of people, gods, animals and landscapes. Many of these decorativepictures were not painted on the walls, but rather made of small pieces of stone, shells or glass arranged to form a picture. This method is now known as a mosaic.

Can you think of anywhere in your house where the wall is covered with tiles? (Kitchen, bathroom)

Do the tiles form a picture? How big are the tiles and what are they made of? (Several inches, made of clay and then covered with colored glazes)

y

Why did the house builders use tile in those areas? (Water resistant, easy to clean)

yy

How are the tiles held in place?

The Romans used slightly different materials in their mosaics as we find in our houses today, and it was more decorative than practical in some places. In fact, the details in some Roman mosaic were so precise that the artists used pieces that were just millimeters wide, carefully placed, side by side but not quite touching. Today we are going to design and make our own mosaics with paper so that we can get a sense of the process of building pictures out of little pieces, and the challenges the Roman artistsfaced.

©S.Westby2013

Project Directions: Students should design an sketch out a simple subject, such as a rainbow, flower, butterfly, fish, etc. onto their black paper. Keep it simple. For younger students, you may want to draw a few simple examples for them to copy. Their subject can be stylized to have as many straight edges as possible, since these will be easier to work with when using squares. (For example, a circular sun could be made as an octagon, a flower could be made with rectangular petals. )They will sketch the shape with a pencil onto the black paper. Once the shape has been drawn on the black paper, students will cut the colored strips into 1cm squares and glue them into place to over the sketch lines in their subject. The squares should be as close as possible to each other without actually touching; each square should have a black border around it. Students may cut the squares into smaller irregular pieces to fit remaining spaces. Remind students to glue the squares on very well so that they wont fall off later. It is also very effective to create a colored border around the edges of the black paper before filling in the rest of the picture. If time allows, fill in the background (behind the main subject) with a single color of tiles so that the shape stands out from the background. Increase the difficulty depending on age and ability.

Projojjecttt Directttions: Students should design an sketch out a simple subject, such as a rainbow, flower, butterfly, fish, etc. onto their black paper. Keep it simple. For younger students, you may want to draw a few simple examples for them to copy. Their subject can be stylized to have as many straight edges as possible, since these will be easier to work with when using squares. (For example, a circular

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sun could be made as an octagon, a flower could be made with rectangular petals. )They will sketch the shape with a

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pencil onto the black paper. Once the shape has been drawn on the black paper, students will cut the colored strips into 1cm squares and glue them into place to over the sketch lines in their subject. The squares should be as close as possible to each other wittthout actually touching; each square should have a black border around it. Students may cut the squares into smaller irregular pieces to fit remaining spaces. Remind students to glue the squares on very well so that they wont fall off later. It is also very effective to create a colored border around the edges of the black paper before filling in the rest of the picture. If time allows, fill in the background (behind the main subject) with a single color of tiles so that the shape stands out from the background. Increase the difficulty depending on age and ability.

©S.Westby2013