Roman Art Characteristics
(5)
art as a political tool patrons are the elite
monumental sculpture and architecture architecturally
innovative: arch, dome concrete shifting concept of the
ideal
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Head of an Old Man
1st Century BCE
Roman Republic
Osimo, Italy
marble
Demonstrative
portrait of the wealthy elite political purpose
Innovative
Veristic portraiture-- super realistic, ideal age
First Style Roman Wall Painting
imitate costly marble panels using painted stucco relief
Second Style Roman Wall Painting
illusion of an imaginary three-dimensional world
Third Style Roman Wall Painting
delicate linear fantasies on monochromatic backgrounds
Fourth Style Roman Wall Painting
multicolored, crowded, and confused compositions with a mixture of
architectural views, framed mythological panels, and earlier styles' motifs
Artist
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Tholos
Second Style Wall Painting, Villa of Publius Fannius Synistor
50-40 BCE
Roman Republic
Boscoreale, Italy
fresco
Demonstrative
commissioned by a patrician
Innovative
linear perspective
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Gardenscape, Second Style Wall Painting, Villa of Livia
30-20 BCE
Early Roman Empire
Primaporta, Italy
fresco
Demonstrative
commissioned
Innovative
linear perspective atmospheric perspective-- further
in space the more out of focus
Continuity
decorative landscape painting-- Spring Fresco
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Imperial Procession, Ara Pacis
13-9 BCE
Early Roman Empire
Rome, Italy
marble
Demonstrative
propaganda-- showing ancestry and promoting child bearing to
continue generations of power sculpture imperial
agenda
Continuity
procession-- Persians and Medes Panethic Procession
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Augustus of Primaporta
early 1st century CE
Early Roman Empire
Primaporta, Italy
marble
Demonstrative
sculpture idealized portrait imperial
propaganda
Continuity
contrapposto orator pose-- Orator divine
ruler-- Naram Sin and Narmer
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Colosseum
70-80 CE
Early Roman Empire
Rome, Italy
brick, concrete, and marble
Demonstrative
patrons: Flavian dynasty monumental architecture
Innovative
amphitheater concrete arch
Continutiy
greek architectural orders as engaged columns From
bottom to top (doric, ionic, corinthian, corinthian pilasters)
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Column of Trajan
112 CE
High Roman Empire
Rome, Italy
marble
Demonstrative
propaganda scultpure
Continuity
decorative frieze displays military triumph of a
ruler--Narmer and Naram Sin use of bird's eye view--Palette
of Narmer
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Pantheon
118-125 CE
High Roman Empire
Rome, Italy
brick, concrete, and marble
Demonstrative
commissioned roman arch propaganda
monumental arch
Innovative
dome on a drum coffers to reduce weight
Continuity
greek temple front-- Parthenon
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
175 CE
High Roman Empire
Rome, Italy
bronze
Demonstrative
propaganda commissioned by emperor
sculpture
Innovative
new style of portraiture-- on a horse to show the power of a
ruler
Name
Date
Period
Location
Medium
Basilica Nove
306-312 CE
Late Roman Empire
Rome, Italy
brick, concrete, and marble
Demonstrative
commissioned by emperor monumental architecture
shows imperial power