Transcript Roman Art

9.1 The Rising Power of Rome
 Under
Etruscan rule Rome grew to become
the biggest city in Italy.
 Romans
were unhappy and drove the
Etruscans from their city and established a
republic but did not end their problems.
 They
found themselves surrounded by
enemies but managed to defend itself and
gain control of Italy.
 Much
of Roman art was copied from the
Greeks.
 Romans
had great admiration towards
Greek art.
 Romans
imported Greek art and Roman
artists went to Greece to study with Greek
artists to learn their style and techniques.
 Although
they borrowed a lot of Greek style
they also made important contributions of
their own especially in architecture.

Reflects techniques and styles used in Greek
sculpture and painting.

A desire for life-like portraits

At one time wax masks were made of deceased
family members to be carried during the funeral
and for a shrine in the home.

Wax was temporary and soon marble and other
stone was used because it was longer lasting.

Artists who could carve life-like portraits were in
great demand at the time.
GREEK SCULPTURE




ROMAN SCULPTURE
Preferred idealistic
portraits

Preferred realistic portraits

Designed for private needs
Designed for public
monuments

Usually sculpted the entire
body

Natural and Life-like

Show personal character with
facial features and expression

Often just sculpted the head
and not the whole body
Considered a sculpture of a
head or bust incomplete
Wanted their sculpture to
remind people of specific
individuals

Double Portrait Bust

Bust =sculpture
from the torso up

Creates the feeling
you are looking at a
real person

Shows wrinkles and
imperfections

Expressions show
character





Wealthy Romans lived in lavish
homes.
They did not like hanging artworks
on the walls so instead artists
painted murals.
Murals = large picture painted
directly on the wall
Artists tried to reproduce the world
around them as accurate as
possible.
The scene often created the
impression of looking out a
window.
Tour a Roman Villa
http://www.villa-rustica.de/tour/toure.html
 Not
all Roman paintings are noteworthy
 This
is evident in the many paintings found
in houses in Pompeii
 Pompeii
was a city that was covered in ash
when the volcano Vesuvius erupted in A.D.
79
 When
the remains were found archeologist
discovered that almost of their homes were
decorated with murals.
 Few
examples of Roman painting and
sculpture remain but examples of
architecture and survived.
 Designed
and constructed city services
such as aqueducts, sewer systems, and
public buildings for business and leisure.
 Romans
were excellent planners and
engineers.
 Many
early Roman temples resemble
Greek architecture.
 Romans
used features that fit their
purposes.
 Whereas
Greeks used columns for
support purposes Romans used them for
decoration.



Greek influence can be
seen in this Roman
temple that was built in
France.
From first glance it looks
like a Greek temple but a
closer look reveals that
the columns do not
surround the entire
building.
Half columns are attached
to the wall to create a
decorative pattern.


The design of this
Roman structure, which
has been standing over
2000 years,
demonstrates how the
use of the following
techniques creates
stability and strength
even in large buildings.
Barrel Vault = a series of
round arches from front
to back that form a
tunnel.

The round arch improved
the post and lintel system
that the Greeks used.

It allowed them to span a
large area

Keystone = top stone of an
arch

With the arch and concrete
Romans could not build
large scale architecture.


Where ever the
Roman army
traveled, they spread
their knowledge of
the arch and
concrete building
techniques.
This bridge in Spain,
was built by the
Romans nearly 2,000
years ago and is still
used today.
Roman Bridge, Alcantara, Spain



Aqueduct = a system that
carries water from
mountain streams into cities
by using gravitational flow.
The series of arches
supports each other and
keeps the structure
standing.
11 aqueducts can be found
in and around Rome,
ranging in length from 1060 miles, and carried
nearly 270 million gallons
of water in to the city each
day!
 Mural
= large painted picture directly on
the wall
 Keystone = top stone of an arch
 Barrel Vault = a series of round arches
from front to back that form a tunnel.
 Aqueduct = a system that carries water
from mountain streams into cities by
using gravitational flow.