Classical Art Part 2:
Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome
Measuring Time: Ancient Rome
Before Common Era (BCE)
Common Era(CE)
Ancient Egypt c. 3000 – 500 BCE
now
Ancient Greece c. 650 – 350 BCE
Prehistoric c. 40 000 – 3 000 BCE
Ancient Rome c. 510 BCE – 323 CE
Where is the city of Rome?
There it is!
Rome started off as a semi-democratic city state, like Athens, known as Republican Rome.
By around 60 BCE, under the leadership of Julius Caesar, Rome had begun to grow into an empire:
The Roman Empire at its greatest extents:
Romans Empire loved all things Greek:
Romans Empire loved all things Greek:
…and so they copied and expanded upon all of these things.
How are these sculptures similar?
Roman
Greek
Free-standing with a support
Realistic proportions and details
How are these sculptures similar?
Roman
Greek
Free-standing with a support
Negative space carved away
Realistic proportions and details
Natural, relaxed body position: ‘contrapposto’
How are they different?
Roman
Greek
He’s wearing clothes…
.. and they’re contemporary, stylish clothes
How are they different?
Roman
Greek
He’s wearing clothes…
This is a portrait of a real, not an ideal, person.
.. and they’re contemporary, stylish clothes
Roman: Realism Greek: Idealism
Roman
Greek
Romans didn’t want idealism; they wanted realism; they showed their people as they were, warts and all.
Portrait of a Roman, c. 80 CE
Roman patrician with busts of ancestors, c. 10 BCE
Greek temple at Segesta, Sicily, c. 424–416 BCE
Romans loved and copied Greek architecture too.
Architectural Orders:
Greek temple at Segesta, Sicily, c. 424–416 BCE
The Pantheon, Rome, c. 118 – 125 CE
How are these buildings similar?
Greek architectural details like columns, capitals and tympanum (the triangular part);
Use of the golden section;
Balance, order and simplicity
Greek temple at Segesta, Sicily, c. 424–416 BCE
The Pantheon, Rome, c. 118 – 125 CE
How are these buildings similar?
Greek architectural details like columns, capitals and tympanum (the triangular part);
Use of the golden section;
Balance, order and simplicity
Greek temple at Segesta, Sicily, c. 424–416 BCE
The Pantheon, Rome, c. 118 – 125 CE
How are they different?
Made of solid marble, with no mortar;
Made out of concrete;
A dome on top of a round drum-shaped building;
No dome; no circles
Greek temple at Segesta, Sicily, c. 424–416 BCE
The Pantheon, Rome, c. 118 – 125 CE
How are they different?
Made of solid marble, with no mortar;
Made out of concrete;
A dome on top of a round drum-shaped building;
No dome; no circles
Architectural details are used for decoration
Architectural details are structural
The Pantheon interior, Rome, 118 – 125 CE
While the Greeks painted their buildings bright colours, Romans used marble inlays and mosaic designs to decorate their buildings.
They also used squares, circles and arches in their designs, something the Greeks would never do.
The Pantheon dome interior, Rome, 118 – 125 CE
The Coliseum, Rome, 72 - 80 CE
Arches are the most recognizable quality of Roman architecture.
The Coliseum, interior, Rome, 72 - 80 CE
The Romans invented stadiums and loved public spectacles.
Aqueduct, Pont du Gard, Nimes, France, 1st century CE
The Romans are remembered more as great engineers than great artists
Some Roman contributions to engineering:
- aqueducts
Roman sewer
… sewers
… sewers
Roman road
… paved roads and city planning
… paved roads and city planning
Arch of Constantine, Rome, 312 – 315 CE
… public monuments, public squares…
.. as well as mosaics, theatres, stadiums, apartment buildings.. etc..
Head of Constantine the Great
4th century
height of head: 8’ 6”
Then, in 335, the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity.
This made Christianity, a religion of the meek and the powerless, the official religion of a military empire.
This also made most of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa suddenly Christian.
These were the dying days of the Roman Empire. Constantine divided his empire into two: West and East.
By 425, the Western Empire finally fell to the hands of invading northern tribes. The Eastern Empire stayed on for another 1000 years as the ‘Byzantine’ Empire.