FREE ESSAY ON ROMAN ART

ROMAN ART

Romans were collectors and admirers of Greek art. Art from Greece was brought to Rome,
copied, and also changed by the Romans. As a result, Roman art is somewhat based on Greek
art. However, Roman art is not merely a continuation of Greek art. For an amateur it is
difficult to determine between the two art forms because neither the Romans nor the
Greeks wrote down the history of their own art. 
The characteristics pertaining to each particular type of art are known to some extent,
so the experts are relatively accurate in determining the separation of the two types of
art. Roman art is divided into four categories: portrait sculptures, paintings and
mosaics, relief sculptures, and statues. Each of these has its own characteristics.
Portrait sculptures, designed by the Romans, shows the desire of the Romans for
literalness; it records even the homeliest features. This is demonstrated in the
sculpture, Head of A Roman, made of marble in 80 B.C. The artist painstakingly reported
each rise and fall and each bulge and fold of the entire facial surface. It was as if the
artist was acting like a map maker, trying not to miss the slightest detail. The end
product was a blunt, bald record of features. Idealism nor improvement of features was
done causing the feeling of superrealism. Paintings and mosaics were influenced by the
architecture of the Romans . Their architecture consisted of buildings containing a small
number of doors and windows, thus leaving considerably large stretches of wall space
suitable for decoration. The quality was determined by the importance and the wealth of
the patron. The walls were used for two things in Roman art. First, they were used as a
barrier. Secondly, they were used to visually open the wall and enhance the space of the
room. Only certain colors were used. These were deep red, yellow, green, violet and
black. Two methods were used to prepare walls for painting. In one, plaster was
compounded with marble dust, then laid directly on the wall in several layers. It was
eventually beaten smooth with a trowel until it became dense. Finally, it was polished to
a marble finish. The wall was then ready to be painted with water colors or encaustic
paints. The other method, called panel painting, consisted of stucco being applied to
boards of cypress, pine, lime, oak, and larch. Then water colors, obtained from minerals
and animal dyes were applied. The painting was then mounted to cover a wall. These
methods were used throughout the years to produce paintings. Although the style of the
paintings on the walls changed during the years, the methods used to prepare the walls
basically stayed the same. There are four styles of painting Incrustation, the first
style, was used from 200 to 60 B.C. Walls were divided into bright polychrome panels of
solid colors with an occasional textural contrast. In the years 60 to 20 B.C. the second
style, the architectural style, was used. This method made a wall look as if it extended
beyond the room, but it wasn't systematically perspective. In the years 20 B.C. to A.D.
60, the third style, the ornate style, was used. This method subdivided a wall into a
number of panels by means of vertical and horizontal bands. The fourth and final style of
painting took place in A.D.60 to A.D.79. It was called the intricate style. Each wall
contained a great number of separate paintings not relating to each other. It made people
feel as if they were walking through an art gallery looking at a variety of different
paintings. Art of Rome wasn't limited to that of walls. Romans also had murals, painted
glass, illustrated books, and easel paintings. Relief sculptures, carved into large
pieces of stone, were used to decorate pediments, cella walls of temples, and the
interior and exterior of various buildings. The size of a relief was dependent upon the
purpose, location and treatment of the monument. There are two types of relief
sculptures. One is a pictorial frieze, which is an unbroken representation of one or more
mythological or historical events. The other is an image. It consists of a self-contained
representation of an act, an occurrence, or event relating to the deeds of military
figures. A relief was not treated as a wall, but rather, as a space in which figures
disappeared or emerged from all in accordance to the laws of perspective. Reliefs varied
by the method in which they were executed. Some were densely packed while other were
loosely dispersed. Sculptures were one form of art in which the Romans copied the Greeks
to a great extent. Statues of Greek gods were taken and copied. Then wings and portrait
heads were added along with draping clothing. The Romans favorite subjects for nude
statues were powerful, muscular, male bodies. As a result, a vast majority of nude
statues are exactly that, muscular men. Many statues of people were made into an ideal
form, although some represented a person's characteristics. For example, a small head was
symbolic of a person with little intelligence. 
In conclusion, art in Rome influenced the people's religion, mythology, and architecture.
The styles and technics of ancient Roman art are still evident today, to a small or great
extent in modern sculptures, statues, and paintings.
Bibliography
Brown, D., and Strong, D. (1979). Roman Crafts. New York: University Press.
Croix, H., and Tansey, R. (1980). Art Through the Ages. United States of America:
Harcourt Brage Jovanovich, Inc.
Heintze, H. (1971). Roman Art. New York: University Press