Roman artwork is extremely intricate and diverse, however, a lot of what is referred to as Roman art can better be described by the cultures it conquered. The ancient Greeks were the most influential of these cultures, from their temples and sculptures, to their reliefs and paintings. Greece was the first culture to create major programs for sculpture, painting, and architecture. Many of the first Roman artists were of Greek descent as their artwork reflects the Classical and Hellenistic periods of ancient Greece. A lot of what is considered to be Roman artwork is criticized as being mere copies of Greek artwork since they modeled their forms and styles after the Greeks, but other cultures influenced the Romans as well, mainly the Etruscans, …show more content…
Both the Greeks and the Romans dedicated their temples to the gods, however, unlike temples today that are used for congregation, Greek and Roman temples were used differently. Greek temples were used as the home of a certain deity and as a place to worship the specific god that was housed there. The Romans used temples to praise a god for military victory or for a politician to show his increase of wealth and status by commissioning the construction of a temple. Roman Temples were also often used as a meeting place for people to express a multitude of social and political concerns whereas the Greek temples were typically used by one person at a time. Within the cella of both the Greek and Roman temples was an altar dedicated to the gods. The Greeks used elements from their temple design in the creation of these altars, and Romans sometimes modeled their sarcophagi after this design. The Sarcophagus of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus from his tomb on the Via Appia from 200 B.C.E depicts the elements that the Romans borrowed from Greek temples. It is a mixture of two styles of Greek temple, Ionic and Doric. The Ionic style can be seen in the curves on the lid whereas the Doric style is depicted in the squares on the side of the sarcophagus, where each of the vertical lines of the square is a set of columns. This shows not only Greek …show more content…
Even the few sculptor’s names known to us, usually by chance, from the imperial period are Greek names and seem to confirm the assumption that these artists’ work should be regarded simply as a late phase of Greek art” (Hanfmann, 12). The Greeks were the first western culture to figure out how to accurately depict the human form which they did through the use of geometric ratios. It is also widely accepted that it was even Greek artists who first made marble portraits for the Romans as the Romans originally had no skill with the stone. “It was certainly at first Greek artists who were entrusted by eminent Romans with the execution of portraits of themselves and of important personalities in the Roman state, just as it was Greeks who depicted Aemilius Paulus victory at Pydna and later were largely responsible for the portraits of the emperors” (Kahler 16). The Romans mainly used terracotta for their sculptures and it was only when Augustus reigned that the marble quarries at Carrara were opened and marble was used on a large scale. The Romans inherited the use of realistic proportions, the sense of movement (contrapposto), and the overall beauty of Greek sculptures. A great example of Roman sculpture that was clearly carved by a Greek artist who was familiar with the Hellenistic styles of Greece, is the Relief of the Wedding of Amphitrite and Neptune. It “shows a mythological
The Ancient Middle East the Roman time periods brought about many different works of art. The Votive Statue of Gudea, an Ancient Near Eastern work, and the Augustus of Primaporta, a Roman work, are good representations of art from their respective time periods. The two works have many similarities and differences within their formal elements, iconography, and historical significance to the time periods in which they were crafted.
Ridgway, Brunilde S. Hellenistic Sculpture II: The Styles of ca. 200-100 B.C. Madison, Wisc.: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2000.
Aegean art is very simple and plain but very beautiful. Their sculpture has very little detail carved into the art but that maybe because originally their statue was painted in very bright colors. The female figures are plainer and more compact the arms and legs are folded in there no gap in between their arms and legs. While the male figures like the “male harp player from keros, c. 260—2300 B.C.E., Early Cycladic period, marble, 22.5 cm high”, are more detailed but not by much. They are more rounded they aren’t as straight and stiff looking, like the female sculpture, the male statues head is tilted back like is he is singing along to the music he plays with his harp, the leg and arm are open and apart unlike in the female sculpture who is compacted into a rectangle like shape. But they must have looked much different and more alive when they were painted than they do now. But even without the paint they still look beautiful.
- Priest of Troy being punished by the Gods for warning against accepting horse from the Greeks. Sea serpents attacked him and his sons. Beautiful anatomy.
Sculpture is one of the most important parts of Greek art since it is almost the only art form that has survived in some quantity. The ancient Greeks were especially known for their sculpture because their sculptures were extremely life like and beautiful. It was important to the ancient Greeks to combine passion and reason in their sculpture. Greek sculptures were mostly of the human form since they looked at their gods as having a human form. All of the sculptures were nudes of males because society looked down upon female nudity until latter on in time when you started to see sculptures such as the Venus di Milo, which was modeled after Aphrodite (Wikpedia the free encyclopedia. Wikpedia.11 Nov 2004. 12 Nov 2004 http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Greek_art ). One of the most amazing sculptures is the colossus sculpture of Zeus in Olympia it was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ancient writers said that it stood 12.40 meters high, 6.65 meters long and 9.76 meters deep the body of Zeus was made of ivory followed by a robe made of gold topped with a silver olive wreath and his throne was decorated with mythological scenes painted by Panainos and Kolotis the statue itself was created by Phidos. Michael Lahanas. 25 Dec 2002. 11 Nov 2004 (http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/ZeusStatue.htm). Another great sculpture is the colossus Athena Parthenos. This sculpture just like the colossus statue of Zeus was made of gold and ivory and had various mythological engravings in her shield, helmet and pedestal.
The Egyptians had influenced Early Greek art for several years; it was during the time of war (Archaic Period) and art was not their top priority. Most of their sculptures were similar to those in Egypt and there was no sense of personal style. However, as peace was approaching, artists started to focus on how to make their work outstanding. They took advantage of their knowledge in anatomy and started applying it to their blocks of marbles. During the early Classical Period, Kritios Boy was sculpted, and it showed the break from the Egyptian style.
In my thesis essay topic I will discuss how art in the Greek culture has change drastically since making it first appearance, in my essay topic I hope to showcase knowledgeable information on the subject while providing supporting details. This topic was interesting to me because beforehand even though I have taken many art classes, this class gave me a little more insight to the world of art and has influence my taste since traveling. I am amaze at how much Greek art has influence modern day culture. Greek culture has also paved the way for many other forms of culture forms and exhibits. So what did this essay mean to me? It was away for me to study and review what I thought was most significant about Greek times and the art pieces that stood out to me the most. I also like that I get to get my personal reflection on key pieces that lead to the new era of classical and non-classical art. In my essay, I will show how ancient Greece was a very unique culture that went through great efforts to produce high class art.
He discusses that Roman statues appear greatly similar to those of Ancient Greece, both in material and in style. The statues both from Greece and Roman Republic were made from slabs of marble and bronze. In both cultures, portraits were used as expressions of honor to both the living and the dead. They were often used in funerary spaces and sanctuaries. Stewart supports the same principle that the other critics have stated, that portraits and statues were used primarily by the wealthy and elite members of the republic. They decorated the public spaces of the people, as a reminder of leadership within the community and as a way to honor the authority’s power. Imperial portraits were used as a symbol of devotion and established the presence of a powerful empire, bringing the devotion towards the emperor
Roman art was also deeply influenced by the art of the Hellenistic world, which had spread to southern Italy and Sicily through the Greek colonies there. The Etruscans and Babylonians can also be seen as inspirations. “With the founding of the Republic, the term Roman art was virtually synonymous with the art of the city of Rome, which still bore the stamp of its Etruscan art” (Honour and Fleming,1999). During the last two centuries, notably that of Greece, Roman art shook off its dependence on Etruscan art. In the last two centuries before Christ, a distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting, and painting emerged. Indeed, because of the extraordinary geographical extent of the Roman Empire and the number of diverse populations encompassed within its boundaries, “the art and architecture of the Romans was always eclectic and is characterized by varying styles attributable to differing regional tastes and the...
Ancient Greek sculptures were the mix of Egyptian and Syrian styles. In 800 to 300 B.C., Greek sculptures had a powerful inspiration throughout the centuries. The Greek sculpture was divided into seven periods: Mycenaean, Sub-Mycenaean or Dark Age, Proto-Geometric, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic (Collins 1). Greek sculptures were created by using marble, bronze, stone, and limestone, but bronze was in most demand. The most common production to make Greek sculpture is the lost-wax method. First, the sculptors would make clay inside the core, almost the size of a figure which was then coated in wax. Then, they would replace the melted wax with bronze. When the bronze became solid, the sculptors would remove the clay. Finally, the sculpture would be polished and added with other decorations. Most Greek sculptures were in a freestanding of a human form because Greeks saw beauty in human body form. Early Greek statues were rigid and straight, but later on, the Greek adopted more natural relaxed pose: knees and arm bent, and head turned. Greek artists captured the human pose in a way never seen before with concerns in proportion, pose, and perfection of the human body (Cartwright 1). Most of these statues are signed by artists, so there are six famous sculptors in Ancient Greece. The f...
Another difference in these civilizations is in the architecture of each region. The architecture of the Romans was also more advanced than that of the Greeks; they used concrete and placed emphasis on arches, vaulted ceilings, and domes while Greece emphasized balance and symmetry. Greek temples aimed at impressing by designing intricate, aesthetically pleasing outer views, while Roman architecture's goal was to impress by enclose a vast amount of space.
The Greeks and the Romans, two completely different civilizations and yet so similar. They both had their different customs and traditions and may have been years apart, but they are the same, or as the same two different people can be. Both had the ability for greatness, and both were able to create a far reaching empire full of many different types of people.
The Romans have adopted many features from the Greek style of art and architecture during the third and second centuries B.C. During that time period the Romans discovered that they have taking a liking to Greek statues, which they placed in many different places. The Roman sculptors then decided to also start making statues alongside the Greeks. The statues that the Romans created were realistic looking with, sometime, unpleasant details of the body. The Greeks made statues with, what they thought of, ideal appearances in the statues figure. Sculpture was possibly considered the highest form of art by the Romans, but figure painting was very high considered as well. Very little of Roman painting has survived the tests of time.
The differences between the art of Roman and other civilizations were that every Roman arts whether were sculptures or architectures had served some purposes and played certain roles in the daily lives of Roman citizens. For example, Romans love to build small concrete building with the vaulting systems. The small building which was called the bay (Pg. 105). This unique system helps to construct much fine and greatest architecture for Romans such as the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, the Colosseum and the Basilica of Constantine. The Pantheon of Rome was also another striking example of fine Roman structure. These structures were often used for religion matters, public meetings and entertainment for every Roman citizen. If any Roman citizens wanted to have some fun, they would attend the Colosseum and watched the gladiatorial game or a series of chariot race. If some other citizens wanted to seek God or certain deity, they would likely to go to the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia. In fact, architectures were significant in the lives of Roman citizens.
The ancient Greeks developed a system of orders which were known as columns. There were three different types of columns and each had they own special twist, both structurally and appearance wise. The three orders consisted of the Doric order, Ionic order and the Corinthian order. One shocking fact was that the Romans used the Corinthian columns more than the Greeks did and they were the one that came up with them. Each order could be found in many different parts of ancient Greece. The columns were put into use by creating ancient temples. Since Greek life was mainly focused around religion, their temples were very big and beautiful (“Ancient Greece” 1).