THE ROMAN PERIOD

Roman art is the sculpture, pottery, painting, and other art produced in Ancient Rome. Romanic art is nostalgic of Greek ideas. The Romans built their empire on Greek influence. What may be considered a great leap for Romans was the introduction of more refined architectural units such as the dome, which was inspired by the Greek arch, and the use of concrete in architecture. Buildings such as the Flavian Amphitheatre would not have been erected using previous building materials. This amphitheatre was a Greek idea. However, the Romans used the idea to build a brand of amphitheatre that would not use hillsides for sloping. Instead, Romans built their amphitheatre as a fully rounded structure within the city gates. The Roman use of the arch, the use of concrete building methods, the use of the dome all permitted construction of vaulted ceilings and enabled the building of these public spaces and complexes, including the palaces,public baths and basilicas of the “Golden Age” of the empire. Outstanding examples of dome construction include the Pantheon, the Baths of Diocletian, and the Baths of Caracalla.

The catch about Roman art is that they borrowed or some would say stole Greek precedents. Observation was the key in making their subjects downright realistic. In this view, sculptures that are labeled Romanic were characteristically more human, with flaws and imperfection occurring much often. In this sense, the outlook of Romans regarding human subjects was not along the lines of beauty; but within the realms of relevance to reality. What they established was the unidealized meticulous details of the face in portrait sculptures. Portraits of Roman emperors were often made for political purpose, and included in the portrait were the ideological messages of the pose – so this is why sculptures of emperor might look off to being idyllic. On the other hand, the Romans played a bit of documentary drama in their portrayal of heroic battle in sculptures. They used body twisting to show more muscular activity and to suggest that their subject is struggling.

In regard to painting, Roman painting provides a wide variety of themes: animals, still life, scenes from everyday life, portraits, and some mythological subjects. During the Hellenistic period, it evoked the pleasures of the countryside and represented scenes of shepherds, herds, rustic temples, rural mountainous landscapes and country houses.