Roman Art
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Roman art did not get a start
until 500 B. C. Before this the Romans copied the art of the Etruscans. About 200 B. C.
the Romans conquered the Greeks and began copying their art style. During their conquest
of Greece, the Romans looted the towns. They brought the art home. They also captured
sculptors and brought them to Rome as slaves.
Beginning with the Roman
Republic the Romans started making statues that really looked like one particular person.
The Romans were far more realistic than the Greeks with their statues. The Greeks tried to
build statues to illustrate the "ideal" person. The Romans believed that having
a good image of somebody's face kept its ghost happy.
Pompeii. Villa of the
Mysteries 
Photos
courtesy and ©1997 Leo Curran, Maecenas: Images of
Ancient Greece and Rome |
Frescoes, painting on plaster,
became popular during the first century A. D. The paintings were painted on a specially
prepared wall with three layers of plaster and three layers of a special coating. |
Colors were
applied to the top layer while it was wet. This made the fresco durable and able to hold
up well over a long period of time.
The Romans also painted on
canvas. They often painted battle scenes. These were displayed in temples or in public
buildings. Unfortunately none of these have withstood time.
| The Romans painted murals.
These depicted everyday scenes around Rome. They also painted mythological scenes such as
the heroic deeds of Hercules, Achilles, Ulysses, and Theseus. |
Pompeii. House of the
Fontana Piccola. Painting to R. of fountain
Photos
courtesy and ©1997 Leo Curran, Maecenas: Images of
Ancient Greece and Rome |
Pompeii. House of the
Tragic Poet. "Cave Canem" mosaic
Photos
courtesy and ©1997 Leo Curran, Maecenas: Images of
Ancient Greece and Rome |
Mosaics were also popular.
These were made with small pieces of tile that fit together like a puzzle. |
As the Roman
Empire became larger the Britons, Spanish, Carthaginians, Phoenicians, etc. mixed their
art styles with the Romans styles to form many different styles throughout the
Mediterranean area. Around 200 A. D. the German influence was first seen in the Roman art.
At this time the art showed people suffering such as having their head cut off or their
insides ripped out.
The drill was invented making
sculpting easier and faster. This gave the art a little different look.
By the 300's A. D. Christianity
influence began to show up in Roman art. The artwork had less blood and gore. Some figures
were sculpted with the eyes looking towards heaven. At this time the body was less
important. Sculptors took less time with the body and at times the body was not in the
correct proportions.
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