Roman Art

                                

https://ka-perseus-images.s3.amazonaws.com/6607b0e560cc3dc3cce42932492accc2e348bc40.jpg

    In one of my blog posts from last week, I talked about Greek Artwork. As you can see, it is no secret that Greek artwork had a huge influence of Roman creators. In fact, some sculptures and portraitures look almost identical at first glance. It would make sense that the Romans inherited many ideologies from the Greeks because Rome conquered Greece. In addition, it is also common to see Etruscan and Egyptian influences in Roman art as well. Although there were many influences on Roman art, Roman art is not to be defined as derivative. 

    The founding of the Roman Republic is said to have happened 509 B.C.E. During the Republican period, art was created to express imagery for a political purpose/propaganda. Portraiture like the picture posted above expressed characteristics of soldiers in the Republic such as hard work, age, and wisdom. Artisans demonstrated that these patrons had spent their lives working for the Republic and sacrificing their lives by giving them bald heads, large noses, and deep wrinkles. Today, this portrait style is known as "veristic", which refers to the natural futures that bring out every flaws. These flaws create personality by expressing what an individual has endured in their life.

    In contrast, the Romans also created portraits of young men. These young men expressed youthfulness, which can also express imagery for political purposes. The Romans may have wanted other empires to know that their people were young, meaning that they were full of energy, meaning that they were powerful and ready to fight. In one of my blog posts from last week, I posted a head sculpture from Greece, which was of a young man. The head sculptures from Greece and Rome resemble each other to a T.

    During the Republican period, Roman art mainly consisted of sculptures and portraiture for political reasons. However, the Romans eventually switched from naturism to more of an abstract style. Instead of valuing individuals, abstract art valued several individuals. Abstract art expressed how people worked together to achieve something greater. In other words, the Romans believed that all men were created equal.

1. Ambler, Dr. Jessica Leay, and Dr. Jessica Leay Ambler. “Introduction to Ancient Roman Art,” 2020. https://smarthistory.org/introduction-to-ancient-roman-art/.