Roman Civilization and Art Roman civilization is best known for its military might and amazing feats of engineering, such as the Colosseum in Rome. Indeed, Romans were at their best when they were building and conquering. But the Romans were also accomplished painters and sculptors, and their art reached new heights of realism and accuracy that weren’t achieved again until the Renaissance, more than a thousand years after the fall of their Empire.

Roman Sculpture Propaganda Portraits Memorial Portraits Roman art is realistic (faithful to reality) in both style and subject matter because the art had practical uses in Roman society, like honouring an ancestor or an important politician, or commemorating an historic event or battle. Propaganda Portraits In a large empire, image meant everything. Emperors would spread portraits of themselves around the empire on coins and as busts and statues to promote themselves. Memorial Portraits The Romans revered and sometimes worshipped their ancestors. They preserved a likeness for the descendants to honour in the form of portrait busts. Portrait busts were made of a person after they died; a wax death mask would be made, and a marble sculpture carved from it later. Portrait busts were true to life; they did not idealize the person, but captured every wrinkle and detail of the person. Augustus of Prima Porta 1st century AD Pontifex Maximus c. 100 AD

Roman Painting Roman painters used a system of linear perspective and other methods to create the illusion of space. This system was lost during the Middle Ages, and wasn’t used again until the Renaissance 1000 years later. Roman paintings were primarily frescoes, in which the artist applies paint onto fresh plaster to create a mural. They were used for decorating homes, although they also painted portraits. Sometimes they showed hunting scenes or mythological characters, and sometimes they painted landscapes and cityscapes that gave the illusion that you were looking out of a window. The best examples of Roman painting were preserved in the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were covered by 18 feet of hot ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The sites were discovered during the 1700's, and provide an incredible glimpse into Roman life.

Villa of Fannius Synistor, Pompeii

Roman Mosaics Another common form of art in Roman civilization was mosaics: images made by inlaying small bits of stone or glass into walls, floors or ceilings. Roman mosaics were as sophisticated as their paintings, capturing shadows and highlights and even accurate likenesses. Neptune and Amphitrite, Herculaneum Virgil and the Muses Calliope and Melpomene

Check In Questions List the art forms the Romans used. What subject matter was the most common in Roman art? How would you describe the style of Roman art? For what purposes did Romans make paintings and sculptures? What is a portrait bust, and why were they made? What techniques did the Romans use to create the illusion of space in their paintings and murals? List the techniques and describe where you see them. What is a mural? Describe both the medium and process of a creating a fresco painting. Why are Pompeii and Herculaneum significant? What is a mosaic?

Your Turn Working in groups of 3, measure and analyze the realistic proportions of a human face. Create a list of 5 rules for realistic proportions of the human face. Draw a contour sketch of a partner that captures a realistic likeness because of your use of realistic proportions and careful observation of the realistic detail that makes your partner unique.