From the Etruscans to the Greeks

 Rome was first influenced by Etruscans.  As Rome expanded, it began to be more influenced by Greek art.  Many statues in museums will say “Roman copy of a Greek statue”. ◦ This means that the statue was made by the Romans but was made to look like a famous Greek statue.

 Wealthy Romans were proud of their genealogy.  Funerary busts of their ancestors would be displayed in the house.  Some Romans even traced their lineage back to the gods.

 70 BCE Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, Print.

 The only bronze statue from the Republic.  This statue is of an Etruscan man.  He raises his arm as if speaking to a crowd.  He wears the toga of a Roman citizen.  He also wears the high boots of a magistrate.

Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, Print.

 ~50 BCE.  Shows a Roman citizen with busts of his father and grandfather.  These busts are funerary busts.  Done during the Republic.

 This is a style of sculpture where the artist depicts the person with an extreme amount of accuracy.  These are usually busts of old men.  This style of art tired to show that the man was dutiful to the gods, his family and the state.

Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, Print.

 44 BCE. Found in Egypt  Made out of green basalt.  Shows Caesar in true form except for his hair line. ◦ He was almost bald by this time.  This is still an example of Republican verism but not as exaggerated as the previous bust.

 Kleiner, Fred S. A History of Roman Art. Victoria: Thomson/Wadsworth, Print.