Download The Romans

AP ART
HISTORY
“THE ETRUSCANS AND ANCIENT ROME”
THE ETRUSCANS
Before there was Rome, there were the Etruscans, a
thriving civilization in Northern and Central Italy.
Artistic cultures links the Greeks of the past to Romans
of the future.
Society’s wealth is based on fertile soil and abundance
of metal ore.
Culture provides framework city grid plans, the Roman
arch, and the perfection of the terra-cotta sculpture
Religious beliefs a combination of many cultures; art
reflects this trend with tombs, sarcophagi, and temples
for Greek gods where statues were placed.
THE ROMAN REPUBLIC,
509-27 BCE
Romans adopt Greek gods into their state religion
Romans divided between the patricians and the
plebeians; system of government in this period was an
oligarchy.
The great admiration for Greek art would result in a
consistency of form that would continue throughout
the republic.
Early portrait sculptures idealized the “worn face of
wisdom”
Julius Caesar one of the earliest in Rome to realize the
political value of art through propaganda
Roman temples placed columns into surface and were
defined by their interior spaces.
THE EARLY EMPIRE,
27 BCE-96 CE
Augustus ushers in an era of Roman greatness after the
assassination of Julius Caesar.
Roman government is based on efficiency; major efforts
made to improve the lives of the Roman citizens.
Roman art in this period can be categorized in the use of
portraiture of private individuals, historical events on public
monuments, and the use of artists as tools of propaganda.
ROMAN CITIES AND
HOMES
Romans very engaged with the natural world.
Cities were designed for the citizens to be public
and social; forum becomes center of city life.
Wealthy citizens would have private villas with
elaborate gardens, fountains, and artistic
decorations that would dominate the interior.
The most noteworthy of these interior artistic
creations was the wall paintings that often (and
obviously) revealed the wishes of the inhabitant.
Many of these wall paintings can be judged as
large elaborate murals of great artistic value.
RY
THE FLAVIANS
Civil war occurs after suicide of Nero; Vespasian’s
eventual victory brings Flavians to power. This era
brings to power practical military men who provide
peace during their reign of power.
In portraiture, there is a return to the celebration of age,
although some idealized pieces (especially for women)
were created.
In architecture, structures are created to celebrate
contemporary military victories in the form of arches in
public buildings.
The most celebrated piece of architecture from this era
is the Flavian Amphitheater, where several athletic
events took place, often to the death.
THE REIGN OF TRAJAN
AND HADRIAN
System of administrative successors brings prosperity
and peace to Rome and the growth of the commission
of art.
Movement towards make the capital the symbol of the
greatness of the Empire. These efforts included the
building of forums, basilicas, and public markets.
Many of these artistic creations had the dual
responsibility of chronicling the contemporary
greatness of Rome and providing political propaganda
for the government and its leaders.
Greatest evidence of adoration for Greek art found
during this period.
THE LATE EMPIRE
Outside pressures and poor leadership lead to
period of decline during Severan Dynasty; despite
this numerous public monuments are created
during the era.
The assassination of the last of the Severan rulers
leads to fifty years of anarchy; only after a military
rule, divided by four rulers, did peace return.
During the period of the tetrarchy, art in Rome
changed as well. Portraitures were hard,
geometrically abstract, and idealized from subject
matter to actual creation.
CONSTANTINE THE
GREAT
The rise to power of Constantine mirrors the
edict of religious freedom in Rome.
Most of the art created during the period retold
(and retold) the victories of Constantine.
The art from the period focused less on
displaying individual emotion and more on a
display of authority. This trend would continue
to develop in art, as Rome went away from its
pagan religious beliefs to the adoption and
growth of Christianity.