Download Roman Art 1

Rome
Art as demonstration of power
New Vocabulary
Concrete
forum
Groined vault
Barrel vault
dome
Basilica
Nave
Clerestory
apse
Atrium
Domus
insula
Does Rome have a unique characteristic style of art?
•huge admiration for Greek art- had Greek art from all periods copied and
original Roman art was done in the style of Greece, many Roman artists
were Greek in origin
•Roman authors find little concern with art of their own time- never
developed literature on the theory, history or criticism of art like the
Greeks
•we hear very little of specific artists who enjoyed individual fame
•Probably looked upon their own time as a decline in art compared to Greece
•Earlier seen by historians as just an extension of Greek art but now seen as
a totally different style- great majority of Roman art is unsigned- could have
come from anywhere in Roman domain- Roman society was very tolerant of
alien traditions so long as they did not threaten the security of the state, new
provinces were not made to adopt Roman traditions- law and order were
imposed on them, but religion was not forced- so many traditions of
Etruscan, Near East, and Egyptians were absorbed into Roman culturetherefore Roman style is not consistent- emergent styles existing side by side
Roman architecture reflected that of Greece, but a totally Roman
purpose- both public and private architecture
Temple of Fortuna Virilis, 2nd C. BCE
•suggests Greek influence
following Roman conquest
of Greece in 146 BC (Ionic
columns)- but not copy of
Greek•Etruscan elements- high
podium, deep porch, wide
cella, but cella is not
subdivided into 3 partsnow a unified space•needed large interiors for
images of deity and for
display of trophies (statues,
weapons) brought back by
conquering army
•Served as a temple type
and is found in Italy and all
around the empire
Common Plan for Roman
Temples
Plan, Fortuna Virilis
•Combined Greek
elements with ancient
Roman peasant hut
design
•Became model for
round style of Roman
temples
•Much of the structure is
built with
CONCRETE!!!
•Concrete was used in
the near east, but never
for architecture
•Concrete structure was
faced with stone, marble
•The facades have worn
away so Roman ruins are
less attractive than
Temple of Sibyl at Tivoli, early 1st century BCE Greek’s
Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, 1st century BCE
East of Rome- presence of strange cult, dedicated to Fortuna (Fate)- a mother deity
and oracle
• unearthed through bombings in 1944•ramps and terraces lead to a colonnaded court, flight of stairs like a Greek theater,
arched openings framed by engaged columns and entablatures, presence of barrel
vault•all surfaces now are of concrete- fits into the hillside- architecture seems to grow
from rock- this was not possible in Greece- comparable to New Kingdom in Egypt
•Does not express the spirit of the Roman republic- time period was transition
between Republic and dictatorship
Model of Fortuna
Model made of Legos!!!
•Forums of Rome - Julius Caesar
planned a similar scaled project in Rome
•Caesar’s Forums were a combination
religious shrine and personal
glorification
•Became the model of all imperial
forums, although nothing remains today
of any of them
Plan of the Forums, Rome
Pont du Gard, Nimes, France, early 1st century BCE
•Arch and vault became standard construction for engineering projects
•Used in aqueducts and sewers, designed for efficiency rather than beauty
•Relays sense of order and permanence
Colosseum, Rome, 72-80 BCE
•Enormous amphitheater for gladiatorial games-in the center of Rome
•One of the largest single buildings in history
•Efficient-meant to serve large amount of human traffic (50,000 people)
•Utilizes both the barrel vault and the groined vault (two barrel vaults at right
angles
•Fine balance between vertical and
horizontal elements
•Engaged columns, series of arches
•Three classical orders are used- Doric is
on the ground floor (weighty), Ionic, and
then Corinthian-lightening of the
proportions, but its barely noticeable
•Round style temple
•From the outside, the cella
looks like a simple cylindrical
drum
•Deep porch is common
•Not as impressive today- the
modern streets of Rome are a
great deal higher than they
were in ancient times - the
steps up to the porch are now
submerged in pavement
•The interior is far more
impressive today
Pantheon, Rome, 118-25 AD
f
•Interior is more impressive
•Use of arches led to huge,
uninterrupted interior spacesused in baths (centers of Roman
society
•Dome is a true hemisphere,
emits plenty of light
•Everything is perfectly
balanced
•Base had to be made much
heavier than the top
•Weight rests on 8 wide pillarsthis allows for niches around the
side
•Inside of dome was originally
gold gilt
•Dedicated to the seven
planetary gods
Interior of the Pantheon by Pannini
C.1740
Plans of the Pantheon
Basilica of Constantine, Rome, 310-20 AD
Reconstruction drawing of the Basilica of Constantine
•Largest roofed interior in
all of Rome
•Basilica- long halls that
served civic purposesstandard feature of every
Roman town- usually held
the courts
•Nave- the center tract
•Clerestory- the upper part
of the nave, pierced with
large windows to let in light
•This was possible because
the groined vaults helped
center the weight on the
four corners
Atrium, House of the Silver Wedding
Pompeii, 1st c. AD
Domestic Architecture-•Single family house was called
a Domus- for wealthy Romans
•Each had an atrium, square
central hall lighted by an opening
in the roof
•Many examples found at
Pompeii and Herculaneum
(buried 79 AD)
•Silver Wedding- atrium flanked
by Corinthian columns, basin to
collect rain water in the center
•Atriums were used for keeping
family portraits of family
ancestors
•Further rooms were attached to
the back of the house as well as
clustered around the atrium
•All shut off from the street with
windowless walls
Insula of the House of Diana, Ostia, 150 AD
•Insula- less elegant
•More urban- found ion
Rome and around it
•Similar to an
apartment house-made
of concrete or brick
•Centered around a
central court
•Shops and taverns on
the ground floor, living
quarters on the second
story
•Not as private, for
craftsmen and
merchants
Late Roman
Architecture
Market Gate from Miletus (restored) c.160 AD
•A continuous in and out rhythm of recesses and projections
•Up until the the end
of the 1st century AD,
Roman architecture
stayed true to Greek
orders and aesthetics
•New architecture was
more imaginativeespecially in the
African and Asiatic
part of the empire
•Market Gate- shape
derived from Roman
theater design