Ancient Roman Art Facts That Will Absolutely Amaze You!

The Roman Empire lasted for a thousand years.

It is divided into three parts, period of kings, Republican Rome, and Imperial Rome. Grand scale building techniques were devised by Roman engineers by using concrete.

Ancient Romans are known for their art forms such as vase art, caricature, coin art, landscape painting, architectural sculpture, and mosaic. The artistic styles of Romans were not original and heavily influenced by Greek art. Roman art and Greek art are so similar which makes many people blame the ancient Romans for plagiarism.

However, some of the famous pieces in Roman art have a unique style. Even the minor arts are very captivating.

The Roman culture has traces of several cultures in which their artwork is diverse. Continue reading to know more about Roman artwork. You can also check out our other articles on Ancient Greek art facts and facts about the Ancient Rome dome.

Influences On Roman Art

Both Greek and Etruscan traditions greatly influenced Roman art. Roman art is an aesthetic heritage created by a rare combination of Greek and Etruscan artistic traditions.

Greek Influence: Contrary to popular belief, Roman architecture, sculpture, mosaics, and paintings were not pioneered by Romans. The glory actually belongs to the Greeks, who had already created three phases of classic architecture long before Rome was established.

The Greek artworks piqued the interest of the Romans. The majority of their works were inspired by such influences.

The Greeks were the forerunners, laying the framework that was later picked up and expanded by the Romans. Roman temples are extremely comparable to Greek temples, at least in terms of the concept underlying the architecture.

Etruscan Influence: The Etruscans (people of Tuscany) also had a tremendous influence on Roman art and civilization. Most of the Roman art and architectural forms are inherited from several traditions of Etruscans like gladiator flying, temple construction, and hydraulic engineering. Romans even retained an Etruscan priesthood in Rome.

Key Art Forms

Murals: Any artwork painted onto a building or solid surface is called a mural. Murals are mostly done on the walls. This art form was used by the Romans as the interiors of Roman buildings were gloomy with no light and windowless.

This is when they started painting the insides of the building with bright beautiful colors which gave life to the place. Some of the world-famous wall paintings can still be seen in a private house in Pompeii. This house is known as the house of Vetti.

Mosaics: Mosaics are designs or pictures created on colored stones, ceramic, or glass. They are used to decorate floors and walls of buildings and other places. Despite the fact that a majority of the mosaics were inspired by Greek masterpieces, Roman mosaics were unique.

Roman mosaics have tesserae (geometrical pieces). Tesserae are put together to form different shapes and patterns. Some of the most renowned mosaics include the Alexander Mosaic (House of the Faun, Pompeii), Tomb of the Julii (Vatican Necropolis), and Gladiator Mosaic (Via Casilina, Rome).

Roman Sculpture: Unlike Greek artists, the works of Roman sculptors were more centered on the face of each individual along with their flaws rather than trying to portray an ideal person. Most of the stone vases sculpted were used to decorate gardens, public buildings, and bathrooms.

People criticize Roman sculpture as most of the Roman sculptures were just copied from Greek sculpture.

Famous Ancient Roman Artists

Publius Aelius Forunatues: Publius was popularly known as the Roman 'slave turned artist'. In Rome, slaves were treated poorly and didn't have much freedom. Publius was the only exception.

He not only gained freedom but also became one of the popular artists of the time. The slave life that he endured in the early stages influenced his art and helped him gain quick fame throughout the empire. He eventually earned a great fortune through his impeccable works.

Iaia: A famous female painter, Iaia, also known as Lala or Lalla, was one of the five female artists to be recognized in the natural history of Pliny the Elder. She was well known for her ivory engravings.

Her paintings depicted women and their emotions. Most of her well-known works were either self-portraits or paintings of older ladies. It was commonly assumed that the artist's unending love for women was one of the primary reasons she did not marry.

Her one-of-a-kind creations spoke for themselves and were far superior to the works of the famous male artists of Ancient Rome. Iaia is one of three female painters mentioned in Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris.

Aurelius: Aurelius was a brilliant painter who lived in the first century. He was also one of the artists that received the greatest criticism. People pointed fingers at the themes and concepts that inspired his paintings, in which he blended the features of women he adorned with the faces of deities. This was heavily criticized and mocked.

Ancient Roman Painting Facts

The majority of Roman sculptures were just replicas of Greek sculptures. Many of the Greek statues are only known from the replicas made in the Roman period.

Paintings were used to make rooms appear larger. Rooms with a very gloomy look had garden paintings on the wall. Triumphal painting exhibiting the victories in wars was greatly valued. The oldest Roman paintings to be discovered were triumphal paintings showcasing soldiers and their weapons.

Roman architecture is one of the very few architectures that can still be seen.

Roman sculpture was used to exhibit the economic status of Romans. To showcase their power, Roman emperors made life-size busts of themselves and placed them in the center of the city.

Roman art and paintings had homemade paints that were stolen from ancient Greece.

The earliest forms of Roman arts originate from the period when the Roman Republic was established (509 BC).

Ancient Romans used paintings and sculptures to decorate every book and corner. Apart from paintings jewelry, seal cutting, glassware, and many other creative works were also used to decorate the Roman world.

A wall painting from Herculaneum is often mistaken for a Cezanne painting because of the perfection.

Roman paintings were not just influenced by Ancient Greeks but also by Ancient Egyptians and eastern art.

Almost 75% of the Roman paintings depict wars and battles fought by the Roman Army and other historical events.

Romans enslaved skilled Greeks and used them to make mosaics and other wall paintings in the Roman cities.

The primary Roman works did not have a Roman style, as they mainly inherited Greek traditions.

Luxury Arts Of Rome

Alexander Mosaic: This is a Roman floor mosaic. Around 100 BC it was created and is the most popular roman artwork. The picture depicts the conflict between Darius III (Persia) and Alexander the Great.

Colossus of Constantine: This is an acrolithic statute of Constantine the Great (a Roman emperor). Parts of the statue are still found in the Courtyard of the Palazzo Dei Conservatori of the Capitoline Museums on Capitoline Hill.

Lycurgus Cup: This is a brilliant glass reticulated cup. The cup is made of dichroic glass. The glass displays two different colors based on the light conditions. When light is passed through the glass from the front, it appears green and when done from the back; it appears red. It is currently in the British Museum.

Portland Vase: This is the first vase to catch people's attention in the recent era. The 9.4 in (24 cm) Roman cameo glass vase is has made a significant contribution and inspired many glass and ceramic producers since the early 18th century.

Blacas Cameo: This huge cameo from ancient Rome was made from a single piece of sardonyx. The cameo shows a side profile of Augustus, a Roman emperor. According to experts, it most likely belonged to the period between AD 20 and 50.

Did you know? Both in Greece and Rome, wall paintings were a mediocre form of art that did not hold much value.

Arts Under Augustus and Trajan

Trajan was a popular roman emperor in AD 98. The arts under him were:

Sarcophagi: During the Roman empire marble sarcophagi, a coffin for burials with embellished stones was produced. It might be adorned from three or four sides based on how it was placed.

Sculptures: Trajan was in charge of the installation of various sculptures. The coins depicting Trajan's forum reveal that it was wealthy in sculptures. Trajan's offer of aid benefited many residents. This is depicted in Benevento's Trajan Arch.

Architecture: Imperial Fora's layout ends with the grandly built Trajan's forum. The empire's capital carried out all its economic, judicial, and political plannings in the building. It also included the Basilica Ulpia. A carved piece of the Forum can be found in Quirinal Hill.

The first emperor of ancient Rome was Augustus. He was also known as Octavian. The arts under him were:

Ara Pacus Augustae: It is an altar found in Rome. One of the outstanding pieces under the Augustan arts is the Ara Pacis Augustae. It is also known as the Altar of Augustan Peace. It exemplifies the new moral code of Augustus. The marble altar that developed imperial imagery was a dedication to the Roman goddess of Peace, Pax.

Imperial Portraiture: This full-length marble statue of Augustus is 6.5 ft (2.08 m) tall and weighs 2204 oz (1000 kg). It was found in the Villa of Livia. The statue is currently present at the Vatican Museums, Braccio Nuovo.

Diana of the Tower: It is a statue of Diana, the Greek goddess of wild animals and the hunt.

Fun Fact: Only a section of the Forum is now found. It is a column constructed over the emperor's grave. It contains a spiral frieze that has reliefs depicting Trajan's Danube wars. It is said that Raphael and Michaelangelo learned several artistic techniques from the engravings.

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