Chapter 9 Roman Art

The Rising Power of Rome Under the Etruscan kings, Rome became an important city. [ih-truhs-kuh n] In 509 B.C. the Romans drove the Etruscans out and established a republic. During the following centuries, Rome became stronger and conquered territories as far away as Britain and Mesopotamia. Roman artists admired Greek art and emulated it.

Greek Influence Roman art copied from Greeks Imported Greek works Employed Greek Artists Contributed to the development of architecture

Roman Sculpture & Painting Influence of Greek Artists Desire for life-like portraits Wax Masks of deceased family members Later replaced with marble Molded mask of a girl with funerary inscription from Roman Gaul

Difference Between Greek & Roman Sculpture Idealistic Portraits Designed for public monuments Entire figure Just head was thought as incomplete Realistic Portraits Served private needs Wanted sculptures to remind viewers of specific people Person’s character best shown through the face Portrait Heads

Double Portrait Exact duplicate of real people Wrinkles and imperfections Suggests personality and charcter Bust of Cato and Portia. Roman. Late First Century

Mural Painting Wealthy Romans obtained numerous works of art Disliked hanging artwork- murals instead Mural- large picture painted directly onto a wall Artists tried to depict the real world as accurate as possible Landscapes, buildings ( looking out a window) After Pompeii was excavated, they found that almost every house had a mural

Pompeii Preserved by the eruption of volcano Vesuvius ( 79 A.D.) Bedroom from Villa of P. Fannius Synistor. Pompeian, Boscoreale. First Century B.C. Fresco on lime plaster

Flora, or Spring Resort at the Bay of Naples, Italy First Century A.D. What new skills are present?

Roman Architecture Built roads, sea routes and harbors City Services: aqueducts [ak-wi-duhkt] and sewer systems Public buildings

Temples Made use of features in Greek architecture Ionic Columns No surrounding columns Half columns for decorative pattern Temples Made use of features in Greek architecture Greeks used columns for structural support- Romans used them for decoration Maison Carrée, Southern France , First Century B.C.

Temple Complex in Palestrina Praeneste [pree-nes-tee]- originated when a peasant found a tablet in the woods The history of the town was recorded on the tablet even though the city did not yet exist They built a temple to house a statue of Fortuna ( goddess of good fortune) – tablet placed inside statue Became the home of a famous oracle Christianity took over and banished the oracle and the temple was destroyed After the fall of Rome, a town was built on that site After the bombing in WWII the ruins of the huge temple were discovered

Design of the Temple Complex Barrel Vault- series of round arches from front to back that form a tunnel Made it possible to cover huge rooms and halls with half-round ceilings Walls were so heavy and thick, windowless walls were needed to support them

Innovations in Structure and Materials Post and Lintel Arches Limited the space builders could bridge Stone lintel would break Keystone was used to hold stones in place Used concrete

Lesson 2: Buildings and Monuments Chapter 9 Greek Art Lesson 2: Buildings and Monuments

Roman Buildings and Monuments Emperor Agustus boasted that he found Rome a city of brick and stone and left it a city of marble. Built baths Circuses Forums Amphitheaters

The Baths Vast enclosed structures that contained libraries, lecture rooms, gymnasiums, shops, restaurants, and walkways ( in addition to a swimming pool….obviously)

Design of Baths Every Roman city had baths A series of rooms with rooms of progressively cooler water. The calidarium: [ Kal- darium] hot water pool (entered first)

Second bath room, the tepidarium- warm bath awaited

Frigidarium- cool bath

The Baths of Caracalla [kar-uh-kal-uh] Most famous Caracalla (emperor) Third century A.D. Rome, Italy Sprawled out to 30 acres 750 ft tall by 380 feet Central Hall- 180ft X 77ft wide Concrete groin vaults

Groin vault: two barrel vaults meet at right angles Enabled builders to cover a very large area. Also allowed windows!

Buildings for Sports Events