Roman Art History Part 3

Last but not least.  Here is the end of the pieces that will be on the test.  They all should be familiar to you students.

Another famous Arch is the Arch of Constantine.  I’m going to just quote the description of this arch from Art History by Stokstad cause it’s perfect.

Constantine's Arch

“In Rome, next to the Colosseum, the Senate erected a memorial to Constantine’s victory over Maxentius, a huge, triple arch that dwarfs the nearby Arch of Titus.  It’s three barrel-vaulted passageways are flanked by columns on high pedestals and surmounted by a large attic story with elaborate sculptural decorations and a traditional laudatory inscription.  The “triumphal insignia’ were in part looted from earlier monuments made for Constantine’s illustrious predecessors, the Good Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius.  The reused items visually transferred the old Roman virtues of strength, courage and piety associated with these earlier emperors to Constantine.  New reliefs made for the arch recount the story of his victory and symbolize his power and generosity.”

A new style of art was instituted with Constantine. “This style, with its emphasis on authority, ritual and symbolic meaning rather than outward form, was adopted by the emerging Christian church.  Constantinian art thus bridges the art of the Classical world and the art of the Middle ages.”

Constantine also commissioned a colossal, 30 foot statue of himself.  This statue was on a wooden frame.  The sculptor carved th head, arms, and legs out of marble and then used bronze for the drapery of the fabric.  All that remains of the statue is the marble pieces.  This statue was supposedly used as a stand-in for the emperor whenever the conduct of business legally required his presence.   The sculpture combines traditional Roman practices of portraying people as they truly looked, with his heavy jaw, hooked nose, and jutting chin….with a rigid symmetrical simplicity that illicits power and imperial dignity.  There is no hint of frailty or imperfection in the sculpture.

Roman Art History Part 2

Roman Mosaic, Here a floor after a dinner party

So here is the continuation of pieces for the art history test.

Mosaics were used by the Romans to decorate floors, ceilings, walls, patios, and public buildings.  This mosaic is the floor in a Roman Villa.  It is supposed to show the debris that would be on the floor at the end of a dinner party.  The bones and shellfish give indications of the lavish feast that has been served and are a reminder of the homeowners wealth.  You will notice the detail of the mosaic work including shadows and a little mouse scurrying in for a taste. Mosaics could be of such fine detail that from a distance it was hard to distinguish them from paintings.

Roman Theatre

Roman Theaters were generally built into hillsides to make construction of the seating areas easier.  The theatres were built into semi-circles much like the earlier Greek theatres.  One of the main differences is that the Greek theatres stage area would be open to whatever was behind the theater -  such as a grove of olive trees, the sea, or mountains.  The Romans, on the other hand, built a back to their theaters similar to what we do today.  This area would have several places for actors to enter and exit.  There were also many alcoves and niches around the theater where statues of current leaders were displayed.  Roman theaters similar to this one were built throughout the Roman empire and many were still being used into the 1980′s although most have closed in an effort to preserve the sites.

Roman Coliseum

Easily recognizable is the Roman Coliseum.  This structure was so named because in ancient times there was a giant statue of Colossus next to the arena.  In Latin the word arena means sand, and since sand was spread on the floor of the coliseum to soak up the blood of combatants theses structures came to be called arenas.

The Coliseum is an outstanding example of the Roman use of arches.  Here we see three levels of arches with a fourth solid level on the top.  Between each arch is a column.  On the first level the columns are of the Doric Order, on the second level the Ionic Order, and on the third the Corinthian Order.  The top level had niches

Interior of the Roman Coliseum

where statues were placed.  The inside of the Coliseum was set up much like our stadiums are today, with arched tunnels leading spectators into the stadium.

A floor was placed over a maze of rooms at the base of the stadium.  Here you can see what the Coliseum looks like without the floor in place.  These rooms were used to house the wild animals that would be used in the games.  There were also areas for the gladiators, doctors, weight rooms, etc.  Lavish games were hosted by the leaders of Rome to garners support and favor with the general population.  The Coliseum could also be flooded to stage mock sea battles.

The Coliseum is an oval that measures 615 feet by 510 feet and is is 159 feet high.  The opening ceremonies to dedicate the Coliseum lasted 100 days and according to some counts 9,000 wild animals and 2,000 gladiators died for the amusement of the spectators. Unfortunately much of the Coliseum was dismantled in subsequent generations for materials.

Pantheon

One of the other amazing architectural feats of the Romans is the Pantheon.   This is a temple to ‘all the gods’.  Originally the Pantheon stood on a podium and was approached by stairs from a square with colonnades.  Passing centuries have buried the podium and stairs.   The entrance to the Pantheon resembles a Greek temple but then the porch gives way to a massive rotunda with 20 foot-thick walls that rise 75 feet in height.  These walls support a dome that is 143 feet in diameter and 143 feet from the floor to the summit.

In the center of the rotunda is an oculus, or central opening that

Ceiling of the Pantheon

allowed in sunlight (and rain).  This massive structure was made possible by a very important invention of the Romans…cement.  Cement allowed the Romans to construct large buildings cheaply and efficiently all over their empire.  Once constructed, concrete buildings could then have a facade of marble, stucco or other material attached.  In the case of the Pantheon the use of concrete allowed the builders to make the ceiling out of sunken panels or coffers.  This reduced the weight of the ceiling considerably.  Marble veneers, architectural details,  richly colored marble, columns, pilasters, and entablatures hide the concrete work inside of the Pantheon.

Arch of Titus

The Romans effectively used a simple design of square against circle to create a sophisticated design that imparts of sense of awe and of being able to commune with the gods.  Maybe this is why in later centuries the Pantheon was converted into a Christian church.  It was this use of the building that helped it to survive the middle ages when most pagans structures were destroyed in an effort to rid the city of their influence.

Another unique feature of Roman architecture is the Monumental Sculpture.  These often took the form of the Triumphal Arch.  These freestanding arches commemorated a military victory and were part of the victory celebration.  Here we see the Arch of Titus in Rome.  After Titus died and was deified his brother commissioned the construction of this arch as a memorial of Titus’s conquest and defeat of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The arch is constructed of concrete and covered in marble.  Originally the arch served as the base for a statue of a horse and charitot driver that was 50 feet high.  The reliefs on the arch depict Titus’s capture of Jerusalem.  This capture ended a campaign to crush a rebellion of the Jews in Palestine.  The Romans sacked and destroyed the sacred temple and carried off it’s sacred treasures to display in a triumphal procession through Rome.  One portion of the relief shows Titus with an eagle carrying him skyward to join the gods, an acknowedgement that Titus was deified, or declared a god at his death.

Just saying

Mean Verbal SAT scores for 2006:

LATIN STUDENTS: 672
Spanish Students: 577
French Students: 637
German Students: 632
Hebrew Students: 623

Average for all students: 503

Art of the Roman Republic

In a previous post we looked at the art of the Etruscans, now we are going to move forward into the art of the time when Rome was a republic.

First we need to know a little history. A group of Roman Aristocrats overthrew the last Tarquin king in 509 BC . For the next 450 year a small group of men, the senate, would rule Rome. By 275 BC Rome would control the entire Italian peninsula. For more than a century the Punic wars would rage finally coming to their conclusion in 146 BC. With the end of the Punic wars and the defeat of Carthage, Rome gained control of the entire western Mediterranean. By the mid second century BC Rome had conquered Greece, and by 44 BC they had acquired most of Gaul. ( modern day France.)

Aulus Metellus Bronze

The sculpture of the Roman Republic period was influenced by the art they found in Greece but with their own twist. The Romans practiced ancestor worship. They venerated their deceased relatives and had death masks and sculptures made of them allowing the past generations to continue to participate in some ceremonies. This led to a desire to render realistic portraits.

This bronze of Aulus Metellus is life-sized. We know his name because it is inscribed on the hem of his clothing. The statue has been known since ancient times as ‘The Orator’ and the man stands as if addressing a crowd. He wears sturdy leather boots, an interesting thing to note…gods and goddesses were depicted barefoot and later on we will see that Augustus was sculpted barefoot, perhaps hinting at his deification.

The Romans were well aware of the propaganda value of portraits. This is why the

Denarius with portrait of Julius Caesar

used them on coins. This relief sculpture of Julius Caesar on a Denarius accurately shows his careworn face and receding hairline. Roman coins are actually one of the ways we have accurate pictures or portraits of their many rulers.

The Romans developed the use of concrete to aid them in their massive building projects. Their use of concrete was a huge breakthrough that we probably take for granted. They were able to make massive building for less money and effort by building out of concrete and then applying a veneer of stone or marble over the concrete. This gave them greater freedom in the forms they could use, they didn’t have to transport as many heavy stones, and they could stretch their resources. Here we see a picture of how the concrete was used. There was a fill in the center, then often a layer of brick, and then a stone veneer. So while Greek buildings revealed their building materials, the Romans covered their up.

Model of the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia

Another architectural feature of the Romans is the use of the round arch and vault. While other civilizations had used these, none to the degree that the Romans did. Here we can see the remains of the Sanctuary of the Fortuna Primigenia dedicated to the godess of fate and chance. The sanctuary was not discovered until after World War II when the area was being cleared of debris caused by bombings. It is a fine example of Republican architecture. It is built of concrete and is covered with a veneer of stucco and limestone.

There are seven terraces that ascend with long ramps and stairways connecting them. You can see the use of arches and colonnades. As you reach the upper levels there is a large semi-circle staircase leading to the actual temple of Fortuna. The temple is a rock cut cave where the actual acts of divination occurred.

More common temple structures were smaller urban temples built in the cities commercial centers. This temple sits

Roman temple

on a raised platform next to the Tiber River. While unsure, historians think it may have been dedicated to Portunus, the god of harbors and ports. It has a porch, a single set of steps, and a rectangular cella. It echoes the Greek temple plans that we have already looked at. Their are Ionic columns and two engaged columns…meaning part of the column is set into the wall. There is a frieze going around the entablature. This combining of designs and orders from the Greeks is typical of Roman buildings.