To what extent did the evolving art of Rome give us insight on the history and life

of ancient Rome?

Dheeraj Chandnani
Period G
November 17th 2010
Roman Art and History

What is art? Is art just for our entertainment? Or do powerful emotions and
real stories lie within these pieces? Before 500 B.C. Roman art was mainly
comprised of imitations from the Etruscans and Greeks. Many sculptors and
artists in Rome before 500 B.C. were slaves of Rome brought in to be artists.
Roman art only really began after 500 B.C. Early Roman art consisted of statues
that looked like real people such as Gods and Goddesses, Emperors and model
warriors. Soon after, artists started to craft paintings depicting the same ideas
and over time Roman art grew and evolved into what we see in our history books
and museums today. Even though it is believed that art is just entertainment,
Roman history was revealed through Rome's art because the art had depictions
of Roman Gods, myths, and stories about everyday life.
Lands they conquered and began to rule over heavily influenced Roman
art. These influences helped Roman art evolve and expand over time. The
Romans predominantly used Etruscan style until 200 B.C. when they conquered
the Greeks and began to adopt their style. People that influenced Roman art
were the Germans, Egyptians, other North Africans and obviously the Etruscans
and Greeks. The art that was produced by Rome began to include styles from all
these places and Roman art became more diverse. Many artists created their art
in honor of their Gods, Goddesses, and Emperors; this also had a substantial
influence on Roman art. These pieces typically told stories of greatness and
perfection. Many artists also made sculptures and paintings in honor of their
leaders and masters, these pieces also gave insight on Roman life at the time.
Around 200 A.D. the Germans began to have a tremendous influence on
the art of Rome. The art of this period mainly depicted suffering and agony. A
large amount of the pieces were of people getting their heads cut off and people
having their bodies gutted. During the next century, the art slowly evolved from
this gruesome, German influenced art to a more Christian influenced art. Around
300 A.D., the time Christianity started having an impact on Roman art, the art
began to contain much less blood and gore. The art became more peaceful and
the formation and style of sculptures changed drastically. The majority of the
sculptures were sculpted with their eyes looking upwards, towards heaven. The
face and expressions were most important at this time and the body became less
important and sometimes over looked. For instance, because so much effort was
put on the face, the bodies were done very sloppy and sometimes came out
disproportional.
Murals were a large part of Roman art. Murals are paintings or other
pieces of art produced directly on a wall. Many Roman emperors had murals on
the walls, floors, and ceilings of their castles. The everyday life of average
Roman was portrayed through these pieces of art. Artists often told stories
through their murals and many were based on myths of heroic gods. Multiple
murals were painted in honor of Hercules, Achilles, Ulysses, and Theseus. 1
When looked at today, by historians, murals give us tremendous insight on the
life of the average Roman, and stories of Roman Gods and Goddesses. The
stories told about the Gods and Goddesses also tells us about Roman beliefs
and culture.
Rome was decorated in statues because at the time, it was one of the
more popular forms of art. Roman artists who built statues usually built them very
vivid and realistic. Most statues were of people to look up to like Gods and
Goddesses, Emperors, ideal warriors and other important and great people.
Statues that consisted of just the head and the shoulders of a person were
known as Portraits.2 Portraits were also mainly of people to look up to. These
statues show us who the Romans admired and who they though of as their
heroes. By looking at these statues we can see the frame of mind of the Roman
citizens at the time, we can see what they admired and hoped to be.
Another very popular and influential form of art at the time was the Mosaic.
“Mosaics were created by assembling small pieces of tile, glass, or stone into a
1
“Roman Art,” Oracle ThinkQuest,
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/art.htm (accessed on
October 20th, 2010)
2
Pankti, “The Art of Ancient Rome,” Kyrene School District,
http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/arthistory/rome.htm
(accessed on October 27th, 2010)
mortar background, forming a pattern or picture.” 3 The Romans adopted this style
was adopted from the Greeks between 200 and 300 A.D. Originally the Greeks
used cut stones to craft their mosaics and their mosaics were typically done on
floors. Mosaics depicted stories of everyday Roman life and many mosaics were
dedicated to nature. Just like other forms of art used by the Roman’s, many
mosaics were made in honor of their Gods and Goddesses, and their emperors.
Through mosaics we are exposed to everyday Roman life, and the Gods and
Goddesses worshiped by the Romans at the time. Roman mosaics have told us
many stories and give us an insight on the history of Rome.
Rome’s culture and history was revealed through their art. Some major
moments in Roman history were reflected in their art. This piece of art was done
in the 5th century and the story of
Romulus and Remus was told through
this piece of art done by artist Pieter
Paul Rubens. The painting depicts
Romulus and Remus with their
caretaker, the she-wolf, when
Faustulus finds them. To the left of the
painting, their mother and Tibernus, the
river-god are bystanders to this. Many
other great Roman myths and stories
were told through their art this is just
one example of the power of Roman art.
The art of Rome wasn’t just entertainment for the Roman people, it was a
powerful tool used to convey stories, messages, and honor those who were
worthy. Roman art evolved from just imitations of the Greeks and Etruscans, to
being influenced by the North Africans, to becoming very gory when it was
influenced by the Germans, to becoming peaceful when influenced by
Christianity. Roman art has given us a great insight on Roman history and the
3
“Eyeconart; Roman Art,” Robin Utorn,
http://www.robinurton.com/history/ancient/rome.htm (accessed on November
2nd, 2010)
lives of the everyday Roman citizen. Myths have been depicted through Roman
art and a lot of what we know about Rome today has come from stories passed
through art. Roman art grew and evolved into what we see in our history books
and museums today.
Bibliography

“Roman Art,” Oracle ThinkQuest,

Pankti, “The Art of Ancient Rome,” Kyrene School District,

“Eyeconart; Roman Art,” Robin Utorn,

Elizabeth Catanese, “Mythology In Roman Art,” Soyouwanna,