Overviews in Art- Roman

Roman Art: Etruscan through the Julio-Claudians

A brief explanation of the artistic trends

This article is one in an ongoing series. It is not intended to be scholarly, but a survey for those unfamiliar with various periods in art and those curious to learn more. Note: CE and BCE, Common Era and Before Common Era are more standard when dating as they are less culturally biased than A.D. and B.C.

Etruscans                                          1000- 200      BCE

Roman Republic                          509- 27         BCE

Augustus and Imperialism             27 BCE- 14   CE

Julio- Claudians                              14- 68             CE

Please click on links for examples

    Roman art reflects the astute political atmosphere of the Empire. From its beginnings in Etruria, present day Tuscany, through its re-interpretation of Greek Classical art  we see this mastery of public relations reach its zenith during the reign of Augustus.

 
    The forerunners to the Romans were a culture based just north on the Mediterranean coast in Etruria, modern day Tuscany in Italy. These were a people who emigrated from Asia Minor after the collapse of the Bronze Age circa 1200 BCE. Little is known about the Etruscans, all we have is items found at burial sites and some accounts in Greek literature, which are as a rival- biased. Greeks considered the Etruscans decadent as they evidenced by the plethora of gold jewelry and the habit of women actually dined with the men, indecent by Greek standards.

    What was transferred to the Romans was the general design for temples. Temples were used to house the cult image (god), act as a treasury, and divinate the will the gods. Etruscan and later Roman temples at first glance may be difficult to differentiate from Greek temples, but upon closer inspection you see several differences. First, there are only stairs on one side, as opposed to the Greek temple which has low rise stairs on all sides. The platform for the Etruscan/Roman temple is much higher than the Greek, both limit accessibility. The columns are clustered at one end with a deep overhang that creates a porch. Prior to any significant course of action, a sacrifice would be offered. This porch was used as the sacrificial area, where the augur would take the auspices (reading animal entrails); this retained the sanctity of the god's house and made cleaning up easier. These three differences are significant: clustered columns, deep porch, and one-sided access which separate Etruscan and later Roman temples from Greek temples.

    Second major difference between Etruscans from the earlier Greeks is that Greek sculptures are nude and the others are not. In Roman art, we see clothed people; the only nudes are gods or goddesses. These are considered "heroic" nudes- mortals are not represented in this manner. Note: we will see Augustus use this later to craft public opinion.

    The most significance difference between Roman and Greek art is that Roman art places greater importance on the meaning or message, while Greek art values beauty and perfection above all else. I offer an example for clarification, The Capitoline Wolf, the legendary animal that suckled Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. Note that this is not a beautiful creature, but a noble one as we can denote by the leonine treatment to the fur. Her stance, upright ears and gaze all signify that she is alert and a protective mother. Finally, the heavy, milk-laden teats clearly illustrate that she can provide succor to her young. Aesthetic have been sacrificed for symbolism. This will be a continuing trend in Roman art.

    Roman art commemorates and celebrates conquest. Rome rises in importance and starts to conquer neighboring lands, including the Sammites, Sabines (yes, these are famous ones from Rape of the Sabines), and Etruscans. The first Roman rulers were Etruscans. By 206 BCE, Rome controls the Italian peninsula and establishes a confederation with Rome as the head. Art is a visual communication that broadcasts the ideals of the Roman Empire.

    During the Roman Republic period, political careers are dependent on military success. Victorious generals would bring back booty (treasures collected from vanquished cities) and present them to the city where they would be displayed in public areas, keeping smaller pieces for themselves. Families also sought power through construction of public works- temples, forums, baths, theatres, etc. To insure the families good name successive generations paid for the upkeep of these areas. To demonstrate their duty to the state, a particularly "realistic" style came to be popular called veristic portraits. In this the not only is the sculpture not idealized, but any wrinkles or scars are magnified, these are signs of civil service from either building or military service. With Julius Caesar's declaration of emperor for life the Republic comes to an end never to be revived.

    With no heir of his own, Julius Caesar adopts his nephew Octavian and designated him as his successor both financially and politically. In order to legitimize his succession Octavian, now having taken the name Augustus "auspicious or good beginning" Caesar in honor of his adopted father's line embarks on a public relations campaign. Augustus does not have the military victories to substantiate his position like Julius Caesar's campaign in Gaul (France) so he crafts the image of the youthful, charismatic leader that harks back to the Golden Age of Greek art 500 BCE. Say what you may about Augustus Caesar but there is no denying his political genius.

    After taking revenge on Julius Caesar's murders, Augustus encourages the Senate and populace to deify Caesar. This is deification is continued when Augustus dies, for those who are related to "gods" Julius & Augustus Caesar are clearly better and it legitimizes their rule. Until we get to the point that living caesars are deified like Claudius and Nero. They have embraced the Egyptian tradition of the god/king. Rome has gone from Etruscan kings to a Republic to First Among Equals to Emperors to Deified Emperors.

There are four styles of Roman painting:

I. Incrustation- molded stucco with no figural scenes. Intended to mimic marble.

II. Architectural- illusionistic (tromp l'oiel) vistas

III. Ornate- small delicate detail, formal ornament with filigree, and

IV. Intricate- extravagant, painterly style which incorporates a blend of the above styles.

     Living in an urban area with heavy population density, these murals create the illusion of greater space and provide a way to escape the closed in realities. Remember there are no windows due to shared walls in a heavily populated city.

    Even wealthy homes had shared walls. Villas were out in the country, not in the city, and we don't see the excess of the Emperors until Augustus and that is pale compared to the extravagance of Nero. Emperors always sought land that became available to create forums or other civic areas and fires were a major hazard in a densely populated city. Thus Nero's name is probably denigrated more not for having watched Rome burn while he fiddled, but because he took all the land that had burned claiming imminent domain and building the most luxurious palace ever- Domus Aurea, The Golden House. Aside from the exquisite nymphaea (indoor water features resembling a grotto), the innovative use of the oculus (circular opening in the ceiling) is architectural genius.

    In summary, Roman art's legacy is the use of visual media, mainly sculpture as propaganda. Whether it is to celebrate the glory of Rome, legitimize a ruler, or deify an emperor the emphasis is the message everything else is subordinate.