Roman Art

By Claire

 

Many people have wondered how art developed in Rome and how it related to their religious beliefs and daily customs. Even though many of their styles came from Greece, the Romans kept many of their own methods.  Anything from pottery, statues, to buildings, were decorated to honor gods and political figures of the times.  These reminded the people on a daily basis who was watching them and judging their actions.   

               

There were many different types of artists, so there were many different types of art.  There were two main groups of artists, craftworkers and tradesmen.  Craftworkers were men that had occupations that were mostly for decorating buildings and homes.  For example, sculptors shaped beautiful statues of gods, goddesses, and famous people out of clay to decorate towns. Tradesmen were people who had more important jobs, such as potters who formed clay pots, cups, and plates, and blacksmiths who fashioned tools, weapons, pots and pans from iron.

               

Artists usually only had one main trade.  Painters created beautiful murals and smaller pictures to hang on walls or display on easels.  They also painted the walls and ceilings of people’s homes or villas with life size murals of the gods.  Other jobs included goldsmiths, silversmiths, and jewelers who made gold and silver plates, goblets, and expensive jewelers. Carpenters carved furniture and some tools from wood.  There were also cobblers who manufactured boots and sandals, and leather workers who formed belts and soldier’s shields.

 

The Romans had time to decorate everything, even the tiniest, most unimportant item in the empire, since they had such a strong, loyal, and highly organized army to keep them from being constantly at war with other countries.  The soldiers were well trained and taken care of so they would not abandon the army, and they were never pleading for more citizens.  Since they had so much extra time, because the men did not have to leave, there were more tradesmen and craftsmen.  Craftsmen carved and painted the sides of buildings to have elaborate patterns, and some artists laid mosaic tile floors in the villas of the rich.  Mosaic tile floors are colored stones, tiles, or pieces of broken pottery cemented into the floor in colorful patterns and designs.  Tiles were also called tesserae, and Romans put stone or bronze statues of ancestors, gods, goddesses, or favorite politicians in their homes.

 

Artwork attracted the attention of the Romans since it was easy to get, entertaining, and could sometimes show their wealth.  For instance, if someone had a solid gold, life-size statue of the god Venus, it would say that they are really rich because they would be able to pay for all of the gold.  It could be entertaining because theater is a type of art, and the Romans loved the Coloseum and going to the Circus Maximus to watch chariot races.  Artwork was also very impressive and attractive.

 

A majority of people may not think that any type of artwork was involved in the Roman religion, but there was a little.  There were statues of gods and goddesses all over the Roman towns and ladies wore cameo brooches with gods carved onto them.  Grand temples were built for each individual god or goddess, and the largest one’s dome measured 143 feet.  It was made by pouring concrete over a temporary wooden frame, and had one round hole at the top, the only light source, which was said to be the sun of the heavens or oculus.  Inside, statues of all of the gods and goddesses in their religion line the walls.  When they built a temple, the architects chose a column out of five styles, Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite, three of which came from Greece.

 

Art was popular in Rome for many reasons, including daily life and religious beliefs.  It was entertainment, beauty, and part of the Roman culture. Statues in their religion were tall and majestic, and the portraits, paintings, and mosaic floors in villas improved the elegant look of their homes.   

 

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