Roman Art

Introduction to Roman art traces Etruscan foundations and Greek influence, surveys the four painting styles, and highlights Roman sculpture, portraits, busts, ceramics, and mosaics.

Trace the Etruscan civilization as a direct predecessor of the Romans, with Greek influences, tomb murals, and the founding of Rome by the she-wolf Romulus and Remus.

Trace the origins of Rome from the seven hills and the Tiber River to early Palatine Hill huts, postholes, and the triad of crops—bread, olives, and grapes.

Explore how Greek art influenced Roman sculpture, from temples in southern italy to roman copies that advance realism, with figures like julius caesar and cleopatra.

Explore Roman painting through Pliny the Elder's account of wall frescoes and the four styles, tracing development from myth and landscape to war scenes.

Explore the first style of Roman wall painting, imitating marble on plaster with masonry-like veneer and plinth, then the shift to architectural illusion in the second style.

Explore the second style of Roman wall painting, which imitates architectural forms with door renderings and columns, showing objective depictions of daily life, plants, fruits, and mosaics on plastered stone.

Explore seven undisturbed Roman bedroom frescoes at the villa near Pompeii, showcasing advanced mural techniques, early one-point perspective, atmospheric perspective, and marble-imitating columns within a richly preserved interior.

Explore Roman second style figurative art, revealing naturalistic human figures, depth, and proportionality in Pompeii scenes like the Villa of the Mysteries and the dionysiac cult, contrasting with egyptian works.

Explore the third style of painting, known as the Manresa style, circa 20 b.c. to a.d. 65, featuring a white background, slender columns, and light, airy figures in Pompeii frescoes.

Explore the fourth style of Roman wall painting (65 to 79) from Pompeii, highlighting baroque features, proportioned architecture, revived figurative art, fresco techniques, pigments, and garden scenes in Pompeian interiors.

Explore how Roman sculpture evolved from Etruscan roots to masterful nude and draped figures, blending Greek influence, advanced anatomy, and techniques like lost-wax method for bronze and marble subtraction.

Roman sculpture captures precise likenesses in portraits and busts, surpassing Greek styles through keen observation and realism, with togas and facial features revealing history through figures like Caesar and Augustus.

Explore Roman ceramics and amphoras, the ship-fitting storage jars, alongside glassware and plates and bowls from Cologne and other Roman colonies in Germany.

Explore Roman mosaic art from Pompeii and beyond, featuring floor flagstone mosaics, hunting scenes, mythological imagery, elegant borders, water-protective designs, and iconic works like the Dionysius mosaic.

Examine the course catalog for roman art by analyzing a repetitive, emphatic delivery that centers on the phrase 'it's over' and playful interjections like 'birdie' and 'bernie'.