Hum100 - Artistic Themes from Ancient Cultures: Greece and Rome

From the beginnings of human existence art has been used to depict, glorify, and eternize the cultures of a society. Though the ages of time none have become more world renown than the workings of the Roman civilization; an art form which incorporated the customs of the Etruscans and Greeks to create an individualistic style that appealed to the cultural aesthetics of the time period. Of the various forms of art used by the Romans, the one which most clearly illustrates this is the Roman's architecture, arguably the most influential and impressive use of artistic ideals. By using innovative new materials, establishing new building methods, and absorbing surrounding and past cultural ideologies the Romans were

Thesis: The Greek influence of outstanding culture, gods, and their beautiful art to the Romans’ they took this inspiration on to their own creation. Both ancient build devotion to their gods they would bring the most precious things to them temples, however, they would focus on making large empire to rule and to take control of their city-states.

Greece is much accredited for their influence on Roman art. Greek influence spread throughout Sicily and Italy by the end of the 4th century. Greek artists were hired by Romans and ultimately the Romans adopted many of their techniques. Art for the Romans took on a completely new dimension than had for any other culture in the past. Art to them was for decoration. No longer was art a medium to express religion or love for one’s country.

Rome influenced many things today, one of them being art. After different kinds of Roman art were rediscovered after years, they still impact many of the modern art we see today. The Romans made realistic statues and frescoes. Along with decorative murals and mosaics, you can still find many forms of art influenced by the Romans. “The Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo in the 1500s, the ceiling shows scenes from the Bible. A Roman would feel right at home looking up at

Roman sculptors and artists, borrowing upon the techniques of the Greeks, became masters of their craft. The Romans captured prized items while fighting against the Greeks. Much of the

The capacity of a society to produce art is, in effect, an exercise of its power. It is through the presence of affluence that a nation is capable of focusing not solely upon survival, but the development and proliferation of culture, of which art is a central element. The Greek and Roman Empires will be explored from this perspective. Herein, the way in which the power of these two empires was exemplified through the art they were capable of producing will be explored in-depth herein.

Columns, as noted, were a prominent feature of Roman architecture, which was drawn from the Greeks. Although Rome did not copy Greek columns exactly, “Greek influence is evident in the use of columns,”18 nevertheless, which is to be expected since Romans greatly admired Greek columns.19 Rome also adopted the Greek's mortar and ashlars.20 Additionally, since Greeks believed “that beauty lies in mathematical harmony,” Greek influence is seen in Imperial temples which contained set, mathematical ratios of design. As noted, when Rome began producing sculpture, they began producing Hellenistic-influenced idealistic sculptures.21 The reversion to older Greek forms is not a surprise if one considers Rome's admiration for Greek sculpture. Such admiration of Greek sculpture is evidenced by Rome's copying of Greek sculptures, such as the Venus di Milo.22

Much of the Romans culture was adopted from the Greek culture. The Greek culture was in the course of the Medieval as well as the Roman culture. The Romans assumed Hellenistic sculpture to their political ends. They used these sculptures to show mythological figures as well as emperors and generals to show their political supremacy. Both the Romans and the early Christians assumed properties of Greeks architecture like the classical orders and developed them with the utilization of the arch and the discovery of concrete. Moreover, Greece also influenced the Medieval literature and philosophical traditions such as Epicureanism and Stoicism. The Roman and the early medieval culture show the Greek heritage in architecture, philosophy, and sculpture.

Without Rome’s advancements in architecture, structures such as the Colosseum and other buildings could have never been built. We get a sense of pride within the works of Rome and it is very apparent that the Romans wanted to impress the public. While architecture was one of Rome’s greatest achievements, they also had an abundance of beautiful artwork involved in sculpture and paint. It is very clear that Romans were heavily influenced by the Greeks and this is quite obvious when looking at their sculptures. One aspect of Roman statue that separated them from the Greeks was their intense use of realism. The Romans were great with statue work however, due to high demand, they ended up just mass-producing copies of Greek work. When it comes to painting the Romans and the Greeks had very different views on what was interesting. The Romans mastered all kinds of painting but, thrived when painting landscapes; and again, due to high demand, the Romans were mass-producing whatever they could to get the artwork

Art was highly regarded and developed by the Romans who commissioned and patronized works of architecture, music, painting, sculpture and even metalworking and gem engraving. The earliest specimens of Roman art can be dated to the establishment of the Republic in 509BC; with its expansion and subsequent influx of people and ideas in the capital, Rome unabashedly adopted a variety of cultural influences. While Greek influence was especially strong, the Romans blended Etruscan and Egyptian elements. Painting and sculpture were especially appreciated; the first being a two-dimensional form that can have a background to set the mood and help tell the story, while the second being a three-dimensional

Having seen the Greek sculptures, I noticed multiple sculptures that resembled both Roman and Greek art to each other. Though Greek art was based on collections of pottery and sculptures, Roman art was laid with mostly statues in the whole exhibit. From full-body to face or just a body statues, I was enchanted by mostly the expressions the sculptures portrayed rather than techniques used to make the statues.

This interest in the order of nature eventually evolved into a fascination with the human form and the idea of human perfection. The way in which the perfect human form was portrayed by Greek artists was of a highly intellectual nature. The early sculptors of the period explored basic human anatomy and its aesthetic value, creating such sculptures as the Kritios Boy, of the Acropolis. The precision and realism of this sculpture captured a more accurate portrayal of the human form than ever before seen. This accomplishment in itself showed strong advancements in intellectual thought, and inspired future generations to further explore aesthetic and order. Artist such as Polyclitius later envisioned human perfection as a series of mathematical proportions. The

Greek art has changed throughout the years, yet some basic forms have remained. Time, technique, as well as historical events have helped shape the way art has evolved since 600 B.C. Three important periods in Greek art are the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. We will discuss how art has changed throughout these periods, what influences led to change, as well as why it changed. We will also discuss what has remained constant through these periods. Since people’s perceptions and taste of art are different, some would say that art has become better with time, whereas others would say the opposite, but nonetheless, it has evolved.

Throughout the Ancient Greek history the numerous works of art were produced by the ancient Athenians that are still trending in twenty first century. Ancient Greeks demonstrated their valuable artistic skills in various fields. Every piece that was created by Ancient Greeks was more than art, their artistic skills were not only based on visual beautifulness, but on storytelling also. Ancient Greeks created their works of art as bearers of meaning by giving too much detail to the form and to the decorations to transmit messages. Type of art that I found quite distinctive was pottery. These clay forms were more than just plates, vases and water jugs. They were like canvases for painting on such everyday objects the artist told legends of warriors and gods. Greek pottery is a general term and could be divided into many works of art. However, the specific pottery that will be used as an example is Ancient Greek vase - Lekythos. By analyzing different depicted images on these works of art and understanding the painter’s messages we could get a little taste of Ancient Greek culture and the lifestyle of its people.

Throughout the Ancient Greek history numerous works of art were produced that are still trending in twenty first century. Ancient Greeks demonstrated their valuable artistic skills in various fields. Every piece that was created by Ancient Greeks was more than art, their artistic skills were not only based on visual beautifulness, but on storytelling also. Ancient Greeks were telling their story and describing their society to the world by their works of art. On type of art that I found quite distinctive was pottery. Greek potter is a general term and could divided into many works of art. However, the specific pottery that will be used as an example is Ancient Greek vase - Lekythos. By analyzing different depicted images on these works of art and understanding the painter’s messages we could get a little taste of Ancient Greek culture and the lifestyle of its people.