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ETRUSCAN AND ROMAN ART CHAPTER 6
ETRUSCAN c. 700-509 BC The major emphasis on studying this culture is to understand its influence on the Romans. The contributions of the Greeks on Rome were outstanding, but the Etrucans were also contributors to the Roman civilization. We don't know too much about this society, but they had established themselves in northern Italy around 700 BC. Through agriculture and trade, they soon prospered. Most of their sculpture is like the Greek Archaic period. Compare the Apollo from Veii to the kouros figures of Greece. It is not carved in stone, however, but made from clay (terracotta) and fired in a kiln. Their pottery was similiar to the Greek Black Figure style of the Archaic period (Amphora Vase). They had large, elaborate burial complexes called necropolises (Cities of the Dead). Your book states that "archaeologists speculate that the Etruscans unlike their contemporaries, understood death as yet another transition in the soul's restless journey." The Etruscans will use the arch in their buildings and be the first to use it in a monumental form. (Compare the post and lintel method with the arch construction.)
Etruscan Art I (examples of tombs and paintings in tombs)
ROMAN c. 509 BC-395 AD
The Romans excelled in Architecture, Portrait Sculpture and Painting. These are links to a site run by Kathryn Andrus-Walck at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs:
We will study the styles of Roman art in architecture, painting and sculpture. Rome becomes increasingly powerful with each military campaign. By the first century BC, the entire Hellenistic world had fallen under its control. It becomes common to use art as propaganda, as well as to decorate homes and temples. Kissick says "art and power were inextricably linked, since expensive art and architectural projects required tremendous financing and a large workforce, items often available only to the powerful." This will remind you of the Great Pyramids and Temple of Ramsses II. There are many similiarities with Greek architecture, also, and don't forget the contribution of the arch from the Etruscans. The Romans will take from previous socieites and improve upon it. The Romans were builders and spread their culture all over Western Europe. The Roman Empire was extensive! As their armies marched and conquored, they built roads, towns, bridges, aquaducts, etc. everywhere. I want you to know some of the examples of Roman architecture: amphitheater (Colosseum), aquaduct (Pont du Gard), temple (Pantheon), triumphal arch (Arch of Titus), basilicas, forums, theaters (Lepcis Theater), bridges, baths Hadrian's Baths, towns (Pompeii). To view an interesting site that shows diagrams of how the baths, basilicas, villas, amphitheatres, and roads looked like, click here and scroll down to Other Illustrations. They perfected the use of concrete, the arch and developed the dome. A barrel vault is a series of archs linked to form a tunnel-like structure. I want you to know more about the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Arch of Titus. Check this out on the CD and in your book. Explore the Forum Romanum to experience Rome's past through its culture, religion, language, and much more (includes a Virtual Tour of Rome, Roman History, Roman Life, Dictionary of Mythology, Index of Pictures, etc.).
The Romans were known for their portrait sculpture in particular. They loved the Classical and Hellenistic style and brought sculptors over from Greece to recreate many of the important works that you have studied (The Discus Thrower). Many of their images of gods and goddesses were imitations of the Greek styles. However, portrait sculpture will be a Roman contribution. The emphasis on realism in portraiture could be linked to the tradition of making "death masks" from the deceased. These were kept in the people's home and could be like our photographs of our ancestors that we hang on our walls or put in albums. Portraits are of specific individuals and were sculpted in both marble and metal. They are extremely realistic, showing wrinkles and all ages. Some were full size (A Patrician Holding Portrait Heads of his Ancestors), while others were busts (Portrait Bust of a Roman Patrician, Portrait of a Lady). An interesting web site showing many Roman Emperors might be a place you will want to explore.
The Romans had four styles of painting. However, I'm more concerned with how they rendered their figures and their use of space. Their paintings were of various subjects: mythology, literature, landscape, city views, genre (everyday life). They rendered their figures like they did in sculpture: realistically. They used linear perspective and also atmospheric perspective to convey a sense of depth in space. They were able to create the illusion of extending the wall to a scene outside. Murals painted on walls (or wallpapered) today still attempt to open spaces like this. In the Villa of Mysteries (Pompeii), the figures appear to be walking around a stage or porch (note the columns). In the Odyssey Landscape Series the legends or myths of Homer's Odyssey are enacted between painted columns and appear to be far in the distance. The Romans also decorated the outside walls around the peristyle (Pompeii). The narrative sequencing is outstanding. When Egypt became part of the Roman Empire, extremely realistic portraits of the deceased were either painted directly on the head of the mummy (over the linen) or on wood panels that were placed over the head of the mummy. These paintings are encaustic paintings (painted with pigment mixed with hot wax) and have been wonderfully preserved.
Pictures of buildings in Pompeii.
Mosaics were very popular in homes. Mosaic designs are created with pebbles of hard stone, marble, or manufacotred colored glass called tesserae. In this time period, the stones were firmly set into a kind of soft cement called grout. After that the spaces between them were also filled with cement. Then the stones were polished and cleaned. They were used mainly as durable, water-resistant coverings on floors, pavements and in fountains. Some mosaic designs are so intricately created that they look like paintings.
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