Italic Civilization Roman Art

ITALIC CIVILIZATION ROMAN ART

derived from Ἕλλην (Héllēn or

HellAs) or Greek itself shows the highest point of Greek influence in the ancient world 323 BC to 146 BC (30BC) resulted the export of Greek culture and language to different kingdoms established by Alexander the Great.

represents the fusion of the Ancient

Greece with the Middle East, Near East and other part of Asia. includes the lands of Persia, Asia Minor, Assyria, the Levant (Lebanon, Israel, and Turkey ), Egypt, Mesopotamia, Media(NW Iran), and parts of modern Afghanistan, Pakistan and the steppes of central Asia.

HELLENISTIC GREEK is the lingua

franca.  their religion is called syncretism. Alexandria, Egypt & Pergamum, Turkey are the center of the period.

After the death of Alexander, the whole

empire was partitioned into four regions to different successors; 

 Egypt under the Ptolemies  Syria ruled by the Seleucids  Macedonia under the Antigonid  Turkey under the Attalids (Philetaeros)

Later, there are also other kingdom

emerges.  Greco-Bactrian Kingdom  Indo-Greek Kingdom

each of these kingdoms had a

noticeably individual development and history. the end of the Hellenistic period is often considered to be 146 BC, when the Roman Republic conquered most of mainland Greece. the end of the period had given the start of the Roman Period.

characterized by sculptures,

buildings, paintings, and other decorative arts produced about 2500 BC to 31 BC up to the present. The arts doesn’t cover the mainland Greece only, but also the nearby islands of Ionia and Sicily of Aegean Sea, and also the cities of Pergamum, Alexandria, Syria, etc.

The Greek artist are the first who

established mimesis or imitation of nature in art. The developments of Greek Arts in four different periods;  Ancient Period  Byzantine Period  Modern Period  Contemporary Period

Ancient Period  The art of ancient Greece has exercised an

enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present.  Greek sculpture and architecture originally followed Egyptian and Middle Eastern models.  The style of sculpture and pottery, however, changed dramatically over time.  Its humanist aesthetic standards inspired many generations of artists.

 It has different clear distinction through times; Dark Age  1100? TO 750BC

Archaic Times  750BC TO 480BC

Classical Times  480BC TO 323BC

Hellenistic Times  323BC TO 31BC

 Dark Age  Due to different civil wars, intercontinental wars,

and invasions, the Mycenae was destroyed, impoverished and depopulated.  This make the Greeks developed different forms of arts like writing(literature), building temples(architecture), carving(sculpture), etc.  Through these arts, the new Greek kingdom had prospered.

Examples:   

oral lyric poems Protogeometric painted pottery (meaning first geometric) Ruins of Olympia

Ruins at Olympia The site of the ancient Olympic Games was a sanctuary consisting of temples and buildings to honor the mythological gods of ancient Greece. The games, which, according to tradition, began in 776 BC, opened with a ceremony and sacrifice to the gods. The exedra, or sitting area, pictured here is among the ruins at Olympia.

 Archaic Times  Near Eastern Countries influences the art and

culture of Greece  East and west trades and imports led to new prosperity for Greece  statues stood stiffly, staring forward, and temples were rectangular boxes on platforms with columns.

Examples: Greek relief sculpture  Ruins of Delphi 

Ruins of Delphi Delphi, Greece, was considered by the ancients to be the center of the world. Shown here is the sanctuary of Athena Pronaos, with its remaining three columns topped with a section of the frieze and cornice

This marble sculpture in low relief, which dates from the early 6th century BC, shows the influence of ancient Egyptian art on Greek art of the Archaic Period (750 BC to 480 BC). Most of the male figures appear in profile, as in Egyptian sculpture and painting from centuries earlier. The men in the

 Classical Times usually considered the culmination of Greek art, architecture, and drama. opposes the Romanticism arts are mostly simple, formal and balanced Examples: Temple of Zeus at Olympia  Parthenon in Athens 

Parthenon The Parthenon in Athens, Greece, was dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (the Virgin Athena).

Statue of Zeus The colossal statue was the central feature of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.

Hellenistic Times mixture of Greek and foreign elements in arts and culture. Greco-Buddhist Art

Greek, Central Asia, India

centered in Alexandria and Pergamum

Example:  Ruins at Pergamum  Library of Alexandria

Library of Alexandria Alexandria, Egypt was one of the city that become the center of arts, culture and Philosophy during the Hellenistic Period.

The Ruins of Pergamum The ancient city of Pergamum was an important center of Greek culture, housing an impressive library and an altar to Zeus.

Byzantine Period Arts that grew in the Ancient Greece up to

1430s It is clearly differentiated from Classical Art depending on the ideas and subjects of the arts GLORIFICATION OF MAN (CLASSICAL PERIOD) GLORIFICATION OF GOD AND DIVINE BEING

(BYZANTINE PERIOD)

It focuses on the religious aspect of life;

God, Saints, etc.

JESUS CHRIST The most famous of the surviving Byzantine mosaics.

Transfiguration of Christ by Theophanes the Greek

Modern Period  From the emergence of the new Independent

State of Greece up to the 20th Century. 19th Century  Greek artist absorbs elements and principles from

other European artists.  It forms the Greek-Romanticist Art due to the Roman influence.  They emphasized the geography and history of Greece to make the new state strong and famous.

BAVARIAN VILLAGE BY GEORGIOS JAKOBIDES

20th Century Greek artists’ and painters’ interest were

focused on the study of light (source of light) and color (combination, contrast, etc.). The idea shifts from historical geography to natural landscapes. The famous artist sought inspiration in the traditions of Byzantine art.

The Sortie of Messologhi by Theodore Vryzakis

Painting of Arcadia by Poussin

Contemporary Period  This is the period after the World War II  Arts that are produced during this periods vary

in many aspects and are based on different art movements; Abstract Expressionism  Developed abstract art  Aimed at subjective emotional expression  Theodoros Stamos (GREEK ABSTRACT ARTIST)

Georg Baselitz: Adieu

Kinetic Arts  arts that depends on movement and its effect.  usually sculpture  movement plays a primary role. The source of this

movement can be mechanical, the natural motion of surrounding air currents, or an interaction with the viewer.  came from constructivism

Horizontal Yellow

Arte Povera Also known as Impoverished Art Artistic movement originated from Italy in the 1960s This is an art making use of worthless and common

materials The artist use any medium they could get for free or very cheap Jannis Kounelis , a Greek-born artist, who introduced the so-called found object in his painting like earth, woods, rugs, etc. in order to overcome the conventional distinctions between art and everyday life.

Stuckism An international art movement created as a

reaction to conceptual art(concept takes precedence over the actual object). Odysseus Yakoumakis founded the first Greek group, The Romantic Anonymous Fellowship.

Digital Art Art made or produced using the modern

technological gadgets. Helps in developing classical arts like;  Photography- Digital Photography  Paintings- Digital Imaging  Stage Plays- Video works and Motion Pictures or Movie

Other famous Greek artist who uses Digital art to

enhance their work;  Miltos Manetes- video games, computer software, etc.  Andreas Angelidskis- combine digital concept and architectural

production, Computer Aided Drafting & Design (CADD)  Angelo Plessas- works on the internet, designing WebPages, etc., YouTube.

Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing

Digital Camera

VENETIC ETRUSCAN

OSCO-UMBRIAN

Complex civilization of many races developed

in the Italian region from 1000BC The most prominent of those races are the Romans and the Etruscans. Includes the three branches;  Etruscan- Northern Italy  Venetic- Northeastern to Southeastern Italy  Osco-Umbrian- South Italy

Italy was occupied by different types of people

and tribe that brings rich culture to the region. Unlike Greece, Italy was fragmented among many ethnic and linguistic groups. From this rich diversity of peoples, and with the addition of Greek and Punic colonies, evolved the ancient art of Italy.

The Roman arts include the architecture, sculptures,

and other arts produced in the Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire with the influence of the Greeks. The Romans excelled in architecture and engineering long before they could approach the Greeks in the quality of their literature or art. Roman conquests encouraged the spread of their innovations throughout the Mediterranean world.

The hallmark of their art is the Stylistic Eclecticism Roman art is traditionally divided into two main periods;  Roman Republic- centers in the city of Rome  Roman Empire- comprises the whole Italy and the Mediteranean

because of the extraordinary wide geographical extent of the

Empire, the art is characterized by varying styles attributable to differing regional tastes and the diverse preferences of a wide range of people.

It is also called the Creative Pastiche of the Greek

art.  Most of the art forms and methods used by the

Romans were developed and refined by ancient Greek artists. The major forms of Roman arts are;  Architecture  Paintings  Sculpture  Mosaic art

Architecture  In this field, the Romans produced its greatest innovation  Roman Engineers developed different methods to strengthen their works;  The use of concrete(mixture of cement, sand, water and aggregate)

 Their architectural buildings are durable, can be seen from the

impressive remains of ancient Roman public and private buildings  They combined the Greek and Etruscan elements, producing round temple and curved arches.

Example:  Roman aqueducts are really durable in supplying water from distant source for large urban areas of Rome.  Bassilicas

The Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard near Nîmes, France

Ancient Roman Aqueduct, Spain

Basilica of Maxentius

Colosseum

Paintings  Roman painters treated a variety of subjects,

including historical events, myths, scenes of daily life, portraits, and still-life.  Erotic scenes are also common  The Romans applied the principles of texture, shading, and color contrast, but the application of scale and depth were not that accurately rendered.

Portraiture Paintings  Use the encaustic technique, painting in a medium that

combines dry colors with heat-softened wax and resin. (Greek enkaustikos,”burning in”) Mural Paintings  Are parts of Roman interior decoration.  Wall paintings are the illusionistic paintings of landscapes, still

life, and the human figure found on the walls of buildings at Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy.

Depiction of a woman with a ringlet hairstyle.

SEVERAN TONDO depicting Lucius Septimius Severus, his wife, Julia Domna, and their sons, Caracalla and Geta. Geta’s head was removed after his damnatio memoriae (official condemnation).

Narcissus by the Pool

Citharist from Stabia

Saint Sebastian

Marcus Cocceius Nerva

sarcophagus

Historical relief This relief from the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum depicts Roman soldiers removing treasures from the Second Temple, which was razed along with the rest of Jerusalem at the end of the revolt.

Mosaic arts Wherever painted murals existed, colored floors were likely to be present. They were often simply painted in solid colors, but in many instances they were made up of marble slabs of many hues or of thousands of tiny mosaic cubes known as tesserae. Mosaics range from abstract patterns of black-and-white tesserae to ambitious multicolor figural compositions.

The Grand Hunt

Mosaic Floor Pavement

Roman Mosaic in Piazza Armerina

Roman art especially architecture

had a profound impact not only on the succeeding art of the Middle Ages, but on the Renaissance and baroque periods as well, and even much of the art produced in the 20th century has obvious roots in the Roman past.