564. Art and the Romans- Anne Haward . Art is for looking at is a modern concept. Art is for thinking about is a Roman concept. Another common feature of Roman art is appropriateness. For example Cicero was shocked when a buyer of art purchased a statue of Mars for his estate. What do I and my life have to do with Mars? He did not collect art just for the heck of it. It needed to be appropriate too. Emotion alone did not carry much weight with the Romans either. With this in mind let us begin. In the area of portraits it is important to keep in mind that there are two types: those meant for public display and those meant for private display. Portraits are sometimes called busts. This comes from the Latin word busta which means tomb. This give some small idea of the number of reliefs and portraits Romans had carved on tombs.
Romans found the face interesting, more interesting than did the Greeks. But let me clarify this. All Greek statues of course had faces. The difference is in the fact that Romans were interested in the face of the individual. There is a statue of a woman who is completely wrapped in clothing. The only skin visible is her face. When one looks at Roman faces, it is clear that the artist was fascinated with facial features. Leathery skin, sunken cheeks, furrowed eyebrows, deep set eyes make it clear that the artists appreciated nuances of the human face. The set of the eyes below the brow gave a sense of intelligence and concentration.
The Augustus Prima Porta shows that image is more important than reality. He was not a great general.
In the beginning of Roman religion Romans worshipped numina (divine powers such as rivers, sky, forests etc.). Thus the early religion had not statues of divinities. This began to happened after the Romans conquered Etruscans. During the Republic there are few statues of nude individuals. Nudity was considered an attribute of Gods and heroes. Almost no statues of Gods and Goddesses which are known to have stood in a temple survive from 380 onwards. These were destroyed. These statues in temples were often viewed as works of art. Venus embodies feminine beauty, Dionysus/Apollo embodied young manhood.
Roman expansion brought gobs of art. This art was put on display for all to see. After the sack of Syracuse in 211 B.C. Marcellus, the victorious general brought numerous Greek statues to Rome and put on display in temples near the Porta Capena. The area quickly became a tourist attraction. Interestingly these works of art created a demand for copies and adaptations of these. An artist by the name of Pasiteles , a Romano- Greek from southern Italy set up a school of sculpture in Rome. He zeroed in on the severe style of the 5th century. It is interesting to note that as various Greek cities or powers conquered other peoples there was not the same reaction. Romans were interested in art from different periods, styles and peoples. This displays an interest in peoples. I am reminded of a poem by Catullus wherein he is looking forward to a visit with his friend who has just returned from Spain. Catullus can not wait to learn what he saw and what peoples he met. Romans loved a tilt to the head. It conveyed a touch of sentiment. As a person travels though musea around the world, there are almost countless copies of Venus partially draped. In consideration of the countless mass of statues destroyed, it slowly becomes apparent the number of copies produced. It is very important to understand that these copies were not really copies. There are numerous variations and differences from one piece to the next. Copyists did not hesitate to make changes which were often made at the request of the person who commissioned the work. I have always thought that the individual who commissioned the copy of the dying Gaul, found in the Capitoline Museum was wise to have the “reproduction” on marble not in bronze. Bronze tends to detract from the beauty of human skin and subtleties of texture. Sometimes mirror images were made for garden display to make a particular arrangement. Check out this example. Arkesilas carved Venus Genetrix. One version which survives looks directly at us. Another version looks distant and pensive. This can also indicate the level of Roman sophistication. I am reminded of a statue group in the Altemps museum. It is called Electra and Orestes. The name is almost certainly wrong. It is probably a funerary piece with a mother looking and saying goodbye to her son. She is 5th century classical style and the lad is 4th century hellenistic. Two styles from two different periods in the same piece. Unheard of before the Romans. Not only does the more severe style fit the nature and demeanor of the mother but the youthful grace and handsomeness of the son comes off better in Hellenistic.
Romans also had an interest in story. Thus their reliefs excelled in detail and complex scenes. The detail on monuments often has purpose beyond fill-in. The Victories on the panels of an arch are used to direct eyes upward.
One of the most detailed reliefs ever is the column of Trajan which depicts his campaigns in Dacia. The band is 91 cm wide at the bottom and 102 cm at the top. These scenes were meant to be seen and studied. Near the bottom of the column there is a mule bucking and dumping his rider. As the man falls his hand and arm point up to the next panel where Trajan just happens to be located. This relief has been compared to an epic poem. Numerous artists worked on this piece but one scene fits very nicely with the next.
Romans for the most part cremated their dead but by the time of Antoninus Pius many Romans were burying the body. This produced a major industry- carving sarcophagi. It is interesting that at this time both paganism and Christianity were theorizing on the immortality of the soul. Bases were often made elsewhere and the lids which might have more personal information were made locally. Fancy wave like curves in sarcophagus were called strigil. Italian sarcophagi were carved on three sides, Asiatic on all four. Frequently Greek and Roman features were on the same sarcophagus. Bull skulls and garlands often hint of the period of Augustus. Griffins were guardians of the dead- also from period of Augustus. Cupids associate with Venus. A mongoose attacking a snake shows virtue overcoming evil, a lioness with cubs shows devotion. Dionysus/Bacchus show triumph of virtue. A lenos is a bathtub type sarcophagus. These imitate the shape of a wine vat. Was the deceased telling us something? Enjoy life? Dionysus and Seasons represent the stages of life. Winter shows two ducks hanging down and someone tasting a cup of new wine. Summer shows a basket of produce, Autumn shows a hare and Spring shows a lamb on a shepherd’s shoulder.
In reliefs showing gardens there are often numerous birds, mice, grasshoppers, lizards and other insects all over the place. These often were symbols of gods and goddesses.
In painting Romans loved narrative scenes. Many famous paintings were displayed in Rome. Paintings were to be found anywhere from bars to temples. Quick summary of the four styles:
lst style: walls painted to look like masonry with small frieze worked in.
2nd style: 3 zones. Architecture appears 3D. Dado, base on bottom to give illusion of support.
3rd style: Wall was divided into 9 panels. Center one has main scene. No three D. Dado gone. Dramatic panels.
4th style: Increased elaboration. Open wall returns. Curtains often shown stretched between columns. More depth suggested. Delicate garlands stretched between columns.
Romans liked stories. These are much like a strip cartoon without the boxes. Same character may reappear in same painting. Sometimes characters in one panel react with characters in another panel. This happens sometimes in Roman relief where someone from one panels looks at someone in another panel. Mythical character are often mixed with historical characters. Sometime a single item indicated who the character is- such as a man holding the head of Medusa indicated that the man is Perseus. Sometimes there are spectators. There are complex geometric lines which connect one part of a scene to another. Many scenes came from Greek plays. Sometimes Romans had their pets painted into a scene. Painter and patron who hired the painter enjoyed cleverness for cleverness sake.
Mosaics copied technique of painting. Sometimes as style changed one mosaic was placed on top of another. Could be very large the head of Ocean in Baths at Merida fills a whole apse- his pupil required 300 tesserae. This is a nice brief introductory book to Roman art.
No comments:
Post a Comment