Classical Greco Roman Art essays

Classical Greco Roman Art essays During the period of crisis in the Roman Republic when the Greek influence on art became increasingly strong, Roman art began to emerge as an entity in itself. In 146 B.C.E., a sculptural style came into being that is generally known as Greco-Roman, a term which indicates that the two styles cannot be readily separated from each other. Much of the original art of this period was produced by Greek immigrant artists, but the growing Roman fascination with individual traits of personality is most apparent in their portrait sculpture, a field in which Romans artists made one of their most original contributions to Western culture. But the idealism of Greek art continued to captivate the Romans, for great numbers of Greek statues stood in the Roman forums and in public and private buildings. But even while under the spell of Greek art, the Roman portraitists produced works that have no parallel in Greek art. The Roman desire for literalness, together with the custom of keeping works of art in the Roman house, influenced the sculptors to accentuate individual traits still further. For example, The Head of a Roman is striking by virtue of its character, seemingly alive and mask-like. The character in this piece is the result of the artist's painstaking rendition of every facial bulge and fold, being a kind of super-realism. A quite different approach to the portrait subject can be seen in the bust of Pompey the Great. In this piece, it is likely that the artist was very concerned about creating a likeness that would be far more than a mere facial record. The strong lines of the broad forehead and the somewhat flat surfaces of the face are softened by a curiously ambiguous expression. Both of these works also express the sentiments and feelings of the general Roman citizen, for although the Empire was experiencing difficult times in the early ...