Roman Art and Architecture
This week in Art class we covered the influence of ancient Roman art and architecture in modern society. To prepare for this topic we read a passage by Onian on Rome and the Culture of Imagination. Romans were very technologically advanced for that time. They built cities with shopping centers and places for entertainment, like amphitheaters. The cities were supplied with water via aqueducts, which still stand today. Roman architecture is responsible for our roads and some of our building design.
The Romans were so advanced that it bred a society that had time to be creative and use their imaginations. In the reading there was a man named Vitruvius who was very critical of art at that time. Romans traditionally created natural art, portraying things as they were in real life. He felt that what was being called art at that time wasn’t actual art because artists were crossing species and creating centaurs and chimeras. Some of the building designs weren’t feasible because they involved thin and high pillars or were made of grasses and designs of the imagination. This time was used by the Romans to show how powerful they were. Augustus, a ruler of ancient Rome, had the idea that if man could bend nature to his will then history itself could be rewritten. Much of the analysis in the writing of Onian was based on the principle that Romans were changing the way of things simply because they could. They mixed architectural designs and accepted these themes of fantasy.
Roman influence is everywhere in today’s society. Besides the architectural influence, the system of laws was adopted from Roman society. The Julian calendar and the alphabet is also Roman. Americans seem to be fascinated with Roman culture and it’s evident in our cinema with movies like Gladiator and the television shows Rome and Spartacus. Many of our sports like wrestling and boxing are remnants of that period and its no coincidence we watch these events in stadiums. Even some of our fashion designs are from then, like caged sandals and toga-like dresses.
Despite the Romans tumultuous political periods and their vast expanse and ultimate collapse of an empire, they were still prosperous and withstood the tests of time. The knowledge that was imparted to the world and the influence on art and architecture solidly establishes Rome as a true empire even until today.
References:
Onian, John. Classical Art and the Cultures of Greece and Rome. 1999. Yale University Press
Getlein, Mark. Living with Art. 2013. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, NY
Cristal Cassel 