150 likes | 500 Views
Roman Art and Culture. Overview. The Roman civilization came to dominate the Western World At its height, the Roman Empire covered an area as large as Australia The Romans excelled in architecture The Romans often times borrowed or imitated paintings and sculptures of the Greeks
E N D
Overview • The Roman civilization came to dominate the Western World • At its height, the Roman Empire covered an area as large as Australia • The Romans excelled in architecture • The Romans often times borrowed or imitated paintings and sculptures of the Greeks • Interested in portraiture –but more realistic than the Greeks
They discovered concrete which contributed to the size of their sculptures and architecture • Also influenced by the Etruscans (ruled over central Italy for some time) • Overthrew kings in 509 BCE and had a republican gov’t • As a part of their growth the Roman Empire built … • forums and basilicas (administrative and commercial buildings)
aqueducts (to carry water) • sophisticated road systems • racetracks • -public baths • Theaters • - housing
72-80 AD-over the course of three • emperors-Vespasian, Titus, and Domition • Rome, Italy • Free standing (most previous ones were built into hillsides) • Built by war prisoners • 50,000 people could sit in the Colosseum • It has 76 entries and is the model for modern day amphitheaters • and sports fields • The arch and vault made up much of the construction of • the amphitheater • The outer wall is 16 stories high The Colosseum
- A velarium stretched across the top of the Colosseum to protect viewers from sun and rain • -Inside, the floor was wooden with sand. Now that is gone revealing chambers underneath. • Ranked as one of the most astonishing achievements from antiquity • Used for gladiator competitions • Damaged due to earthquakes and stone robbers-now in current times it is being further ruined by traffic vibration and exhaust
The Pantheon • 118-125 AD • Rome, Italy • Built in honor of all the gods • Dome is coffered- decorated with a series of recessed rectangular panels which reduce the weight of the dome • Walls get thicker at the bottom of the dome (20 feet thick)
Oculus-latin for “eye” it is the opening at the top of a dome or wall is thirty feet in diameter • Rain carried away by underground drainage • Italy’s great artists and composers buried here • Dome originally covered with gilded bronze plates Oldest standing domed structure in Rome • Portico uses follows Corinthian order • Marble interior and bronze exterior doors