The sculpture of Ancient Rome is primarily distinguished by diversity and an eclectic combination. This form of art mixed the idealized perfection of early classical Greek works with a great desire for realism and absorbed the artistic features of the styles of the East to create stone and bronze images, which are now considered to be the best examples of the period of antiquity. Also, Roman sculptors, with the help of their popular copies of earlier Greek masterpieces, preserved priceless copies for posterity, which otherwise would have been completely lost to world culture.
Features
Like the Greek counterparts, the Romans worked stone, precious metals, glass and terracotta, but preferred bronze and marble. Since metal was often reused, most of the surviving Roman sculptures are made of marble.
The love of the Romans for Greek and Hellenistic sculpture meant that after the supply of original works was exhausted, the masters had to make copies, and they could be of different qualities. Indeed, in Athens and in Rome itself there were schools that were specially involved in copying Greek originals. They were led by: Passer, Apollonius and other famous masters. Roman sculptors also produced miniature copies of Greek originals, most often from bronze.
Evolution
Over time, the search began for new ways of artistic expression, a departure from the styles of the Etruscans and Greeks, and by the middle of the 1st century A.D. e. it turned into a desire to capture and create visual effects using light and shadow for greater realism. In the period of late antiquity there was even a transition to impressionism using chiaroscuro and abstract forms.
Roman sculpture acquired a more monumental character due to the massive, almost "living" statues of emperors, gods and heroes, such as huge bronze images of Marcus Aurelius on a horse or an even larger statue of Constantine I (partially preserved). Both of them are currently in the Capitol Museum of Rome. Toward the end of the Empire, a tendency toward a change in proportions appeared, especially the heads were enlarged, and the figures most often seemed flatter in front, which demonstrated the influence of oriental art.
It is also important to distinguish between two differently oriented “markets”: representatives of the ruling class preferred more classical and idealistic images, while the second, more provincial “middle class” market liked the naturalistic emotional type of antique sculpture, especially in portrait and funerary works.
Staturative and portrait plastic
As with the Greeks, the Romans loved to make statues of their gods. When emperors began to claim divinity, colossal and idealized images were dedicated to them, often with an object depicted in a raised hand and occupying a rather significant place. For example, the statue of Augustus at Prima Porta.
Also, the sculptures were used for decorative purposes at home or in the garden, and they could be miniature, cast from metal, including silver. One of the types of statues that were characteristic of the Romans were Lares Familiares (family guardian spirits). Usually they were made of bronze. They are usually exhibited in pairs in a niche at home. These were images of young people with raised hands, long hair, in a tunic and sandals.
Trends & Features
However, it is in a specific area of portraits that Roman sculpture becomes a leading art form, acquiring certain differences from other artistic traditions. The realism inherent in it could well have evolved from the tradition of storing the wax funeral masks of deceased family members who were mourners at the funeral in the house. These were, as a rule, fairly accurate images, including even defects and not the most flattering aspects of a particular person. Transferred in stone, they represent a large number of surviving portrait busts that move away from idealized images of an earlier period.
Thus, the official portraits of the ruling elite, as a rule, were idealized. An example of this is the statue of Augustus, where the emperor looks much younger and fresher than he actually was at the time of its creation (end of the 1st century BC). However, by the time of Claudius in the middle of the 1st century A.D. e. and even more so under Nero and Flavius, official portraiture strove for greater realism. In the same period, Roman sculptures of women were distinguished by the presence of complex hairstyles, and they, no doubt, were considered the founders of fashion trends.
Under Adrian, there was a return to idealized images, such as in the classical Greek manner, but they began to use a more natural image of the eyes in marble sculptures.
Realism returned again during the Antonin dynasty, and with it - an image of such traits as "crow's feet" and flabbiness. Then there was a tendency to polish marble on those parts where the leather was. After this treatment, they strongly contrasted, for example, with hair that was cut deep and left without treatment. Also during this period, a fashion appeared for the image of the torso or part of it, and not just the shoulders (for example, a bust of Commodus in the image of Hercules, circa 190 AD). The bust of Caracalla (c. 215 AD) is another example of the rejection of idealism in elite portraiture of Roman sculpture.
Towards the end of the Empire, the art of plastic rejects all attempts to realistically convey the physical attributes of the subject. For example, the images of emperors (Diocletian, Gallery and Constantine I) hardly have any distinguishable physiognomic features. Perhaps this was done in an attempt to alienate the emperor from ordinary mortals and bring him closer to the deities.
Use in architecture
The sculptures on Roman buildings could simply be a decorative element or have political significance, for example, on triumphal arches. Architectural Roman sculpture in this case reflected the key events of the campaign and the victory of the emperor. An example of this is the Arch of Constantine in Rome (c. 315 CE), which also depicts the defeated and enslaved "barbarians" in order to convey a message about the superiority of Rome. Such an image of real people and concrete historical figures in architecture contrasts sharply with the Greek style, where great military victories are usually presented as metaphors using figures from Greek mythology, such as Amazons and centaurs, as in the Parthenon.
Funeral traditions
Funeral busts and steles (gravestones) are one of the most common forms of sculptural art in the Roman world. They were images of his deceased with a partner, children and even slaves. Such figures are usually dressed in toga, and women were portrayed in a modest pose with a hand on their chin.
Since the 2nd century AD e. burial became more common (in contrast to the more traditional cremation), this contributed to the development of the sarcophagus market. They were carved from stone, and they often depicted scenes from mythology, executed in high relief on all four sides and even on the lid. Asian-type sarcophagi were decorated with reliefs carved almost in a circle. For the pro-Connesian type, images of girls with garlands were characteristic.
Examples
Two large relief panels from the Arch of Titus in Rome are considered the first successful attempt to create depth and space in a sculpture. The panels depict scenes of the triumphal procession of the emperor in 71 AD. e. after his campaigns in Judea. One depicts Titus in a chariot with four horses, and the other shows booty from the Temple of Jerusalem. The prospect is successfully achieved due to the different elevation of the relief.
Among other famous Roman sculptures, a statue of wrestlers, made according to the Greek original, should be named; Sleeping Ariadne (another copy); marble statue of Venus Capitoline; Antinous Capitoline; Colossus of Constantine.
The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, whose height is 3.52 m, is one of the most impressive bronze statues preserved from antiquity. It was probably created between 176-180. n e.
Roman sculpture in the Hermitage
The museum presents a collection of art monuments dating back to the 1st century. BC e. - IV century n e. There are sculptural portraits including images of men, women, children, emperors, prominent statesmen and private individuals. Thanks to them, you can track the development of the sculptural portrait of Ancient Rome. The most prominent examples include a bronze bust of a Roman (I century BC), the so-called Syrian woman (II century BC), portraits of the emperors Balbin and Philip Arabitianin (both III century BC).
Among the images of emperors it should be noted Augustus in the image of Jupiter (I in A.D.), a bust of Lucius Vera (II century A.D.). You can also pay attention to the statue of Jupiter (I century A.D.) found in the country villa of the emperor Domitian. The collection is also complemented by Roman altars, reliefs, marble sarcophagi.