Defining Features of Roman Art and Greek Cultural Assimilation
Defining Characteristics of Roman Art
Roman art is characterized by its highly eclectic nature. The Romans assimilated outside influences from conquered peoples, yet simultaneously forged a unique culture that imposed a uniform "Romanized" identity across the world.
Key Features of Roman Artistic Production
- Religious Syncretism: Roman religion absorbed elements from various cultures, including the Greek pantheon and mythology, and the Etruscan cult of private ancestors.
- Technical Superiority in Architecture: Romans demonstrated an extraordinary ability to solve complex problems in construction, planning, and representation, utilizing advanced techniques and a variety of materials. In this respect, Roman architecture is often considered clearly superior to Greek architecture.
- Pragmatism over Theory: Roman art shows very little theoretical development. Few works respond to general aesthetics; instead, the focus was on solving concrete, practical problems.
- Urban Focus: Roman culture was fundamentally urban, with cities connected by an extensive core road network (viae).
- Realism and Portraiture: There was a clear trend toward realism and the depiction of concrete, everyday things, manifested particularly in Roman portraiture.
- The Artist's Role: The individuality of the artist was secondary. Artists were often slaves or freedmen, and the task or the workshop was considered more important than the individual creator. This period also saw the emergence of a certain "industrial art."
- Imperial Propaganda: Imperial art served as a primary means of representation and glorification of power (e.g., colossalism, deification of emperors). This art of propaganda was fundamental to maintaining the cohesion of the vast and diverse empire.
Legacy in Western Aesthetics
Roman art was fundamental in shaping the aesthetics of Western culture. The classicism admired during the Renaissance was based on the image of Rome, not Greece (which, until the early nineteenth century, was under Turkish control). Consequently, knowledge of Greek art was primarily filtered through Roman copies.
The Profound Influence of Greek Art
The Greek legacy is so obvious that many historians consider Roman art a continuation or manifestation of Hellenistic art. Greek influence was already evident in earlier Etruscan art.
Factors Driving Greek Assimilation
- Cultural Admiration: The formation and expansion of the Roman Republic coincided with the height of Classical Greek and Hellenistic culture, fostering an admiration that spread throughout the Mediterranean.
- Direct Contact (Magna Graecia): The Greek presence in Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia) facilitated the direct importation of Greek works and ensured that Greek artists worked in Rome itself, either as slaves or as free artisans.
- Conquest and Importation: The Roman conquest of Greece in the 2nd Century BC gave new impetus to Greek influence and the massive import of artworks. This led to a curious phenomenon of cultural colonization where the defeated culturally captured the victors: "Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit" (Captured Greece captured her rude conqueror).