Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
popular form of home decor. Typical themes included landscapes, still lifes, geometric
patterns and depictions of gods. Later, as production and artistic techniques improved,
mosaics were displayed on walls and in public buildings and places of worship. In the
Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, you'll find some spectacular
wall mosaics from Nero's villa in Anzio, as well as a series of superb 1st-century-BC fres-
coes from Villa Livia, one of the homes of Livia Drusilla, Augustus' wife.
Sculpture
Sculpture was an important element of Roman art and was largely influenced by Greek
styles. In fact, early Roman sculptures were often made by Greek artists or were, at best,
copies of imported Greek works. They were largely concerned with the male physique and
generally depicted visions of male beauty in mythical settings - the Apollo Belvedere and
the Laocoön in the Vatican Museums' Museo Pio-Clementino are classic examples.
However, over time differences began to emerge between Greek and Roman styles. Ro-
man sculpture lost its obsession with form and began to focus on accurate representation,
mainly in the form of sculptural portraits. Browse the collections of the Museo Palatino or
the Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme and you'll be struck by how
lifelike - and often ugly - so many of the marble faces are.
In terms of function, Greek art was all about beauty, harmony and dramatic expression,
while Roman art was highly propagandistic. From the time of Augustus (r 27 BC−AD
14), art was increasingly used to serve the state, and artists came to be regarded as little
more than state functionaries. This new narrative art often took the form of relief decora-
tion recounting the story of great military victories. The Colonna di Traiano and Ara Pacis
are two stunning examples of the genre.
Dramatically ensconced in a Richard Meier−designed pavilion, the Ara Pacis is a key work of ancient Ro-
man sculpture. The vast marble altar is covered with detailed reliefs, including one showing Augustus
with his family.
Early Christian Art
The earliest Christian art in Rome are the traces of biblical frescoes in the Catacombe di
Priscilla on Via Salaria and the Catacombe di San Sebastiano on Via Appia Antica. These,
and other early works, are full of stock images: Lazarus being raised from the dead, Jesus
as the good shepherd, the first Christian saints. Symbols also abound: the dove represent-
ing peace and happiness, the anchor or trident symbolising the cross, fish in reference to
 
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