Roman Art

Roman Art. The ancient Romans were characterized by a strong practical feeling. They had immense organizing, governing power; but they had little of that fine aesthetic sensitiveness which is necessary as the foundation of an indigenous, native art with a people. Still, the position of Rome with reference to the general history of art is very important. It is marvellous, indeed, that a people who seemed originally to have had so little native talent for art should have become the most extensive patrons of art in all history. The inability of the Roman people to originate works of high art was recognized by their own writers. Virgil wrote: "To others it is granted to give life to marble and to lend breath to bronze, but the art of Rome is to govern nations, to conquer the proud, and to spare the weak." The Romans may be compared to rich people in our day who desire to possess works of art without knowing how to appreciate or understand them. Or who wish to use them as a means of displaying their ostentatious luxury. The presence of works of high art also created a proud rivalry among the aristocratic and wealthy which is altogether distinct from the patronage to art which comes from native, artistic impulse. During the first two hundred and fifty years of her existence, Rome might be considered as an Etruscan city, so fully did the Etruscan spirit prevail in all her temples and other works of art. During the first two centuries of the republic, almost no works of art were executed within this great capital, though the names of a few Greek artists in Rome are recorded as early as five hundred years before Christ.

With the conquest of Carthage first, followed by the conquest of Greece and Egypt, a new epoch was opened in the artistic life of the Roman people. Rome now became the great storehouse of the art treasures of the entire world. Greece especially was despoiled to enrich the private palaces and majestic public buildings of the great metropolis. With this gathering of the art treasures of the world into the great capital commences what may with propriety be called the beginning of the development of a true Roman art. The chief development of Roman art lay in the department of architecture. Profusely as painting and sculpture were employed in ornamenting public and private buildings of all grades, both in Rome itself and in all the remotest cities of the vast empire, these arts were practiced exclusively by Greek sculptors and painters. The great majority of architects, also, in the Roman dominions were Greeks, though their work was characterized by Roman elements and was executed in the Roman spirit.