Research Related To The Roman Art That Influences Us Until Today

The Roman art that influences us until today has stood out through paintings, sculptures, theater (performing arts) and mainly by architecture.

At the time of the republic, the Roman term was practically restricted to art made in the city of Rome, which retains the trace of its Etruscan past. Little by little, art freed itself from its Etruscan heritage, due to the expansion through Italy and the Mediterranean and the fact that the Romans assimilated other cultures, such as the Greek.

During the last two centuries before the birth of Christ, a typically Roman way of constructing buildings, making sculptures and paintings emerged. However, due to the extraordinary geographical extension of the Empire of Rome and its various colonies, Roman art and architecture have always been eclectic and have been characterized by employing distinct styles attributed to regional tastes and the preferences of their patrons. Recalling that the Roman monuments were made more to honor their patrons than to express the artistic sensitivity of their creators.

Ancient Roman architecture is of great importance to the western world and its influence can still be seen today. Due to their similarities with the Greek model, some researchers group both styles, calling them classic architecture. However, Roman architecture has characteristics and advances that go far beyond that used in Greek buildings, the result of the longevity and extension of the Roman Empire.

Roman architecture is characterized by its solidity, with the use of arches, vaults and curved ceilings that no previous great civilization knew.

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Their works spread throughout Europe in the form of aqueducts, roads, bridges, basilicas, residences, arches of triumph and pantheons. Never before had a civilization done so much for architecture. The Roman architecture reflected a sober posture of its people and had a basically practical function – unlike what happened with the Greeks – so they used it to build roads, water supply systems, public toilets and lavatories, in addition to building blocks that had even eight floors.

From Greece, Roman architecture appropriated many features, mainly from the conceptions of the Ionian, Doric and Corinthian styles, but managed to impress its own characteristics with the creation of the Tuscan (a more simplified Doric) and composite (which combined Corinthian and Ionian) orders. With the Etruscans, it is believed that the Romans learned to build bridges, fortifications, arches, drainage systems, and aqueducts. However, this is not confirmed, since Etruscan works did not survive the action of time and wars.

The fire of Rome in 64 AD had a major impact on Roman architecture. After the disaster, Emperor Nero ordered the reconstruction of the city, and all subsequent works, to be done with concrete, rather than clay and wood, making the capital’s buildings much more solid and resistant. The use of concrete increased the possibilities of civil construction and a large number of buildings were erected without the use of columns. The Romans were then responsible for the invention of a kind of cement (the basis for the model we use today), reinforced concrete, tiles and bricks. Then, like the current buildings, the main materials used in Roman architecture were stone cut into regular blocks, concrete brick, masonry, wood, plaster, marble, and tiles.

The vaults are also a Roman construction and even today it is possible to find them in some works. In addition, basilicas (buildings built in a public square) and aqueducts continue to be constantly raised, depending on the need. Roman architecture still gave rise to the flat theater, widely used today in presentation rooms, colleges, cinemas, etc. Some of the main works of Roman architecture are the Colosseum, the Palatine, the arches of Constantine and Titus, the Pantheon and Pont du Gard (in France).