Impact of Art on Roman Society
By H. Stauffer
In “200 B.C. the Romans conquered the Greeks and began copying their art style”. The Romans then started depicting people as they truly were and created realistic statues.
In Pompeii, many senators and other highly awarded officials gathered around the Bay of Naples in a culturally influenced region known as Campania, where they would reside for mainly the spring season because that is when they were not working. The Bay of Naples was a very culturally based region.
Pompeii was considered a “resort town” for “wealthy citizens” that enjoyed spending a lot of money on their homes. Their time was spent, entertaining friends, tending to their garden, reading and writing, and exercising.
Ceasar once wrote, “The fertile, volcanic slopes of Vesuvius provided an ideal climate for grapes and olive groves.”
A “richness of culture” was created in this region of the Bay of Naples through the paintings, sculptures, and mosaics created. The Garden of the House of the Vetti, the Amphitheatre, the bakery, and the Forum were all such places where the true art of Rome could be seen.
One such resident wrote to her sister, “Pompeii is a thriving city. I am amazed of how much life consists in one area! The culture never ceases.”
Pompeii had a glorious forum, beautiful temples, an exquisite theater, and a stadium. Art was a major influence on the people there because food and entertainment were the main money industries.
Mill wheels were used for grinding flour and food was stored in huge terra-cotta jars. Outdoor food taverns were visible all over Pompeii as well as multiple store signs.
Streets were paved with cobblestone and although Romans did not take an interest in waste management, they adored seeing gladiators and attending giant amphitheaters. The arts were a major priority for the people of Pompeii and many artists flocked to the area to apply their ideas.
Paintings in Roman villas were used to bring life to an otherwise “cold” room and provide something interesting for visitors. Four styles of wall paintings erected from Pompeii and were immediately utilized throughout the rest of the Roman Empire.
The first style of painting is known as “incrustation” and it “originated in the early 2nd century B.C. This style was most accepted by the cultural middle class and involves a painting looking like “slabs of colored marble”.
The second style began in the 1st century B.C and was aimed at creating a “multi-point perspective” effect by opening up a wall and creating an “illusion” of a background. The third Style is known as “ornamental” and included a large central picture being bordered by a smaller picture on each side.
The fourth style of wall painting started in Pompeii was known as “heterogeneous” and includes elements from all of the other earlier styles. “Architecture became more realistic.”
Another popular style of the arts in Pompeii were frescos, murals, and mosaics. Frescos were paintings on plaster that became popular in the 1st century A.D. The paintings were on a “wall with three layers of plaster and three layers of a special coating”.
Murals were usually painted on a large area and either showed daily life in Rome, or mythological scenes. Mosaics, which consisted of “small pieces of tile that fit together like a puzzle” also, became popular in Pompeii.
The various art styles that culturally influenced artists created for wealthy Romans and the people of Pompeii greatly impacted the overall period of art reform in Rome.