Greek and Roman Art and Architecture

Classical Greek art begins around the Fifth Century B.C. During this time the Greeks had consolidated their military victories by ousting the Persian invaders, reduced civil unrest by removing the old kingships and replacing them with oligarchies and democracies, and limited the mercantilism of the Greek poli or city states (Greer 66-69). In terms of art and architecture, however, it should be remembered that Greek art was largely commissioned by the demos of relatively small cities usually in honor of some religious or civic event (Greer 66-69). Both art and architecture, in Greek society often one in the same or combined, were usually created in the more public places of the time. In this way, the free citizens of the town could admire more aesthetic creations in the places in which they spent a large part of their time.

Classical Roman art began roughly around the First Century, B.C. By this time, Rome had consolidated its control within the Roman Republic and had become the predominate power of the Mediterranean region. The city of Rome had become the largest city of the known world and because of its continual urban activ

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ousness of the interior could only have been created by sacrificing the quality of the exterior. "Indeed, the Pantheon itself is the classic example of. . . the centrally planned building [designed] to support a circular dome" (Brilliant 49). The basic styles of architecture are initiated by the technique or type of form used. For instance, Greek architecture is most closely associated with the column and colonnade, while Roman architecture by the arch and vault. The columnar style externalizes architecture and lends itself to more of an ornamental character. The arch and vault lend themselves more to an interior perspective, but also have greater structural advantages. The development of the Roman arch and vault, considered by many to have been the chief architectural contribution of Rome, are structurally more sound than the post and lintel construction used by the Greeks. The arch and vault carry far heavier loads, at the same time they create large internal spaces without the [Greek] need for additional supporting columns within a central space. Unlike the columns, elaborately decorated to offset the intrusion into open space, the Roman procedure emphasized structural techniques, and decoration became somewhat subord
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Approximate Word count = 1612
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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