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The liberal arts originated in ancient Greek and Roman attitudes toward different types of skill. The Greek philosophers, primarily Plato and Aristotle, did not separate the fine arts from the so-called useful arts, as is done today. They distinguished between the liberal arts and the servile arts, and fine arts were classified among the labors of the lower classes in ancient Greece and Rome. |
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The Romans lacked the intellectual and aesthetic sensibilities of the
Greeks. Their strength lay in military prowess, engineering, road
building, and lawmaking. Their emperors required realistic portraits
and triumphal arches to impress their own people and the subjugated
nations of their far-flung empire. The triumphal arches of the Emperors Titus and Constantine, adorned with scenes of victory and battle, have inspired similar efforts in Europe and America, from the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, to the Memorial Arch of Valley Forge. |
Augustus of Primaporta Ca. 20 BCE Marble Vatican Museum, Rome |
| The Romans lacked the intellectual and aesthetic sensibilities of the Greeks. Their strength lay in military prowess, engineering, road building, and lawmaking. Their emperors required realistic portraits and triumphal arches to impress their own people and the subjugated nations of their far-flung empire. | |
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The triumphal arches of the Emperors Titus and Constantine, adorned with scenes of victory and battle, have inspired similar efforts in Europe and America, from the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, to the Memorial Arch of Valley Forge. By the 2nd century AD, however, Rome and sculpture both had lost their vigor. As collectors, copyists, and imitators of Greek sculpture, however, the Romans handed on to later generations the partial fruits of Greek labor. |
Constantine the Great Early 4th Cen. CE Marble Capitoline Museums, Rome |
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Christianity spread slowly throughout the Western world, becoming the
official religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century. By that time,
however, the empire was falling apart and the capital was moved to
Byzantium (now Istanbul). There a stiff and formal style of art,
called Byzantine, developed and lasted for hundreds of years.
Examples of it may be seen in Istanbul and in some Italian cities,
particularly Ravenna, which for a time was the capital of the
Byzantine empire in Italy. |
Emperor Justinian 526-547 CE Mosaic San Vitale |
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