Roman sculpture -- scultura romana

Speranza

Roman sculpture was an integral part of Roman life, and the Romans placed statues and reliefs in their fora, basilicas, temples and public baths as well as in their houses, villas, gardens and tombs.

In her illustrated book, D. Kleiner discuses all the major public and private monuments in Rome, as well as many less well-known monuments in the capital and elsewhere in the empire.

Kleiner  examines art commissioned by the imperial elite as well as by private patrons, including freedmen and slaves and also highlights monuments honouring women and children.

Kleiner demonstrates that the social, ethnic and geographical diversity of Roman patronage led to an art that was eclectic and characterised by varying styles, often tied to the social status of the patron, but she also examines the interrelations between works produced for different kinds of patrons.

Kleiner begins with a long thematic introduction that describes Rome and its empire, characterises patrons from the capital and the provinces, discusses the position of the artist in Roman society and the materials he used, and presents a history of the study of Roman art.

The remaining chapters constitute a chronological examination of Roman sculpture from the foundation of Rome in 753 BC to the transfer of the capital to Constantinople in AD 330. In each period the monuments are divided by type, for example portraiture, state relief sculpture, the art of freedmen and provincial art.

Throughout, Kleiner treats Roman Sculpture in its cultural, political and social contexts and, wherever possible, as an element of the architectural commplex in which it was set.

Kleiner has created a fascinating and important work for scholars and students of art.

Where most surveys of ancient art examine painting, sculpture, architecture, and minor arts in unison, Kleiner chooses to concentrate only on the sculpture of ancient Rome.

She examines less-well-known monuments throughout the Roman Empire as well as major and minor public and private monuments in Rome and places these all in their artistic, geographical, political, and social contexts.

Kleiner's analytic writing and the well-planned layout of the text provide ready access to a massive amount of information.

Unfortunately, the reproductions are adequate rather than brilliant.

This will prove a useful addition to any serious collection of Roman art or civilization. -



This book gives Roman art an identity of its own. 

Ms. Kleiner does indeed show how eclectic Roman sculpture is/was.

But she also shows and explains how artists wrought texture out of stone, their flare for facial features, the thoughtful tilt of the head or the significance of a raised eyebrow.

There is more to Romans than conquest.

This book makes that clear. This book also does an excellent job of relating historical events to tastes in sculpture.

Good but not over the top

This book is part of what I have to read in my introduction course in greek/roman art.

In this respect it is maby not optimal, the autor focuses too much on works of art that no longer exist, and works that aren't that well known.

I wish she would focus more on the really famous pieces.

What is really good is that it follows the Emperors cronologically, and that makes it easier too understand the connection between art and society.

For people with special interests in the field, it is probably wonderful, but with 460 pages it is long and a bit too much information for a new student.