Roman sculpture owed much to Greek models. However, the
portrait statues and bas-reliefs show originality and illustrate the tendency
of the Romans toward realism in art. The sculptor tried to represent an
historic person as he really looked or an historic event, for example, a battle
or a triumphal procession, as it actually happened. The portrait statues of
Roman emperors and the bas-reliefs from the arch of Titus impress us at once
with a sense of their reality.
WALL PAINTINGS
Our knowledge of Roman painting is almost wholly confined
to the wall paintings found at Rome, Herculaneum, and Pompeii. What has
survived is apparently the work of ordinary craftsmen, who, if not Greeks, were
deeply affected by the Greek spirit. Most of the scenes they depict are taken
from classical mythology. The coloring is very rich; and the peculiar shade of
red used is known to-day by the name of "Pompeian red." The practice
of mural painting passed over from the Romans to European artists, who have
employed it in the frescoes of medieval and modern churches.
