Week 6 - Katherine Welch Roman Scripture

When reading “Roman Scripture” by Katherine Welch, I was very interested to learn about how Roman art is similarities to Greek Art. The use of bronze and marble elements was derived form Greek art as we have seen in the past weeks. It was interesting to learn that Roman art was considered “Roman” because of the subjects it represented from Roman culture. I was never aware of the period in which sculptural transformation took place and why it took place. The article explains that it brought about a large cultural change. The Romans gain a large amount of power when the conquered the Greek world. I am also very interested to learn about how there were different portraits. The later republican portraits presented more external traits, some highlighting flaws. The facial expressions presented were “approachable” and those of children were “consciously absent”. When reading about these portraits, they do not seem at all attractive. I have come to understand that our perception of art and its purpose is very different from that of the artist. The portraits of Roman women were presented as women who were in their fifties. The article suggests that this may be the time of her prime when she was partaking in the most important duties such as supporting the king and such. In today’s society, I feel that we would highlight a woman that was in her twenties because it signifies that beauty comes at a younger age. Roman artists felt otherwise. Lastly, every portrait displays that a person is of a certain social standing. In addition, the portrait allows us to analyze the person by his/her presence.