My driving question explains how Rome invented their art and how they use it to speak to the rest of the world. What stuff they use to make it and what kind of art they make. I care about this because I think it’s really interesting to learn about other countries art, especially ancient art. I really did not know anything about this topic. All I knew is that ancient Rome was known for their amazing architecture. I want to learn about what kind of art the Romans made and how and who they were influenced by.
My search process went okay, except sometimes I had some issues. First I was going to get a website because I had access to a computer before a book. I look online and I found a good website, so I go to print it out and I had no more printer paper. I asked my dad if he could go get some and he did, then I finally got it printed out. I looked for more and I found some. After I got the paper, the website part went pretty smoothly.
Next, I had to go get a book and this was the worst part. I first went to the public library and I looked, they had nothing there. I asked the librarian and she did not help me at all. So I could not get anything there. Next I went to the school library because that was my last option. I went and looked, and there was not that many, but more than the public library, so I found some books and I checked them out. Nobody really helped me; the only help I got was when my dad went to go get the paper which is about it. My question only changed once, it went from the history behind the Olympians to what I have now, and I thought it would be more interesting to learn about the art. Research process went alright, only some struggles.
The Romans had many different styles of art and used many different materials to create it with. Romans use to and still do, “…made statues and portraits too. Statues were life like and of gods, goddesses, emperors, or important people” (Hodge 1). The Romans created many art pieces influenced by higher beings. They made statues and portraits to show that they appreciated their influence on Rome. According to Suzie Hodge, “Paint brushes were made from twigs, wood, reeds, or rushes. Paint was made from ground rocks and powdered pants” (2). Romans made their materials out of natural resources. They used natural resources because they did not have all the chemicals and other stuff that they have now. Romans had very diverse art, but they also had a strong influence on architecture.
Ancient Rome was known for their beautiful and immaculate architecture. According to Colin Szasz, Romans used arches to build public baths, bridges, and worship areas. Roman architecture was so amazing that they influenced many countries in that area in their time. Romans had great architects and they put so much time in their work. The reason that they influence many people is because, “The Romans built bridges and roads to link their new colonies and built them so they were a lasting powerful presence” (Szasz 3). Romans built strong architectural buildings and roads so they can last a long time and leave a “powerful presence”. They built these and left a presence because they were known for their well-designed architecture. Romans are the architectural gods, but there is always a history behind their art, as well.
There is a lot of history behind ancient Rome’s art. According to Suzie Hodge, “Roman art was influenced by many places…Greece, Egypt, and Africa. Also, they were influenced by their emperors.” Romans were influenced by the people that conquered them in the beginning. Those countries influenced them because they had really nice art and the Romans liked it. Christianity was popping up in Roman art by 300 AD (“Roman Art” 3). Religion came up in Roman art because missionaries were starting to settle in Rome. The Romans likes the influence of Christianity so much, that they made it show up in their art. The history behind Roman art can go on forever, that is just a tiny part of the whole subject.
As I was doing the research for this project, I learned that there are websites that are believable and unbelievable. My writing for a research essay improved greatly because of all of the corrections Ms. Macias gave me, they really helped. The fact that Roman art is still used and liked today meant the most to me. During the research, I also found out that there is more information on their art then I thought. I improved by reading over my work a couple of times, and fixing all of my mistakes. My writing in my opinion has greatly improved since the beginning of this project until now.
