Existing comment:
Roman Portraiture:
The portrait style now called veristic (from the Latin word for truth) is one of the most significant contributions Romans made to the Western artistic tradition. The style arose during the late Roman Republic and was periodically revived in later centuries. In making veristic portraits, artists seem to map each detail of the individual's face, "warts and all." The faces that emerge embody the virtues Romans most admired -- hardiness, determination, indifference to outward beauty, uncompromising realism, and pragmatism.
In contrast to veristic images, idealizing portraits sought to portrait individuals as they wished to appear (Emperor Augustus, who lived to be 76, was always depicted in the prime of life). The same period that saw the emergence of such colorful figures as Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompey (Pompey the Great), Mark Anthony, and Octavian (known as Augustus after 27 BC). These images bring to life the characters and events recorded by such writers as Cicero, Sallust, Caesar, and Plutarch. |