Antiquity Comes Alive through Roman Villas and Their Painted Wall Decoration - Speech or Presentation Example

Home: HU (Roman Villas and Their Painted Wall Decoration) Introduction Roman Villas and their painted wall decorations havebeen there for a long time. The ancient Roman Villas were classical and used as an operational rural business. They had vineyards and farmland. In addition, it was a luxury retreat. The Italians had a passion for rural idylls; this was to escape Rome that had smell, traffic, and noise. These villas hold a vital place in the record of Western culture. This is during the Italian cape in ancient times and also during the Renaissance. Building of houses away from the city in a natural location captured the minds of architects and wealthy patrons. The paper will look into the culture of villas and their painted wall decoration over the years. In addition, the transformation that has taken place over the yeas on the forms of the villas. Culture of Villas Villa is a term that is used to describe the different structures that share a natural background or agrarian principle. These include the architecture of the villa that can be on the working structures that are devoted as living quarters, and farming. Therefore, villa is an identity or label that captures the different distinct parts, which are at times interrelated or are dependent on each other. In some cases, the villas are away from the bigger architectural complex. The Roman villas exhibit mobility, as an idea, in the application of the architecture. It gives a fixed image of an architectural environment that gives and idea of living. The forms of the structures have changed with time, and the locations moved to the suburban. In addition, urban houses with garden setting have arisen. Despite all these changes, the center design beliefs have largely remained unchanged, and the architectural idiom of idyllic scenery for cultured pursuits and divine withdrawal into a family retreat from a city has continued (Frazer 24). After the new generation, the villas have appeared beyond the Italian context of architectural form. Re-imagined and revived forms have appeared throughout Western Europe and other parts of the world, although influenced by the European culture. The organization and form of the villa architecture depend largely on the literary descriptions that were provided by the ancient Rome authors. The writings give elaborate features of the villas in the low lying areas that surround Rome. The ancient writings have the villas enjoying the natural settings that have restorative powers that are in opposition to the excesses that are in the city life. In addition, they give the basic pleasures and virtues that the ancient villas life have. The authors also used descriptions that included constructed images of the general appearance of the villas. In addition, the unfolded experience that shows the intertwined interior and exterior of the architectural villas features provided. These are shown by the landscape that has terraced gardens and opened outward to the natural surroundings through loggias, or colonnades that replaced solid enclosing walls (McDowall 12). This is done to appreciate the magnificent of the flora and fauna. Example of such villas is shown in Figure 1 below. Fig 1. Villa showing flora and fauna. Source: http://www.thecultureconcept.com. Typical Roman Villa The Roman villa was mostly designed to face inwards, towards the center. This was to have small bedrooms, with about two open halls that surround the central or main rom. The room is open to the sky at the center and has a poll for collection of the rain water. The rooms tended to be small having inadequate heating and artificial heating. The natural lighting was through the opening that is centered in the ‘Atrium’. The other chambers include; servant quarters and service room are situated behind the bedrooms. Far from the entry, on the far side of the Atrium, a large elaborate room was situated. This was for formal occasions and for receiving visitors. The dining room was alongside the rooms. This was furnished with a couch that extended along the three sided of a table that is for reclining after meals. In a prominent corner was the hearth, and it was dedicated by statuary and painting to the domestic deities, the gods of the food cupboard, the ‘Penates’, the goddess of ‘hearth fire’ called ‘Vesta’. A courtyard with decorative plants was at the rear of the house. It was enclosed in an arcade that added to the architecture. Each of the housed had an altar that was dedicated to the many Roman gods. The gods were placed in outstanding places, in the courtyard. The ceremonial utensils that were found in the excavations attested to the devotion and rites to the gods (Johnston 56). All the rooms were beautifully decorated and covered with wall paintings, floor mosaics and stucco ornaments. The rooms whether small or large and were embroidered with splendid decorations. Example of a typical Roman villa is shown in figure 2 below. Fig 2. Typical Roman villa. Source http://www.thecultureconcept.com. Decorated walls The Roman Villas have paintings that decorate the walls. The paintings were in tombs, palaces, temples, country and town homes, and public buildings in Rome. This is of immense and unique significance. The paintings have intrinsic value on the works of art. These are at the same time, the existing examples of lost paintings of, classical ancient times. The works reflect the lives of antiquity and give the aesthetic understanding of Rome. These paintings in the surroundings reflect the developments that are evolving in Rome. The ranges of styles and subjects show the works of the two regions that illustrate the art form of dominant significance of the internal decorations of the Roman villas. The paintings have been preserved in various Italian cities, in situ. Others are exhibited in the museums that are around the world. The paintings depicted the different t objects like caryatids, garlands, and magnificent mythological creatures. This can be standing and flying figures of the ornaments that show the architectonic views of the painted vial wall panels. In some cases, the bronze vessels that were resting on top of the entablatures or partitions were used in enlivening the architectural framework. These architectural elements are entwined and connected by the tendrils and garlands. The garlands were embellished by a variety of fruit and flowers (Frazer 26). These are found in vast quantities in the gardens and countryside that also attest to the fertility of the areas. The architectural designs, which have creatures that ornament them, come from the Greek mythology. The mythological symbolism of the creatures did not interest the artist who used them for the decorative purposes. The figures of standing and flying paintings that have touches of shadow give the play of drapery that contribute to the work of the three dimensional effect. These theatrical effects are improved by caryatids that stand lightly on the upper trays of candelabrum. The head tilted upwards, and it crowned by ivy and vine leaves. Most of the upper parts of the bodies is stripped with the lower parts draped by long garments dappled by touches of shadow. Fig 3. Decorated wall painting. Source: http://www.thecultureconcept.com Techniques of the Roman wall painting The technical processes involved in the Roman wall painting decorations by the surviving examples from the ancient cities, and the modern mythical sources. The walls were prepared by the use of six coats of painting this was with three superb grained plasters that had marble dust and three sands of mortar. There were distinct pigments and colors used. In addition, the layers of the plasters and the painting surface were distinct as they were prepared for final polishing for the production of the characteristic sheen. The pigments consisted a mixture of minerals that included; galena, hematite, malachite, chalk, among others. They had vegetable or animal fat (McDowall 12). These were grounded up carefully, mixed, and placed in little clay pots. The colors that were applied to the wall paintings were mixed with yellow, green, purple lines that were over yellow and orange background. This was to give a three dimensional architectonic composition of; shades of red, black and green background to improve the theoretical effect; the columns were painted in beige and pale pink to have a difference in shading of colors to give depth; purple grapes and trellises of green grape vines arranged in convex shape; light and dark green flora roofs of fruit and bushes; garlands that have dark and light leaves and orange, purple, and yellow fruits; figures draining costumes of blue, green, and pink, the body was highlighted by vibrant touches of orange-pink brush strokes. In addition, the mythical creatures are represented in a variety of colors to show the different functions in the paintings. Moreover, the painter’s key tool for the wall decorations was the brush that was made of the pig bristles. The color applied by the technique called ‘fresco’ applied when the plaster was still moist (Johnston 58). On some occasions, a technique ‘tempera’ applied to the dry surface was used for colors and details. This was from the light blue to tones of green that was not able to be applied on the damp wall. Certain colors had light wax added to them like vermilion for walls the walls that are exposed to open air and paintings on marble, wood, or ivory. The paintings that were finished were burnished using glass or marble cylinder, metal trowel, unique polishing stone, and were polished by clean cloth. Conclusion Roman Villas and their Painted wall decoration are to a considerable extent remained the same way they were created centuries ago. They have also remained part of the life-style, significant expressions of the Roman culture, and a manifestation of the values of the period. In today’s world, the roman villas and their painted wall decorations provide the unrivaled source of information relating to the tastes, concerns, and culture of the people, plus the subjects that are fascinating the Roman world. Through the Roman villas and their painted wall decoration, the antiquity comes alive. Work Cited Frazer, Alfred. The Roman Villa: Villa Urbana. PA: UPenn Museum of Archaeology, 1998. Johnston, David E. Roman Villas. NY: Osprey Publishing, 2004. McDowall, Carolyn. What Is: An Ancient Roman Villa, the cultural ideal of rural life? 07 08 2011 . 27 04 2012 . Read More