The Republican Period of Roman art is known for verism, or extremely realistic depictions of human faces. This reflects their obsession with service to the state (Rome) and implies a sort of denial of vanity in favor of honoring hard work. However this is also a society with a lot of social mobility, where people can become rich very quickly through business or through warfare (soldiers often got a share of “Spoils” from whatever town they conquered, including gold, slaves, and property), and people were tempted to “show off” their wealth as well as their other types of success.
Imagine you are a young person (a man, just for convenience’s sake) who wants to be taken seriously as you start out in politics. You have a respectable family history and a good amount of money,but your family has never been very rich or famous. How do you use art to suggest that you (and your family) are honorable, good, and Roman, and that you will be a good politician that people should vote for?
Early Roman Art
