Why did Art become more simplistic in the late Roman Empire? #shorts

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#Maiorianus

[ruiz]

Plot twist, the art did not decay, the late emperors were just mad ugly.

[zeem]

Emperors were dropping like flies. If I were a sculptor I would keep it less detailed too. Who knows if he will still be alive to pay when it's done.

[TetsuShima]

Actually, all Roman Emperors usually appeared uglier in the coins that depicted them in a profile position, no matter what century of History they lived in. In fact, Emperor Claudius got so infuriated the first time he saw his face on the coins dedicated to him, that Empress Messalina had to convince him before he killed someone that people just look different according to the position in which they are seen by others

[SarastistheSerpent]

Late Roman artists: “How big should we make the emperor’s eyes on his statue?”

Imperial overseers: “Yes.”

[edwardcrow]

That moment when you realize your artistic skill is high enough to have made you in artisan in the Roman Empire.

[feduntu]

I think the crisis of the 3rd century played a major role! In the beginning of the roman empire you had emperors that ruled for about a generation. Augustus 40 years or thereabouts, Tiberius 20 years or thereabouts etc...

But then you get to the 3rd century where you have 20 or so emperors in a span of 50 years... or is it the other way around? Eventually another emperor would have meant more work had to be put on statues and coins and they went from: _"May you be luckier than Augustus and better than Trajan"_ to _"Uff... another emperor... May you reign for longer than 3 years...🙄"_

[ThiccboiSalmon]

It is interesting that the art style "became more sloppy" but the architecture was greater than ever in complexity and scope with works such as the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine and Diocletian's Palace in Dalmatia.

[theicepickthatkilledtrotsk]

The lack of craftsmen can be felt in the period with the quality of the art being a massive step down from what came before but I still think the pieces of the colossus of Constantine the Great are magnificent and must have been completely awe-inspiring in its full glory. There are also other examples of decent to good art of that time. The architecture, was ironically, doing great at the time with the most ambitious project of the empire were built in late antiquity.

[josephang]

Interesting thing is happening today too, all styles getting flat and logos getting simpler and simpler.

[kitharoidos]

I’ve often wondered about the decline in Roman art. I’d say the decline in craftsmanship was very evident by the time of Gallienus. The quality of art produced during the first and second centuries was probably owed to schools and institutions were apprentices would be taught knowledge and methods that had been passed on and improved upon since the classical Greeks.
These institutions were probably dealt a huge blow during the crisis years and the inter-generational link between the likes of
Phidias and the sculptor behind “portrait of a Flavian woman” was forever severed.

[brendanokeefe]

It's also important to note why stylistic choices shifted around the 3rd-4th centuries! A new form of drill became popular around the late 2nd century that made it easier to create deep grooves in marble, emphasizing folds of fabric and creating stronger contrast in direct sunlight. This was also what made incised pupils easier and thus more common starting around the 2nd century. From there, those deep-cut lines became more abstracted and led to more linear style rather than a naturalistic one. Combined with the crisis of the 3rd century several artisans just learned the more popular style and the naturalistic style was slowly forgotten as fewer artisans learned it each generation and fewer artisans knew how to use the original tools needed for the style. Instead, they became more familiar with the new drill and abstract, linear style

Now I'm going to go actually work on my thesis instead of writing art historical YouTube comments

[aldotorres]

It's kind of interesting that you can see the evolution of Roman art to early medieval art in the later Roman coins

[lechatel]

As a metal detectorist I handle Roman coins from different periods....starting with Republic coins of the 100 BC right up to 4th century ones. It isn't simply a drop off of artistic style in the 3rd century, it is also a drop off in the quality of the metal. The coins of earlier periods are high quality silver and bronze. I have dug an Denarius from 100 BC which is exactly as it went into the ground. Solid, high quality silver. Beautiful complex design. The later Roman coins corrode because after 200 AD particularly, the silver content was lowered more and more, until by the end of the era the 'silver' was merely a wash coating base metal.

[Sharp]

The tiredness. The moment the mint is finished, he could already make a new one because the emperor would be already overtrown by an usurper. 😂

[mustafaamin]

To quote the live chat of Dovahhatty's Byzantine live stream: "The artists died"

[EMD]

In the future, this is what they will think about us and the crappy modern art

[Allworldsk]

And still they did amazing things in history. Smart and amazing people.!

[RhmnLego]

You were very generous with the coins you chose, I have seen som that are much worse like Maurice and Alexios

[matthuckabey]

This is so intriguing. I never made this observation. I have so much to do now, thank you!

[julianhermanubis]

I find late Roman art (time of the Tetrarchy onward) just appallingly ugly. I agree with the people here who are saying that the continuity of craftsmanship was broken during the chaos of the 3rd century C.E. I also agree that Christianity and some latter paganism (e.g., some of the Neoplatonists) emphasized this mysticism and disdain for the "worldly, " which led to less emphasis on stark realism. I collect Roman coins, and it took me a while to be able to identify the portraits of Constantine's successors (except for Julian, with his beard), because, at first glance, they look so much alike unless you read the inscriptions. Eventually, I was able to seize on some details that allowed me to identify most of them at a glance but it took a while. I never have this problem with earlier coins, with even the simplified coins of the Tetrarchs still having some degree of personality still visible in their portraits. Very late Roman coins of the W.R.E. and early Byzantium (5th century C.E.) just look like young children's art projects to me.