Art History - the Portrait Through Time

There are more artists practicing today than were alive during the three centuries of the Renaissance. Today, art is almost indefinable. It reached this position by steps through time. Art represented the world and the lives of the people from that time. The world is constantly changing and art from these times reflects these changes. Looking at Roman, 19th Century and 20th Century art from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts these changes and the influences of the cultures can be seen.

The Romans inherited many ideas in their art from the Etruscans, but they also borrowed many ideas from the Greeks. Sculpture was used to decorate public and private buildings and much of Roman art was made as official propaganda to glorify the ruler, proclaim victories, or to make pious references to the state and its governance. From the time of Greeks, artists created idealized representations of the imperial family. Such statues could portray important personalities in armor to proclaim a military victory, as an orator in reference to learned activities, or even as a deity to suggest an association with the gods.

Roman portrait sculpture from 1AD to 300 AD varied in size from miniature busts to colossal statues. A Roman tradition was to have family members carry images of the deceased during the funeral procession. The Romans believed that ancestry was the best indicator of a man's ability, and so if you were a descendant of great military commanders, then you, too, had the potential to be one as well. Also, there was great rivalry among political leaders, which gave special meaning to the display of one's lineage and therefore necessitated its emphasis. The imagines in the funeral processions were necessary for the success of the family member. An example of this at the Minneapolis Art Institute is Tondo: Portrait of a Young Noblewoman. This was probably used for a funerary sculpture. It is a maternal figure that was intended to bring back ancient Roman virtues. Laws were passed to promote good moral behavior and to encourage marriage, curb adultery and divorce, and increase the birth rate.