Rome was a polytheistic culture. This meant they believed in many gods and goddesses that all represented their own aspect of life or nature. The Romans were so devoted to them that they built massive buildings of worship to them known as the Pantheon. Not only did the Romans took what the gods said as law, but even incorporated them in their everyday lives and their ceremonies as well. This can be seen on the three wall paintings located in the Roman exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These paintings are known as frescoes and are paintings that are done directly on the walls of Roman villas. They have many uses, but this one in particular shows scenes of a typical Roman marriage ceremony. While examining this piece I have realized that the Romans held the ideas of marriage to a high regard and this paper will delve into and analyze the levels at which they cared for marriage and how it is depicted in their artwork.
While each painting has their own unique aspects, they all have some similarities. Within each painting contains reds, browns, …show more content…
The woman in this painting is also wearing a cloth that may be silk, also wearing a gold ring on her finger. From this, I concluded that she is the bride and the man on her left is her husband. He is sitting partially naked, a cloth covering his genitals, while he holds a staff like object. The muscles in his body are well defined, showing off the Roman's art style of portraying the male body with positive qualities, also known as idealization. The staff he holds may show that he holds the power in the relationship since Rome was a male dominated society. The way the wife looks at her husband is also proof of the male domination. She is depicted as staring in a devoted way, like he is god-like. Finally he wears a gold band around his forearm, possibly to show his commitment to his wife and a sign of
While each painting has their own unique aspects, they all have some similarities. Within each painting contains reds, browns, …show more content…
The woman in this painting is also wearing a cloth that may be silk, also wearing a gold ring on her finger. From this, I concluded that she is the bride and the man on her left is her husband. He is sitting partially naked, a cloth covering his genitals, while he holds a staff like object. The muscles in his body are well defined, showing off the Roman's art style of portraying the male body with positive qualities, also known as idealization. The staff he holds may show that he holds the power in the relationship since Rome was a male dominated society. The way the wife looks at her husband is also proof of the male domination. She is depicted as staring in a devoted way, like he is god-like. Finally he wears a gold band around his forearm, possibly to show his commitment to his wife and a sign of