A History of Roman Art

by Fred S. Kleiner

A HISTORY OF ROMAN ART, 2nd Edition, surveys the art of Rome and its empire from the time of Romulus to the death of Constantine presented in its historical, political, and social context, with coverage of Etruscan and Greek art in Italy before the rise of Rome and of Christian art and architecture during the Late Empire. Each of the 21 chapters combines a discussion of general issues and individual monuments with a series of boxed essays on architectural terminology; materials and techniques; religion and mythology; the cultural context of works of art; the role of patrons in determining the character of Roman monuments; and the problems that ancient artists and architects faced and how they solved them.

Genres: History, Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Textbooks

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2006

Reviews

[Overbooked ✎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent textbook covering all aspects of Roman art: architecture, paintings, sculpture, mosaics, etc. The book includes excellent illustrations and useful maps, the descriptions are clear and well referenced throughout the various chapters of the book.

In this revised version, I appreciated the inclusion of a long introductory chapter about Etruscan and Greek colonies of southern Italy and their influence on early Roman art. I would have liked the same level of detail in the latter chapters of the books, about the late imperial period (after the Severan dynasty) through to the age of Constantine which I found a bit too rushed.

[Meghan Hannum · Rating 4 out of 5]

prob the most approachable roman art book that exists. perfectly brief, easy to digest, helped me fill in the gaps in my roman art education. gives good historical context but never overshadows the art history focus.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

kleiner loves his arches

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good overview of Roman Art. I bought this as a textbook for a class, and it was a very helpful companion to further understand what I was learning in class. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about Roman Art and its relation to Roman history.

[Kamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to Roman art with lots of great pictures and illustrations. It's straightforward and easy to read. A good supplement to lectures in an undergraduate course. I only wish that it weren't so expensive to buy.

[Heather Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good.