Comparisons Between Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome

Greek art is considered superior to (imitative) Roman art. The goal of the classical Greek sculptors was to produce an ideal artistic form, where the goal of Roman artists was to produce realistic portraits for decoration. This is obvious oversimplification, especially when considering the division of Greek art into the Mycenaean, geometric, archaic, and Hellenistic periods, in addition to the Classical, but the art we associate with Greece is the Venus de Milo, and the Roman art is the mosaic or wall painting known as fresco.

For more mosaics, see Tunisian Mosaics.

Unknown Roman Artist
Tunis Tunisia
Mosaic of Personification of Roma in a Medallion
1st century-2nd century A.D.
Mosaic
21 1/4 x 21 1/4in. (53.9 x 53.9cm)
Brooklyn Museum
Museum Collection Fund

See: "Painting in Rome and Pompeii" The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Winter, 1987-1988), pp. 3-16.