Roman artists created sculpture composed primarily of two materials: bronze and marble. Today most surviving sculptures are made of marble, because in the past, bronze sculptures were often melted down for money or weapons. Bronze sculptures were created by the technique known as lost wax casting, in which the artist casts a mold in a thin layer of bronze so the piece is not solid. Roman sculptures explore old age, erotica and humor, subjects unheard of in Greek art that favors of depictions of youth and beauty. Famous works include the propaganda sculpture Augustus of Primaporta, which depicts the general gesturing toward the future of Rome with his own defeat of his enemies emblazoned on his breastplate.
Roman architecture was based upon Greek architectural style emphasizing a rational approach to structuring spaces. Roman architecture, though, is more utilitarian than its Greek counterpart, because Roman architects designed buildings in order to control traffic flow, house large numbers of people and serve their community. A number of innovations allowed these developments within the architecture, namely the inventions of concrete and the arch. The use of concrete allowed Romans to build on a larger scale, and the invention of the arch allowed Romans to build taller structures, such as theaters, aqueducts and, ultimately, the dome of the Pantheon, the most famous Roman structure. Triumphal arches are also characteristic of Roman architecture. They were created as celebratory monuments after successful battles.
Roman painting that survives today was discovered mostly in Campania, which includes the civilization of Pompeii. The area was covered by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, preserving the artworks for thousands of years before they were discovered in the late 17th century. Roman paintings were mostly done as frescoes, which involve painting on wet plaster so that the pigments dry onto the structure of a wall. Romans painted entire walls of their apartments in the style known as trompe l’oeil, meaning painting the illusion of reality. Because their homes did not have windows, many of these wall paintings consisted of images of the outdoors, creating the illusion of a larger space beyond the walls of the home.