Why did Art become more simplistic in the late Roman Empire?

1 year ago
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When we compare busts or statues of the roman republic or the early roman empire to the late roman empire of say the 4th or 5th centuries AD, what is immediately striking, is the incredible drop in complexity and detail with which the late roman emperors were portrayed. The same can be observed with coins. While early roman coins show an incredible amount of detail, coins from the Western Roman Empire of the mid 5th century in comparison, show a pitiful, even outright sloppy artistic style, far below a few centuries earlier. It is certainly true that some of the choices were deliberate. In the late 3rd, early 4th centuries, the Christian art style became more dominant, where a naturalistic art style gave way to abstraction. During those days also, the Dominate was established, and the lack of features signified an overarching, increased imperial authority. However, a secondary effect certainly played a role, namely that there must have been a lack of good craftsmen and artisans in times when the empire went through crises, as it is very noticeable that the quality is especially bad in times of great turmoil and chaos, which is especially visible during the final decades of the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

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