Intrduction
As we know, out of so many types of numerals, roman numeral is known by second most common type of numeral. We can usually see it in many places, especially in design and art. The shapes representing the numerals looks elegant and pretty, this is why quite a lot of artists choose roman numerals instead of normal numerals while creating arts. Hence, we start our research about history of roman numerals and how roman numerals affect our daily life or designs/arts nowsaday.
The numeric system represented by Roman numerals originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers in this system are represented by combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet. Roman numerals, as used today, are based on seven symbols: I,V,X,L,C,D,M. Which I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, M = 1000.(chart is shown below) The history of Roman numerals follows the history of ancient Rome itself, from its beginnings at the Latin Palatine Hill in 8th and 9th century B.C. to it's fall in the 2nd Century AD from civil war, plague, civil apathy and the rise of Christianity and northern European powers.
Growth of Mathematics, Money and Accounting
The Roman empire had inspirational, industrious and intellectual beginnings. Emperor Domitianus, Aristotle, Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, Euclid and Archamedes helped to build Rome into an ancient power, developing sophistocated intellectual and mathematical skills to build the Colosseum, Constantine's Arch, Pantheon, Roman Baths and Civil society.
However, their number system was flawed, it had no zero (0), and no single method for counting above several thousand units, (lines were often placed over numerals to indicate multiples of their value).
The eventual fall of the Roman Empire by 300 A.D. saw the introduction and adoption of Arabic numerals, today we call them decimal numbers because they work consistently to a base of 10. The invention of zero (nothing) was a huge leap forward.
Uses of Roman numerals
Roman numerals today are used most frequently seen as list numbers, time pieces and historic Roman coins, art and antiquities in museums and antique shops. Nearly all computer word processing packages (Word, PDF) allow uppercase and lowercase Roman numerals as list item indicators.
Roman numerals or numbers are also used in classic style watch and clock faces where the Roman number for 4 is often written as IIII rather than IV, to add symmetry and balance to the face. Quite often you can see numerals used to indicate the time on sundials.
Uses in the Media
Typically books have chapter headings as numerals, and number their forward pages with them to indicate that it is the page forward. In other media such as Films and Television copyright dates are in numerals, for example the BBC production dates, but also in films to denote film sequels, such as Rocky III.
Related Design
Roman art came in many different forms including paintings, sculptures, pottery and mosaics. A lot of Roman art was based upon the works of Greek and Etruscan artists, this was documented by Pliny, a Roman historian, who stated that nearly all of Rome's art was based upon that of the ancient Greeks. Following the Roman conquest of Greece and the surrounding area many Greek artists migrated to Rome in order to pursue their career. The main difference between Greek and Roman art was the purpose the art was meant to serve; the Greeks had a great appreciation for aesthetic beauty and the philosophical theory behind it. Whereas Roman art was used to illustrate wealth and were more so decorative.
Roman art was constantly evolving in order to incorporate the changing culture of ancient Rome. Roman art began to change as the 2nd century AD progressed. Sculptures and imperial monuments began to sacrifice delicate features in exchange for harsh looking faces which emphasized the power of the Roman elite. The best example of this is the Arch of Constantine in Rome; Ernst Kitzinger described the monument as having 'stubby proportions, angular movements, symmetric and a repetition in its features', 'it appears emphatic in hardness, heaviness and angularity'.
Paintings
Only a small amount of ancient Roman paintings have survived to this day. Most of the paintings which did survive came from the town of Pompeii and the nearby villages. There are large amounts of paintings which date from the 3rd century onwards which have been found in the Catacombs of Rome. Much of the fine art that has been recovered from the period has come from Nero's palace, which survived in parts.
The Romans drew artistic inspiration from a number of subjects. These included animals, still lives, portraits and mythological creatures. The Romans in contrast to the Greeks incorporated a great deal of perspective and paid attention to surface textures, shading and spatial awareness in their art. Portraits declined in popularity as the Roman civilisation continued, this was one of Pliny's main criticisms of Roman art, claiming that "Portraits which were used to transmit through the ages the accurate likenesses of people, has entirely gone out". Romans would often be buried with a portrait. These portraits would illustrate the persons head in quite some detail accompanied by a colourless background.
During the third century BC triumphal paintings began to become popular, they would depict military victories and conquered enemy cities and regions. During this period the Romans also painted decorative maps in order to show the major locations of a particular campaign. These paintings would be surrounded in gold and ivory frames. Triumphal scenes can also be seen elsewhere, most evidently on Trajan's Column where there are images of Roman battles during the Dacian wars.
The oldest painting found in Rome was found in a tomb on Esquiline Hill. It describes a historical battle, painted on a plain background in four enlarged segments. The painting details both Marcus Fannius and Marcus Fabius. The image illustrates a city surrounded by fortified walls, in front of which there is a large warrior surrounded by soldiers with short tunics and armed with spears. The lower segment depicts a battle scene between the Romans and Samnites. The image is most likely referring to the Second Samnite War in 326BC.
Sculptures
The Romans used many materials when creating sculptures, these included stone, metals and glass. However, as metals such as bronze were in high demand many of them were melted down to be re-used. That's why today the only remaining sculptures were made using marble. Towards the middle of the first century AD, Roman art began to become more realistic with emphasis being put on optical affects and facial features. Beyond the second century AD, Roman art became more impressionist, utilizing abstract forms and the effect of light.
Sculptures throughout the Empire began to become monumentally large with statues of emperors and gods being immortalised in enormous bronze statues. Examples of this include the statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback and the even larger statue of Constantine I, both located in Rome. As Roman art developed further sculptures began to lack proportion with heads being enlarged, this was a distinct feature illustrating the influence of Eastern art.
Mosaics
Roman mosaics are one of the most common and spectacular artistic remains in Britain, they reflect the high artistic tastes of the wealthy villa owners, these mosaics would often decorate the floors and walls of richer Roman households. Most are in colour and would illustrate historical scenes, gods, animals and mythological creatures.
Architecture
Roman art can be seen throughout the buildings of ancient Rome. Many of the buildings had exquisite details and were built to illustrate the power and wealth of the state or individual. Roman artistic values were at their height during the reign of Trajan and Hadrian, when the empire was at its largest. The baths of ancient Rome were works of art, namely the Baths of Diocletian and the Baths of Caracalla. Roman monuments were the pinnacle of Roman art, Trajan's Column illustrates the campaign of the Roman triumph in the Dacian wars.
Burials
Noble Roman families would often display portraits of ancestors in the atrium of family house. Tombs would often be decorated with masks, busts and portraits of the deceased person. There are no surviving ceremonial masks, however, many of the busts have been recovered and are detailed in illustrating the faces of historical figures. Funeral masks would have been made using wax and would have probably been moulded directly from the deceased person. Funeral busts would depict the deceased along with their immediate family and sometimes even their slaves. The figures would be shown wearing a toga whilst the women would hold a pundictia pose.
Ceramics
Roman pottery was predominantly created for practical use and were not as decorative as previous civilisations. However, a number of decorative pots have been found across the Roman Empire. Lead-glazed pottery was a common method used throughout the eastern provinces, it would give the pots various looks and colours which would differ from amber to shades of green. Within the borders of ancient Italy the most common style of pottery was 'red-gloss', this would give pots a glossy effect and the colour would vary from light orange to bright red.
Examples
(Traditional Design)
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| Big Ben Clock |
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| Old Style Timepiece |
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| Coins |
(Modern Design)
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| Fashion Classic Watch |
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Road Sign
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| Art |
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| Tattoo |
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| Jewelry |
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| Book Menu |
* most of them use roman numerals as second choice after normal numerals
Interactive Artwork
(Software)
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| Adobe After Effect |
(Hardware)
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| Ubi Sensor |
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| Ubi Sensor |
Artwork Preparation
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| Gantt Chart |
Materials & Budgets:
White Wall
Table [approximate 180cm x 90cm x 75cm(height)] :RM50-100
Projector ( supported ) :RM1000-3000
Desktop ( supported ) :RM3000
Ubi Sensor :RM1450
Dark Environment
(FONT EFFECT IDEA)
Artwork Demo Video
Artist Statement
Art is a powerful tools that can inspired, energized
and connected people around the world. Our research for this assignment is
about roman numerals, our inspiration is from some art/designs including book
title, timepieces etc. That's why we’re doing a google survey form with
questionnaires which collect results from others to proof that roman numeral plays important role in art/design. We include every questionnaires,
results collected from others and contents into our artwork. Roman numerals
give us a classic and elegant feeling, so we choose galaxy for the theme of our
artworks, normal numerals plays a main role, so we assume it as moon, roman numerals are like stars flying in galaxy, it's small but shiny, plays second most important role among numerals types. We project it in a
wall or any flat surfaces and connect it with UBI sensor( make it to touch
screen mode ). After we press any numbers, that number will direct users into the information.
