Pro Romanis Store

Augustus Prima Porta

Welcome to
Pro Romanis

Fine Art reproductions

Pro Romanis is an homage to classical Greek and Roman civilization. A project 15 years in the making, it is a collaborative effort by a determined classicist and a collection of professional writers, artists, photographers, designers and programmers.  The Store was set up to provide images to enthusiasts, glimpses if you will, of a civilization long gone. But one which still deeply influences us today. The store contains original art reproductions—paintings, pen & ink drawings, digital graphics and photographs—commissioned by Pro Romanis.  We’re passionate about our work.  We hope you are too.

Photography

Fine Art Photo Prints

The photographers we work with are professionals. Accomplished in the commercial and the artistic realms.  They’ve traveled to Rome—the center of the ancient world, and today, home to 40% of world’s important art treasures—on our behalf. They’ve captured some of the most remarkable images for Pro Romanis, and for you. These photographs show a deep respect for the great skill that went into these remarkable works of art. The prints are very high resolution, printed on high quality photographic paper, and in the large format, extremely powerful.

Ancient Roman sculptures

Pro Romanis Art

The photographers we work with are professionals. Accomplished in the commercial and the artistic realms.  They’ve traveled to Rome—the center of the ancient world, and today, home to 40% of world’s important art treasures—on our behalf. They’ve captured some of the most remarkable images for Pro Romanis, and for you. These photographs show a deep respect for the great skill that went into these remarkable works of art. The prints are very high resolution, printed on high quality photographic paper, and in the large format, extremely powerful.

Charcoal

Fine Art Reproductions

The ancient Romans excelled at portraiture. Unlike the Greeks who tended to idealize their subjects, the Romans preferred to show them in all their human imperfection. Which isn’t to say they weren’t above idealizing their leaders now and then for the purposes of political propaganda. Our artist is highly skilled in charcoal and pen & ink portraiture, a master at capturing not only the physical but also the character of these persons of consequence who lived more than two millennia ago.

Portraits

The Artist's Approach

“First, I apply the outline of the subject with delicate but logical lines. Then I remove the excess charcoal with a brush. Everything looks transparent. I then model each line separately, i.e. I differentiate the carbon intensity from gray to black. Executing the lines is demanding and precise. The most important thing is that the drawing look soft without any clumsy hardness of strokes. The effect should resemble the technique of the old graphic masters.”

Zygmunt Michalski

Full Body Portraits

Pro Romanis Art
There is something compelling about a drawing of a Roman in full figure. Especially in heroic pose. Gaius Julius Caesar was certainly heroic and in full figure convinces us that he deserves all the attention we bestow. Whether contemplating him in miniature in high resolution and exquisite detail or on a 36” x 65” banner that declares his charisma and power, all eyes will be inexorably drawn to any wall this high quality reproduction graces.

Oil Paintings

Fine Art Reproductions

Painting Techniques

Pro Romanis Art

Zygmunt Michalski has executed several oil paintings for Pro Romanis in the 19 th century classic academic style. His paintings are applied either to canvas or to a hard surface (wood) using traditional oil painting techniques. His underpaintings are made in cold gray (black with an abundance of white paint) or natural umber  intermixed with an ample amount of white. Such a strong whitened underpainting yields a high degree of color brightness. The image is then brought forth in light and dark tones. The composition is controlled through a harmony of colors—e.g., all colors are based on the principle of gray painting—so that the viewer perceives the harmony of colors in the range of complementary colors. Zygmunt uses Winsor & Newton paints as well as Griffin Alkyd Oil Paints in his work.

After the Contest - Color

Pen & Ink

Fine Art Reproductions

Pen & Ink was originally associated with etching on a metal plate to which ink was then applied and a piece of damp paper pressed against it to create an image. Rembrandt worked in this medium as early as 1625, and his reputation as an artist rested upon his pen & ink etchings. Our artist, Zygmunt Michalski patterns his style after Rembrandt and another artist from the turn of the 19th century, Michał Płoński.

Drawing Techniques

Pro Romanis Art
Zyggi’s pen & ink drawing, Thrax, Before the Contest, employs tool movement and clarity of line to achieve a powerful result in telling the story of a gladiator and his senatorial admirers just before the contest in the arena. The senators are enthusiastically cheering their champion and betting big money on the anticipated result of the match. This drawing is one of a matching pair, the other featuring a retiarius—a gladiator with a trident and net usually paired with a heavily armored opponent like a Thrax, Secutor or Murmillo—and an admiring group of vestal virgins, the only women who were allowed to sit in the high- end seats in a gladiatorial arena.

Computer Graphics

Fine Art reproductions

It is extremely rare to see an ancient Roman building in its full glory. We mostly have foundations, tantalizing fragments or unadorned concrete and brick walls from which to interpolate how these constructions may have looked and felt in their day. Our digital artist, Sebastian, has remedied that situation. He seems to have mastered the intricacies of shape, shadow, light and weight in his depictions and confections. Realistic looking buildings in the digital environment are particularly difficult to get right; if it’s not the perspective, it’s the precision of the ornamentation or the texture of the building materials. And this is doubly true for the complexity and beauty of individual architectural elements such as the Corinthian capital of a column or an acanthus-leaf-embellished frieze. Our digital artist has managed to accomplish all of these and more. He has captured the power, the grace and the grandeur of Roman architecture.

Resources

Pro Romanis Art

The reproductions from Pro Romanis are classical architecture CGI renderings modeled on the works of Andrea Palladio, Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Sebastiano Serlio et al. CG includes precise reconstruction of Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite (Roman) Orders, as well as entire famous ancient Roman buildings. All basic architectural shapes (elements such as columns, pedestals, arches, architraves, …) for every order are modeled after strict and well-defined measurements and proportions described by Palladio, Vignola, Serlio et al. Ancient Roman building reconstruction is based also on various resources: books, drawings, paintings as well as photographs of Roman ruins.

3D modeling
& Rendering

Pro Romanis Art

Technically, two-dimensional Palladio and Vignola drawings are digitized and converted into three-dimensional objects (mesh) in software such as Sketchup, Modo, 3ds max, etc. Three-dimensional models of ornaments, moldings, and sculptures are created in Zbrush or using photogrammetry software (by extracting 3D information from photographs). Textures of marbles and stones are applied onto 3D architectural models and final images are produced/achieved under Octane Render.

Pro Romanis has a good number of beautiful architectural reproductions on offer.

Digital Paintings

Fine Art Reproductions

Want to feel what living in ancient Rome was like? Then take a look at this digital painting by Andre Koribanics. A lot of thinking went into this composition. It represents a typical Roman street scene on a typical day. The first thing you might notice is how many people are in the streets. That’s because ancient Romans lived much of their lives outside. The second thing you might notice is how modern the apartment buildings look. Because these buildings were constructed of brick and poured concrete, they could climb up as high as 7 stories. An apartment like the one depicted in this painting, the Insula Marcia, could hold as many as 500 people. Apartment buildings were called insulae (“islands” in Latin), because they stood alone and covered an entire city block. They were usually surrounded by four streets, one on each side of the building.

There are over 139 individual figures in this picture. And there are several narratives to uncover. If pedestrian traffic looks congested, it is and was. Over one million people lived in ancient Rome during this time. What made this possible? Eleven aqueducts delivering clean water to thousands of fountains throughout the city. Just like the one depicted at the lower left of the painting. Sewers carried away waste and there were plenty of apartment buildings to accommodate all those people. Europe didn’t see a city as large or sophisticated as Rome until 19th century London.

PRO ROMANIS ART Insula Marcia

Welcome to
Pro Romanis

Fine Art

Reproductions

Augustus Prima Porta

Pro Romanis is an homage to classical Greek and Roman civilization. A project 15 years in the making, it is a collaborative effort by a determined classicist and a collection of professional writers, artists, photographers, designers and programmers.  The Store was set up to provide images to enthusiasts, glimpses if you will, of a civilization long gone. But one which still deeply influences us today. The store contains original art reproductions—paintings, pen & ink drawings, digital graphics and photographs—commissioned by Pro Romanis.  We’re passionate about our work.  We hope you are too.

Photography

Fine Art

Photo Prints

The photographers we work with are professionals. Accomplished in the commercial and the artistic realms.  They’ve travelled to Rome—the center of the ancient world, and today, home to 40% of world’s important art treasures—on our behalf. They’ve captured some of the most remarkable images for Pro Romanis, and for you. These photographs show a deep respect for the great skill that went into these remarkable works of art. The prints are very high resolution, printed on high quality photographic paper, and in the large format, extremely powerful.

Charcoal

Fine Art

Reproductions

Portraits

The ancient Romans excelled at portraiture.  Unlike the Greeks who tended to idealize their subjects, the Romans preferred to show them in all their human imperfection.  Which isn’t to say they weren’t above idealizing their leaders now and then for the purposes of political propaganda. Our artist is highly skilled in charcoal and pen & ink portraiture, a master at capturing not only the physical but also the character of these persons of consequence who lived more than two millennia ago.

The Artist's Approach

“First, I apply the outline of the subject with delicate but logical lines. Then I remove the excess charcoal with a brush. Everything looks transparent. I then model each line separately, i.e. I differentiate the carbon intensity from gray to black. Executing the lines is demanding and precise. The most important thing is that the drawing look soft without any clumsy hardness of strokes. The effect should resemble the technique of the old graphic masters.”

Zygmunt Michalski

Full Body portraits

There is something compelling about a drawing of a Roman in full figure. Especially in heroic pose. Gaius Julius Caesar was certainly heroic and in full figure convinces us that he deserves all the attention we bestow. Whether contemplating him in miniature in high resolution and exquisite detail or on a 36” x 65” banner that declares his charisma and power, all eyes will be inexorably drawn to any wall this high quality reproduction graces.

Oil Paintings

Fine Art

Reproductions

After the Contest - Color

Painting
techniques

Zygmunt Michalski has executed several oil paintings for Pro Romanis in the 19 th century classic academic style. His paintings are applied either to canvas or to a hard surface (wood) using traditional oil painting techniques. His underpaintings are made in cold gray (black with an abundance of white paint) or natural umber intermixed with an ample amount of white. Such a strong whitened underpainting yields a high degree of color brightness. The image is then brought forth in light and dark tones. The composition is controlled through a harmony of colors—e.g., all colors are based on the principle of gray painting—so that the viewer perceives the harmony of colors in the range of complementary colors. Zygmunt uses Winsor & Newton paints as well as Griffin Alkyd Oil Paints in his work.

Pen & Ink

Fine Art

Reproductions

Drawing Techniques

Pen & Ink was originally associated with etching on a metal plate to which ink was then applied and a piece of damp paper pressed against it to create an image. Rembrandt worked in this medium as early as 1625, and his reputation as an artist rested upon his pen & ink etchings. Our artist, Zygmunt Michalski patterns his style after Rembrandt and another artist from the turn of the 19th century, Michał Płoński.
Zyggi’s pen & ink drawing, Thrax, Before the Contest, employs tool movement and clarity of line to achieve a powerful result in telling the story of a gladiator and his senatorial admirers just before the contest in the arena. The senators are enthusiastically cheering their champion and betting big money on the anticipated result of the match.
This drawing is one of a matching pair, the other featuring a retiarius—a gladiator with a trident and net usually paired with a heavily armored opponent like a Thrax, Secutor or Murmillo—and an admiring group of vestal virgins, the only women who were allowed to sit in the high- end seats in a gladiatorial arena.

Computer Graphics

Fine Art

Digital Prints

Doric Order Palladio

It is extremely rare to see an ancient Roman building in its full glory. We mostly have foundations, tantalizing fragments or unadorned concrete and brick walls from which to interpolate how these constructions may have looked and felt in their day. Our digital artist, Sebastian, has remedied that situation. He seems to have mastered the intricacies of shape, shadow, light and weight in his depictions and confections.

Realistic looking buildings in the digital environment are particularly difficult to get right; if it’s not the perspective, it’s the precision of the ornamentation or the texture of the building materials. And this is doubly true for the complexity and beauty of individual architectural elements such as the Corinthian capital of a column or an acanthus-leaf-embellished frieze. Our digital artist has managed to accomplish all of these and more. He has captured the power, the grace and the grandeur of Roman architecture.

Resources

The reproductions from Pro Romanis are classical architecture CGI renderings modeled on the works of Andrea Palladio, Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Sebastiano Serlio et al. CG includes precise reconstruction of Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite (Roman) Orders, as well as entire famous ancient Roman buildings. All basic architectural shapes (elements such as columns, pedestals, arches, architraves…) for every order are modeled after strict and well-defined measurements and proportions described by Palladio, Vignola, Serlio et al. Ancient Roman building reconstruction is based also on various resources: books, drawings, paintings as well as photographs of Roman ruins.

3d modeling
& Rendering

Technically, two-dimensional Palladio and Vignola drawings are digitized and converted into three-dimensional objects (mesh) in software such as Sketchup, Modo, 3ds max, etc. Three-dimensional models of ornaments, moldings, and sculptures are created in Zbrush or using photogrammetry software (by extracting 3D information from photographs).

Textures of marbles and stones are applied onto 3D architectural models and final images are produced/achieved under Octane Render. 

Pro Romanis has a good number of beautiful architectural reproductions on offer.

Basilica-Julia-interior2

Digital Paintings

Fine Art

Digital Prints

PRO ROMANIS ART Insula Marcia

Street Scene

Want to feel what living in ancient Rome was like? Then take a look at this digital painting by Andre Koribanics. A lot of thinking went into this composition. It represents a typical Roman street scene on a typical day. The first thing you might notice is how many people are in the streets. That’s because ancient Romans lived much of their lives outside. The second thing you might notice is how modern the apartment buildings look. Because these buildings were constructed of brick and poured concrete, they could climb up as high as 7 stories. An apartment like the one depicted in this painting, the Insula Marcia, could hold as many as 500 people. Apartment buildings were called insulae (“islands” in Latin), because they stood alone and covered an entire city block. They were usually surrounded by four streets, one on each side of the building. There are over 139 individual figures in this picture. And there are several narratives to uncover. If pedestrian traffic looks congested, it is and was. Over one million people lived in ancient Rome during this time. What made this possible? Eleven aqueducts delivering clean water to thousands of fountains throughout the city. Just like the one depicted at the lower left of the painting. Sewers carried away waste and there were plenty of apartment buildings to accommodate all those people. Europe didn’t see a city as large or sophisticated as Rome until 19th century London.