Leah Nam

Roman Colosseum

Acrylic Paint

Maggie Boothe

12th grade, 7th period

My piece Roman Colosseum was requested by Maggie, my client. When brainstorming for something that she wanted, she mentioned that she wanted to challenge my skills as an artist, and so we decided on architecture. She finds Roman architecture in general fascinating and beautiful, so we narrowed it down to the Colosseum. I was inspired by Canaletto and Viviano Codazzi; Canaletto was known for his precise and detailed paintings of Venetian architecture, which was profoundly influenced by Roman architecture. Viviano Codazzi specialized in ruins and architectural perspective, inspiring the perspective of the ruins I took on for the painting. 

To create this piece, I utilized acrylic paint and paint markers. I began with a pencil sketch on the canvas to capture the small details within my reference photo. I then created base layers with watered down layers of paint to neutralize the white of the canvas, allowing me to build atop of the base easily while still being able to see the sketch through the paint. From there I continued to block out larger sections of color before going in with a smaller brush and paint markers to fine tune the details of the piece. The Colosseum itself is obviously the main emphasis of the painting, utilizing warmer browns and yellows to be distinct against the light blue background. What was important for this piece specifically was being able to distinguish different shades of the same color to create dimension and shadows without creating sharp lines.

Overall, rather than an entirely original piece (regarding composition and meaning), I provided my client with a more classic and atmospheric piece of architectural ruins. The painting was more so to provide an addition to my client’s aesthetic and possibly be used as decor in her home rather than as an emotionally connected piece that has a specific meaning. At the end of the day, I had fun painting something I don’t usually do and at the request of one of my close friends. :)