Etruscan Art
Etruscan art is in some ways a lot like Greek art of the same time, because the Etruscans admired the Greeks very much and imitated a lot of their art (and bought a lot of art from the Greeks as well). But there are also some interesting differences.
Etruscan art developed gradually out of earlier Villanovan art. We start calling it Etruscan art about the time they began to be influenced by the Greeks, about 700 BC.
Etruscan sarcophagus (like a coffin) for
a husband and wife (ca. 520 BC)
One idea the Etruscans seem to have gotten from the Greeks was to make pottery with pictures on it. The Etruscans bought a lot of pottery from the Greeks, but they also made some of their own.
A little later, the Etruscans also began making big sculptures like the Greeks. But the Etruscans didn't have access to marble the way the Greeks did, so instead of stone statues they made their statues out of clay. Etruscan statues are also more human-looking, less perfect than Greek statues, and often funnier. And they often show men and women together, which Greek statues never do.
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The Etruscans also built big temples for their gods like the Greeks. But Etruscan temples didn't look exactly like Greek temples. Etruscan temples were built up on high platforms, and they had steps only on the front, not all the way around.
To find out more about Etruscan art, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Vulca the Etruscan, by Roberta Angeletti (1999). For kids.
The Etruscans, by Don Nardo (2004). For kids.
Hands-On Ancient People, Volume 2: Art Activities about Minoans, Mycenaeans, Trojans, Ancient Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, by Yvonne Merrill (2004). For kids.
Etruscan Art, by Nigel Spivey (1997). A college textbook.
Or check out this Etruscans article in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
More on the Etruscans
Etruscan Architecture
Etruscan Pottery
Ancient Greek Art
Roman Art
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