Stylistic originality of the mosaics of the Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina (n.4 c)

Turning to the themes and style of the late Roman mosaics within the Villa del Casale, it is impossible not to note the main components of the corpus of these images. The plot part was for the most part presented as a separately worked out structure of images and meanings: the course of images was primitive and did not present any difficulty for the viewer to process information. The conceptual component of these mosaics was also diverse: there are both everyday scenes of hunting, games, fishing, and military ones. The theme of Satire also found a place in this gallery. The image distribution system is well thought out. The space created around the images themselves was either painted with ornaments or kept completely empty. But before studying in more detail individual groups of mosaics and after drawing up a clear sequence for the creation and formation of the style of these images, we will consider the very issue of Roman mosaics and its formation as a separate art form.

Roman mosaic, like other types of art in general, in the first place, has a special meaning, related directly to the philosophy of life of a person of that time, his habits, desires and knowledge. Speaking about it, one cannot fail to note the importance of its influence from the Greek tradition, which dates back to the fifth century BC, starting with the works of the archaic period. Already more familiar to us stylistics comes to the end of Hellenism. The characteristic geometry and two-dimensionality of the images of figures and faces can also be attributed to that period, motifs that, at first glance, take on an ornamental character, gradually become an integral part of the main plot of the mosaic, too. But already in the Italian tradition, such a mosaic performs only a decorative role, becoming a kind of tapestry image in the form of a mosaic pattern. The second type of mosaics includes well-known figurative images, they are more picturesque and are defined by their essence as separate genre works. The exact gradual development of ornamental mosaics can already be seen in late Roman monuments, as in the example of the mosaic gallery of the Villa del Casale, where the Hellenistic image is transformed and takes on a new character in the conditions of Sicilian life.

Turning to the specifics of this villa, one cannot fail to note its place in the context of other works of Sicilian mosaics, which played a prominent role in the development of classical stylization, which was formed a little later in the face of Italian mosaics. But it is impossible to exclude the influence of the Italian mosaic itself on the Sicilian in the imperial period: for several centuries the practice of black and white mosaics has remained unchanged, maintaining the previous pace of Italian origin. In this territory already in the late III century AD. e. one can trace the formation and emergence of a new face, which will have a greater influence on the already established mosaic of Sicily at that time. The mosaic of the area itself has evolved continuously, but it was the North African floral motif, using multi-colored textures, that established some integration of the Sicilian mosaic of the period, uniting the two main centers of influence in the face of the new mosaics of the villas. The rich language of decorative ornaments, which later developed independently in the form of early Christian fine art and iconography, becomes the starting point for the formation of this type of manner of presenting new meanings and ideas.

In the Villa del Casale, one can also trace the synthesis of the two principles already established at that time, since it is impossible to give a clear and unified description of the mosaics of this room, the work was done by different schools, while somehow maintaining the overall style. It is assumed that some of them were made by African masters a little later. entrance, atrium, tablinum, peristyle and large basilica of the villa - all these areas were intended for visitors, which explains the thematic originality of these mosaics.

The entire corpus can be divided into several groups, and after that, subgroups, united by one plot beginning or using a single system of signs and motifs that can be traced through many of the works of the villa. For example, the motif of cupids fishing can be traced through the entire body of mosaics and appears repeatedly in every part of the villa. It is also possible to talk about the possible existence of a certain catalog of used, repetitive and easily recognizable motifs found in other latifundia of the empire. Through the mosaic itself, one can feel the direct relationship between the architecture of the villa itself, the arrangement of the rooms, and the images inside them, which can be seen in the example of the Erotic Mosaic (see Fig. 1), where its arrangement is appropriately played up with the theme of the drawing itself.

The central theme of the mosaics of the Villa del Casale covers a common theme for the entire era of imperial Rome, namely the symbol of the dominus, the owner of this villa and his family. With the exception of the topics already mentioned by me earlier, the uniting in this complex is not only the figure of the landowner as an allusion to the leading character, but the whole court as a whole.

The stylistic originality of the mosaics of the Villa del Casale can be determined by examining a small part of the mosaic complex. So, for example, the Great Hunt mosaic (see Fig. 2-4) gives a clear understanding of how the artist worked with shadows, texture, how the compositional moment and the principle of working with characters' faces are solved. The complexion is rendered more smoothly, it is possible to notice the early stages to further create gentle classic facial features, without the use of strong geometric lines. The multi-figure scene of hunting, capture and trapping of animals is finely worked out with landscape detail. Firstly, here it is possible to notice several ports already known to us at once, such as Carthage and, already marked as a point of arrival, the port of Portus. With the exception of the historical and geographical pattern, it is also interesting to emphasize the location of the figures in space, which can be drawn in parallel with the already known works of African masters. But the theme of hunting itself is worked out a little differently: the placement of characters is more systematized and succinctly presented, acquiring the character of an element of the landscape.

Also the well-known thematic group of scenes of sports games and entertainment took a significant place in the program of mosaics of this villa, placed in particular in the thermal baths. One of the most famous mosaics of this group, Girls in “bikini” (see Fig. 5), was taken a little differently for a long time, the idea of a beauty contest was taken as the plot. In the faces of the girls, the softness and tenderness of the classic portrait can be traced again, there is a soft ductility of lines and a new interpretation of the not completely naked female body, with distinct outlines of muscles, working with the rhythm of the image. An important part of this compositional idea was the task of showing the theme of sports games as clearly and pleasantly as possible for the viewer, using attributes that could be accurately identified. It is also known that women's sports competitions were associated exclusively with the upper stratum of society, which already speaks of the high status of not only the owner of the villa, but also his visitors too.

Thus, the stylistic originality of the mosaics of the Villa del Casale can be defined as definitely inherent in the late Roman villa decoration, using Sicilian contexts and combining these elements with the stylistic components of North African art dating back to the post-Severan period.