LASTING LASTING ArtArt CONTRIBUTIONS OF CONTRIBUTIONS OF ANCIENT ROME: ANCIENT ROME: PaintingsPaintings

By: Carmel Yang

GENERAL STYLES GENERAL STYLES • Fastidiously detailed portrays Fastidiously detailed portrays

realism realism • Unlike the Greeks, instead of Unlike the Greeks, instead of

creating only militia exploits, pieces creating only militia exploits, pieces show documental events show documental events

• Portraits of emperors were Portraits of emperors were exaggerated for propaganda exaggerated for propaganda

• Artwork—loosely based on Greek, Artwork—loosely based on Greek, Italic, Egyptian, and Etruscan ideas Italic, Egyptian, and Etruscan ideas and stylesand styles

• Portraits of Roman gods were Portraits of Roman gods were painted or carved into murals and painted or carved into murals and paintings and even architect. paintings and even architect.

• reflected the artist’s individualism reflected the artist’s individualism • Styles vary from daily life to Styles vary from daily life to

landscapes, to wall paintings, to landscapes, to wall paintings, to aqueducts and architecture, to aqueducts and architecture, to portraits. portraits.

• Started in 500 B.C. Started in 500 B.C.

Pompeian art of a mother and child

Roman aqueduct in Segovia

PAINTINGS• Wide variety of themes: animals,

still life, daily life, landscapes, portraits, pagan gods.

• Four periods of paintwork:• The First Style, “Incrustation” (200

to 60 B.C.), • The Second Style, dubbed the

“Architectural Style” (40 to 30 P.C.),

• The Third Style, “Ornate Style” (20 B.C. to 20 A.D.),

• And The Fourth Style, known as the Intricate Style (20 A.D. to 79 A.D.).

• Mural paintings• Triumphant paintings• Panel Paintings• The Four Periods: nicknamed

Pompeian styles

Pompeian painter mural painting

• Started in Pompeii: 200 B.C. Started in Pompeii: 200 B.C. • Imitation in painted stucco Imitation in painted stucco

of veneers or crustae of veneers or crustae (“slabs”), of colored marbles(“slabs”), of colored marbles

• Walls used for two things: Walls used for two things: barrier & to enhance room’s barrier & to enhance room’s spacespace

• Incrustation: walls were Incrustation: walls were divided into polychrome divided into polychrome panels of solid colors with panels of solid colors with some textural contrast. some textural contrast.

• The wall painted were The wall painted were divided into 3 horizontal divided into 3 horizontal zones zones

• Zones were topped with Zones were topped with stucco columns made of stucco columns made of dentil blocks. dentil blocks.

• Based upon Doric Based upon Doric architectural orderarchitectural order

Roman wall painting: Incrustation

THE SECOND STYLE: ARCHITECTURAL• early 1early 1stst century B.C. century B.C.• Instead of stucco (circa Instead of stucco (circa

Incrustation) artists used flat Incrustation) artists used flat plaster, which projected details plaster, which projected details by shadingby shading

• Used for propaganda purposesUsed for propaganda purposes• Made walls look extended Made walls look extended

beyond the room, but wasn't beyond the room, but wasn't systematicsystematic

• Illusions of three-dimensional Illusions of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface: shadows, columns, surface: shadows, columns, projection from wallsprojection from walls

• complex form of earlier artcomplex form of earlier art• Artists almost developed a Artists almost developed a

linear perspective. (They linear perspective. (They developeddeveloped

“Peaches and Glass Jar”

Still life fresco from Herculaneum, c.50 ce.

Bedroom in the villa of Publius Fannius Synistor, from Boscoreale

outside Pompeii. 

The Third Style: Ornate• 20 B.C. to 60 A.D. • Subdivided walls into

panels by vertical and horizontal bands

• Flashier than previous austere styles

• Symmetrical • Vertical bands

divided by geometric motifs/bases

• Monochromatic

The Fourth Style: Intricate

60-30 Second Style illusion and

Third style figure Figures detached from

original backdrop transferred to another background, preferably architecture that looks like a stage set

Styles: open doors, candelabras, windows, loggias, balconies, other elements of fantastical architecture,

Artwork didn’t obey limits of architectural engineering and was often exaggerated

Triumphal Paintings• 3rd century B.C.• Showed triumphant

militia battles, war episodes, conquered lands

• Paintings have disappeared

• influenced historical reliefs carved on military sarcophagi

Sarcophagi from Ancient Egypt

Panel Paintings• Considered to be

prestigious art• Usually depict a single

person, showing the head, maybe upper chest, viewed frontally

• Painted on wood panels • Background mostly

monochrome, with few decorative elements

• Realistic•

QuestionsWhat did Panel Paintings and have in common with The Third Style?

Which two styles helped shape up the Fourth Style?

Which paintings have disappeared?

What were the names of the 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th styles?

Which style were considered to be prestigious art?

Answers1. They were both flashier than the austere designs of most other paintings

2. Two styles were the Second Style and the Third Style

3. Triumphant paintings have seem to have disappeared, perhaps because of the panels decaying

4. 1st: Incrustation2nd: Architectural3rd: Ornate4th: Intricate

5. Panel Paintings