1. Roman Wall Paintings 1
Running head: Roman Wall Paintings
Roman Wall Paintings
Assignment #1, Discussion Board Entry #1
TSgt Loren Karl-Robinson Schwappach
Colorado Technical University
Prepared for Tammy Starzyk
HUM140-0804A-08 Art Appreciation
10 October, 2008

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Abstract
Over two centuries back in history Roman masonry workers and artisans were redefining
the significance and value of art at home and in within society. Roman wall paintings are a
testament to early human desires to capture the hero’s of legend, beauties of nature, and wonders
of the world onto something as simple as a wall. This short discussion-essay will take you on a
journey into the generous behind Roman artisans and the four distinctive styles they used to turn
ordinary flat surfaces into stunning visual masterpieces.

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Through the tragedy of Mount Vesuvius’s volcanic eruption on August 24, 79 A.D. come
nearly all of our examples of Roman wall artistries. To this day most of the Roman wall
paintings discovered are found in the areas of Pompeii and Herculaneum, better known as the
bay of Naples. (Roman painting, 2004)
With materials like sea whelks, sand, copper, white lead, cinnabar, and burnt brushwood
for their color palette Roman’s discovered ways to lighten and enhance their often dark sun
and/or torch lit havens into at times three dimensional and often dreamy master pieces.
Art Historians have classified four fundamental periods (styles) of Roman wall paintings.
These styles of wall paintings are the Incrustation (introduced 200-60 B.C.), Architectonic
(introduced 60-20 B.C.), Ornamental (introduced 20 B.C. to 20 A.D.), and Intricate (introduced
20 A.D. to 79 A.D.). (Roman painting, 2004)
To create their incredible canvases a few wealthy Roman’s had their wall paintings
created on several coats of powdered marble. This practice of using marble was far too costly
for most Roman’s and thus plaster or coats of mortar were often used in substitute. There are
many historical references illuminating that they may have used other hard surfaces such as
wood and ivory as well. (Roman painting, 2004)
Roman wall paintings had several purposes to the patrons which commissioned their
design and the artists that constructed them. As wall paintings they offered an imaginative way
to turn an often dark, untouched, underappreciated, and neglected surrounding into a bright
window of creativity and mystery. Since most Roman households were dark and lit simply
through the use of sunlight and/or fire wall paintings offered a resourceful way of brightening
ones home, expanding dimension, and capturing the empathy of Roman minds.

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The first style used in the assembly of Roman wall paintings was known as Incrustation.
The Incrustation style was the basis of Roman wall paintings and used colored stones and marble
in mosaic patterns (See: Image 1).
The second style known as the Architectonic style used artisan tricks known as intuitive
perspective (architectural details follow diagonal lines), and atmospheric perspective (colors
appear slightly greyer in the background) to give a three dimensional, or far away appearance to
their artwork (See: Image 2). (Stokstad, M. (2007)
Ornamental style was the third style introduced to Roman wall paintings and its’ success
and push seems to have been pushed by Roman Emperor Agustus according to today’s
historians. The ornamental style sought a withdrawal from the popular incrustation and
architectonic styles and called for artisans to reach deeper into their legends, heroes, and
imaginations and refuse simple illusions. Thus the ornamental style featured much grey and dark
insane and sometimes nightmarish imagery (See Image 3). (Roman painting, 2004)
The fourth and final style introduced was known as the intricate style and was a mesh of
the Incrustation styles bright imagery and colors, Architectural styles three dimensionality, and
the Ornamental styles mythical (although bright) heroic legends and lore. (Roman painting,
2004)

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Appendix
Image 1: Example of a Roman Wall Painting (Incrustation Style): Garden scene with fountains and birds: Image obtained on 10
October 2008 from The Romans website at: http://www.the-romans.co.uk/painting.htm
Image 2: Example of a Roman wall painting (Architectonic Style): From the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale. Image
obtained on 10 October 2008 from Metropolitan Museum of Art website at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/04/eust/ho_03.14.13a-g.htm

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Appendix
Image 3: Example of a Roman wall painting (Ornamental Style): From the "Mythological Room" of the Imperial Villa at
Boscotrecase. Image obtained on 10 October 2008 from Metropolitan Museum of Art website at:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/todi/ho_20.192.17.htm
Image 4: Example of a Roman wall painting (Intricate Style): From the House of M. Lucretius Fronto. Image obtained on 10 October
2008 from the Wikipedia Commons website at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Casa-Lucretius-Fronto-Pompeii.jpg

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References
Stokstad, M. (2007). Art: a brief history (3rd ed.).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Roman painting. (October, 2004). Retrieved on October 10, 2008 from
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ropt/hd_ropt.htm