Roman Wall Painting

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Roman Wall Painting
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Pompeii

• Pompeii was not an artistic centre but a small
  seaside resort.
• There may have been regional differences and
  differences in personal taste in the art work
  found there.
• Paintings there are dated from 200BC to 79 AD

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Pompeian Paintings

• Quality of paintings depended on the skill of
  the artist and the cost of the work
• Paint was applied to wet plaster
• Alabaster dust was superior to plain white paint
  as a surface

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Paint

• The paint quality varied
• Cinnabar from Spain was more expensive than local
  earth pigments such as red ochre

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Expensive Pigments

• Cinnabar deep red
• Gold leaf

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Basic Pigments

• Red-red ochre or haematite
• Black soot
• White chalk
• Yellow yellow ochre
• Green terre verte (different minerals)
• Blue copper calcium silicate

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Painting

• Walls were painted while still wet and could not
  be moved
• The last layer of plaster was applied to the
  section of wall that could be finished
• Walls were therefore divided into sections
  giornata di lavoro

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• Walls were often divided into three sections
  horizontally - dado, middle, upper
• Paintings were rarely finished in one go
• The picture was etched onto the wet plaster and
  essentially coloured in
• Sometimes different artists were employed to
  complete different sections

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• Sometimes important sections were done in the
  artists studio and inserted into the finished
  space on completion

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Plastering

• Wall had to be rough enough to hold the plaster
• Plaster was made from lime (calcium hydroxide)
  and water.
• Sometimes grit was added to aid the drying
  process
• For top coats the grit was often marble dust

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• Wealthy patrons could afford up to 6 layers of
  plaster applied

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Tradesmens Tools

• Applied with a trulla a trowel
• Smoothed with liaculum float
• Sometimes applied with thick bristles

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The Four Pompeian StylesThe First Style

• Dating from first century BC
• Also called masonry style
• Copied from Hellenistic styles
• Plaster was applied to resemble cut stone blocks
• Often painted to resemble different types of
  stone such as marble or alabaster

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The Second Style

• 80BC
• Light source incorporated into the painting to
  make columns appear real and includes shadows
• Gives a three dimensional quality

House of the Gryphon in Rome Note three sections
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• The Second style developed into wide open
  scenes where myths and real people could be seen
• The Villa of the Mysteries shows two contrasting
  panes the flat wall and the figures
• The room is opened up

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The Third Style

• Return to a flat wall
• Monochromatic colours black white red
• Three levels of wall
• Overlaid with fantastical ornamental detail
• Columns are now thin and spindly and often
  replaced with candelabra
• Small scenessacro-idyllic scenes were popular
• This style was fashionable for decades

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The Fourth Style

• Eclectic
• Combines illusion of the Second Style with the
  delicate architecture of the Third
• Many houses were redecorated in the Fourth Style
  after the earthquake of AD62 and continued in
  popularity after Vesuvius

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• It also consisted of a central panel with a
  glimpse of outdoors through a narrow opening
• A second panel resembling a tapestry
• Borders of a fabric style
• Top panel architectural vignettes
• Bottom section dado is plain
• Elaborate decoration is essential to the Fourth
  Style

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• Miniature animals and mythological people
  appeared
• Floral garlands were also popular
• Influenced by Fabullus who painted Neros Domus
  Aurea

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Bibliography

• Campbell, Jonathan. Roman art and Architecture,
  Longman, Auckland, 2002.