Roman art: Painting and Mosaics

(BC-250A.D)

Roman Paintings:

- Decorated the house or villa- Set a mood to the room- Roman homes typically had confined rooms with limited windows and doors,

so they used wall paintings to open up the space- Roman paintings mainly consisted of wall paintings on plaster, or frescos- The wall paintings could consist of landscapes, mythology, portraits,

still life, animals and plants, or architecture- 4 styles of wall painting in Ancient Rome- Creation of wall paintings:

1. 1-3 coats of mortar (lime and sand)2. 1-3 coats of lime with powdered marble 3. Application of pigment on damp wall4. Optional tempera and liquid wax on dry wall

1 st Style (200-60B.C.):

- Also known as incrustation- Hellenistic influence- Imitated architectural details- Simulated marble on painted plaster

Samnite House, Herculaneum, 2nd Century B.C.

2 nd Style (60-25B.C.):

- Also known as architectural- Illusion of room extension

- Not systematic or accurate in perspective- Columns, window frames, and other architectural features

Villa of Publius Fannius Synistor, Boscoreale, Italy ca. 50-40 B.C.

3 rd Style (20B.C.-20A.D.):

- Also known as ornate- Wall divided into small panels- Vertical and horizontal bands- Decorative designs - Illusionism confined and emphasized framework

Triclinium of Villa of Marcus Lucretius, Pompeii

4 th Style (20-79B.C.):

- Also known as intricate- Decorative

- Influenced by theatrical design- Frames and open vistas

- Incorporates other 3 styles in an optical illusion - Lower walls consisted of the 1st style

- The 2nd style is found in the 3rd style wall articulation- Picture frames also consisted of the 3rd style

Ixion Room, House of Vetii Pompeii, 1st century A.D.

Roman Mosaics:

- The material purpose of providing a durable walking surface

- Providing a purely decorative function (for example on the walls and ceilings of a nymphaeum)

- It could be intended to reinforce the message around a given space’s use, the chained dog with “beware of dog” at the entrance of the house of Tragic in Pompeii Is a famous example

- Roman mosaics were used to reinforce roman social structure and the position of those who commissioned them.

- Materials of making mosaic including pebbles, pieces of terracotta tiles, pumice stones and seashell through to precious stones, marbles and colored glass

Three styles of mosaics

1. Plain mosaic: - Including monotone black of white with a frame of

Opposite color around the edge- The republican period flooring of cement with pottery shreds

and marble inserts.- “Clean and refined. Lager pieces might be used for faster work.

Nymphaeum Later first century B.C

Pompeii, House of Tragic Poet(entryway). 100A.D

Imperial Palace republican era B.C.500 Plain mosaic

Crustae, different materials inserted together and painted with red. Republican Style

2. Geometric patterns:

- Most frequently in black or white tesserae of tiles of “Opus tesselatum”

- In colored marble of “Opus sectile”

- Repetitions of a certain pattern which can make a 3D effect

2. Figurative Mosaic: - As with the geometric patterns the image might stretch across

an entire floor- A central insert of the figurative plate called ”Emblema”- The central piece might be either bought readymade or

constructed by local workshops.- Requires a very high skill

- Themes from mythology, Gods and portraits

Characteristics of Roman mosaics:

1. Black and white Mosaic:

- Popular in first century B.C, obsoleted at third century A.D

- Originated in Rome

In the second century A.D, it was common in Ostia, the port of Rome

2. Emblema(From the Greek emballo” I put in)

- Refers to a mosaic panel

- Figurative theme - Composed in a workshop- On a slab of terracotta, and then inserted in to the center of a

tessellated floor- Third century B.C and middle of second century A.D.

Second century A.D.Palazo Massimo alle terme. Rome, Italy.

Herculaneum , Women’s baths. First century A.D. Black and white mosaic

villa at Daphne near Antioch (modern Antakya, Turkey 2nd Century B.C

3. Opus Tessellatum - Refers to a pavement composed of stone cubes- Measuring about three-eighth to there quarter of an inch(1-2cm)- Example is arranged in “basket-weave pattern”- Most commonly used technique

General Information:

- By the time of Augustus, the art of mosaics and wall paintings were already so widespread across the entire Roman empire that no house lacked examples. Local workshops had sprung up in the major cities, and workers severed the smaller towns.

- Most of the Mosaics were made by freemen or slaves, who were considered as common craftsmen.

- The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79A.D. destroyed frescos and mosaics. The art that survived was preserved by the volcanic ashes.

- Majority of the Roman painting and mosaics were found in Pompeii

- Roman paintings and mosaics were influenced by Hellenistic and Etruscan art

- The most famous locations to find a vast variety of paintings is Villa Boscoreale, and mosaics are found in Piazza Armerina

Pompeii,I nsula Occidentalis, House of Fabius Rufus. First century B.C.

Villa Boscoreale Piazza Armerina