Ancient Roman Painting
Roman buildings decadently decorated inside in both the public and private settings with white marble exteriors. The Romans constructed colorful mosaics for the floor, walls, and ceilings.Examples of things that the Ancient Romans painted are mythological figures, still life art, and portraits possibly painted on wood, ivory, or other materials. Not a lot has survived in terms of Roman paintings. What we do have is mostly what was found in the cities cities like Pompeii that were buried in volcanic ash but those works were mostly wall paintings. Roman painting tends to show the great efficiency of the people by again taking Greek work and adapting it to suit their needs as they did with the other fine arts. Greek artwork was revered and appreciated so much that it was often copied. There is not a whole lot of information known about early Roman paintings. None have survived and the only accounts of it exist through writings from that era. According to these writings early paintings showed historical battle and may have been used to decorate the Roman temples as early as the 3rd century B.C. Also, panel type paintings would be commissioned by the the military leaders and victors so that they could be displayed in public places for all to see the glory of their accomplishments. They also may have been used in the military's triumphant procession that would occur through the streets of Rome after returning home victorious. The earliest surviving military scenes were found on tombs . Roman public art was known for its historical and politic depictions. On the other hand Roman private art was geared more toward the Greek themes, or other subjects of the time. Some examples of art work that the Romans would have in their homes would be
Romans painted their interior walls of their homes using rich decadent pigments, lime, soap, and sometimes wax. After finishing the works they would polish the painting with special metal or glass pieces and then buff with cloth. A famous example of the richness of the roman color palette can be see below with one of the most famous painted rooms of Ancient Roman times outside of Pompeii in the Villa of Mysteries.
People think that this room might have been a sort of shrine or possibly even a meeting place for the followers of the Dionysus Cult. The use of the rich shade of red can be seen around the entire room and is actually known today as Pompeian Red.