Roman painting as Roman art followed Greek styles but never reached its splendor. Both, Roman architect Vitruvius in De Architectura and Pliny The Elder in Naturalis Historia referred to this ancients artworks. There are also a high number of Roman copies of Greek art. The best known and most important samples are the wall paintings from Pompeii and Herculaneum. Many famous paintings, such as the Aldobrandini Wedding and Odyssey Landscapes (Vatican), are believed to be Roman copies of Greek originals. [1] Roman painting themes included animals, still life, scenes from everyday life, portraits, and some mythological subjects, principally as interior decoration. Triumphal Paintings, appeared since the 3rd. century B.C., as indicated by Pliny (The 35th. book on Painting, Colors, and Painters.)
Of the paintings which survive from the Roman classical world, many are frescoes from the area of Campania around Naples... The Romans painted directly on the walls of their rooms, and also on portable panels. [2]
The Roman style of paintings, spread throughout the Roman Empire and into the Middle East, North Africa and the rest of Europe. After the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe's greatest inheritance was the Roman-Christian tradition.
