Pompeian murals fall into one of four styles of decoration, and I thought this would be a good point in the Pompeii Room project to stop and talk about them. I'll do an abbreviated description of the four styles, and then you can determine for yourself how my own mural would be characterized (bearing in mind that it's still a work in progress).
The earliest Pompeian murals were meant to appear as a rich masonry, though they were in fact faux granite and marble in stucco relief. The wall below was scored in three dimensions, and what remains of the trompe l'oeil marble is almost lost.
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| studyblue.com |
Below is another example of the First Style (also called Masonry Style).
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| www.accla.org |
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| Grand Illusions | Phaidon | Cass | Leighton | 1988 | |
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Above is a detail of a 1982 Art Deco wall by the great contemporary muralist, Richard Haas. Some of Pompeii's First Style surfaces probably looked a lot like Haas' rendition of marble.
The Second Style (also called Architectural or Illusionist Style) was an artisitic revolution. The Pompeian rooms, which usually did not receive a lot of light, were now painted to bring the outdoors inside, and to give the illusion of opened space. The home of P. Fannius Synistor (which is the inspiration for my own room) included a bedroom (
cubiculum) with an imaginary cityscape, below.
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| click to enlarge | Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, spring, 2010 |
You can see a landscape in the background of Synistor's room, and some of the Second Style murals carried that one step further, with lovingly detailed gardens, like the one below.
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| click to enlarge | Pompeii: The Last Day | Wilkinson | 2003 |
An important element throughout the Second Style was trompe l'oeil details. Bowls of fruit, vases of flowers and musical instruments abounded. Below, the scroll, ink pot, wax tablets and piles of coins were a not-too-subtle reminder of the homeowner's education and wealth.
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| click to enlarge | The Art of Pompeii | Magagnini | de Luca |
Another facet of the Second Style was the depiction of monumental figures, and there's no better or more famous example than the Salon of Mysteries, in the Villa of the Mysteries, below.
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| sites.davidson.edu |
The Third Style (also called Ornate Style) was a reaction to the open vistas of the Second Style. The Pompeians were ready to reclaim and flatten most of the wall space that they had once opened up.
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| Pompeii | Coarelli | Riverside | 2002 |
Typical of the Third Style were pictures mounted on candelabra, small paintings centered on blank panels, and fantasy architectural details that were thin and elongated — all shown above.
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| click to enlarge | www.boundless.com | monm.edu |
Walls of the Third Style were often barer and more stylized than my first example, such as these two. In the Third Style, the colors red, black and deep yellow predominated.
The Fourth Style is the culmination of all the previous styles, and probably because so much of Pompeii was rebuilt after an earthquake in 62 A.D., it's the style most often found in Pompeii.
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| Pompeii | Coarelli | Riverside | 2002 |
The Fourth Style incorporated all three previous styles. Walls were usually divided into three or five panels of flat colors, but some vistas opened up, revealing fantasy architecture with elongated forms. Both of these handsome rooms are from the House of the Vetti, and in the bottom room you can see a wainscoting that's a nod to the First Style.
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| Pompeii | Coarelli | Riverside | 2002 |
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The Fourth Style is the culmination of all the previous styles, and probably because so much of Pompeii was rebuilt after an earthquake in 62 A.D., it's the style most often found in Pompeii.
Dear Mark - I was totally unaware that Pompeian murals fell into one of four styles of decoration, so I was very interested to learn about the development of each style.
ReplyDeleteI am going to select the Fourth Style for the treatment that you have given to your Pompeian room.
Dear Rosemary,
DeleteMy mural is indeed moving in the direction of the Fourth Style. It's not there yet, but will be in the coming weeks, as I move towards and concentrate on that center blue panel.
Hello Mark, such fascinating information. I wish I had known all of this before I visited Pompeii. It would have enriched my experience immensely. Eager to see what happens in the blue panel. Barbara
ReplyDeleteHello, Babara,
DeleteYou have the edge on me, for I have never visited Pompeii — and I hope that I'm not too late! I understand that the heat generated by tourists (and I suppose the lighting to display rooms, too) is seriously degrading the murals at an alarming rate!
Dear Mark, I agree with Silver, wish I had known "the rest of the story" when we visited Pompeii a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI think the 2nd style depicts your wall treatments. But I will reserve my decision until the very end when all is completed.
What I do know is that you have embarked on an immense project which few artists would or could tackle. I have enjoyed following your every installment and can't wait to see the next.
Dear Gina,
DeleteThank you for your lovely comment — the enjoyment of my viewers is at least half the fun!
I have never been to Pompeii, but of course have been doing a lot of reading on it. I surmise from my reading that there's little left of the First Style. I think you are right that my mural looks like the Second Style in its current form, but you are wise to reserve judgement because there's much to come!
Hello Mark,
ReplyDeleteThis is most informative and it is quite clear from your illustrations how the Four Styles varied and, indeed, why they did. All most intriguing.
We can perhaps imagine that your own room will have a compilation of styles, rather like the Fourth Style, with so many different aspects included in the whole. Since we last looked, your room has changed significantly. You really are making the most amazing progress and, at each stage, the room gains in both interest and stature.
Hello, Jane and Lance, and welcome back from your hiatus.
DeleteMy room is indeed a compliation of styles, so you might be correct in identifying it as Fourth Style. It's worth noting that in Pompeii there was much overlapping of styles, and I think some murals could be identified several ways. Paul Wilkinson, the author of "Pompeii: The Last Day," identified the garden scene which I have posted as an example of the Second Style, as Third Style. He may have done that because the rest of the villa was predominantly Third Style, or perhaps he made that call because of the framed images atop the herms, a Third Style conceit. More likely that particular garden mural was a transitional piece between the two styles.
Hello Mark, I find that I am drawn mostly to the first and fourth styles, which somehow strike me as (arguably) the most architectural and organized. The first style seems to be the source of many masonry-style wallpapers, which were popular in the 19th century, and which sometimes have a heavier effect than the delicate, neoclassical details of the Adam/Federal period.
ReplyDeleteI know that I will never again think of "Pompeii style" as encompassing only one look or set of details.
--Jim
Hello, Jim,
DeleteI've looked at the Federal wallpapers you've mentioned and know exactly what you're referencing. I've been thinking of papering a bathroom, and that masonry style is also showing up in more contemporary designs.
I didn't realize that there were periods of Pompeian decoration until I started this project, but it stands to reason. I guess it's always been human nature to want something new and different — out with the old, in with the new. I like the idea, too, that as long as man has been creating art, there have been new trends that have excited a wider audience.
I am catching up again....you have been busy! I love how you keep weaving in the history of the periods and styles. You must love walking in this room each day!
ReplyDeleteHello, Theresa,
DeleteAs you may have guessed, my love of history is easily as great as my love of art! I am enjoying the room, and am already considering the furnishings that will go into it. In particular, I look forward to getting rid of the modern venitian blinds!
Thanks for these, Mark. I loved seeing all four styles together. You've made it easy to spot the differences and make comparisons. I keep running across art here and there (in my on line travels) that remind me of your work and I keep thinking, 'maybe I should show Mark this' - but then I think, never mind, he probably already knows about it. I've always thought that if I ever go back to school, I would major in Art History. One of the reasons I'm so enjoying the development of your gorgeous room.
ReplyDeleteFurniture-wise, I keep thinking: Art Deco. Don't know why, but there it is. Of course Biedermiere would work beautifully too. My two cents. :)
I would love to have majored in art history, too. And from there having eventually made a career in museum curation. But my newspaper career was fine, and I really have no regrets about any of the choices I made.
DeleteBiedermeier or Regency furniture would be my first choice. But then Art Deco often has the look of Biedermeier, doesn't it?
Yes, they can blend well together I think. On my Pinterest board Eclectic Exuberance, I have just the chairs for your room. Can't send you the pin because they've done away with that.
Delete