Wall Paintings

Roman houses had few windows, so there were large areas of solid walls to decorate. They painted their walls with frescoes - the artist applied a thin layer of plaster to the wall and then painted directly on the wet plaster. Many examples of Roman wall painting were uncovered in Pompeii, including this fragment from Rochester with a cupid holding a mask.

Roman wall paintings create the illusion of space, like this example from a villa at Boscoreale (near Pompeii), which is at the "Metropolitan Museum Of Art". It almost looks like we are gazing through an open window into the town. These paintings gave the rooms of Roman houses a more open feeling.