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Mount Vesuvius at POMPEII, which was buried in the eruption of 79 A.D. The surviving artistic record at
Pompeii has allowed historians to discern four general styles of painting, Styles IIV. These styles are often
applied broadly to Roman art. Style III was the most common school of art from the reigns of
Augustus and TIBERIUS, continuing through the eras of CALIGULA and even NERO. It is marked by a
disdain for realistic perspective, and an emphasis on scale.
Nero to Hadrian (54-117 A.D.) - With the reign of Nero another style of Roman painting, identified
generally as Style IV, came into vogue. Style IV relies upon brilliant colors and profuse ornamentation, and
is a combination of the previous two styles, synthesizing the abstract qualities of Style III with the more
realistic architectural details of Style II. It was during this period that several painters flourished, of whom
PRISCUS ATTITUS and Cornelius PINUS were most notable. VESPASIAN used them to
decorate the Temple of Honos and Virtus.
The FLAVIANS were the great patrons of Style IV, which, because of its links to Republicanism (Style
II), was well received given the more practical attitudes of the later period. The height of painting came
just a few years before the Flavians, however, in the works of FORMULUS, who was commissioned by
Nero to paint the entire GOLDEN HOUSE, the opulent and excessive imperial palace.
In the provinces, Roman styles were copied by all local artists. An obvious attempt at imitation was
demonstrated in the decorative motifs in AQUILEIA. In Gaul, at VIENNE, a number of similar efforts
survive but a general scarcity of actual works from the period make a true analysis difficult, even in Italy.
Hadrian (117-138 A.D.) - For some centuries the Hellenic world had been eclipsed by Rome. Aristically,
the Greeks heavily influenced Rome, but the styles prevalent in the capital were predominantly Latin.
Hadrian's philhellenic tastes changed all that, and he actively patronized Greece. Once more Greek
culture was honored, and in art the Latin and Greek styles were incorporated, even as imperial favor ran to
the purely Hellenic.
There were several causes for this return to classicism. The Empire had expanded to its greatest extent
under TRAJAN (97-117 A.D.), and Hadrian inherited a world that embraced many cultures and
traditions. A new, outward vision gripped imperial policy, and a rebirth of Greek classicism was part of
that intellectual horizon. Under Trajan, Style IV Art, which had begun in the Neronian and Flavian
reigns, reached its inevitable conclusion. The reliefs of Trajan's time were beautiful and expressive,
particularly the Arch at Beneventum (see ARCHES) and, of course, the Column of Trajan (see
COLUMNS), with their splendid portrayals of the emperor's achievements and his victory over the
Dacians. Still, a weakening of the style was inescapable. The revitalizing elements were found in
Hadrian's vigor and in his love of the classic style.
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