Question

In many historical accounts, the Greeks were known for their panel painting, yet none of it survives. Some have hypothesized that Etruscan and Roman painting might be a close approximation to Greek painting. Summarize the importance and development of Etruscan and Roman wall painting.

Answer 1

The Etruscans were a people that lived in Italy between 8th and 3rd centuries, their greatest legacies are their panel paintings that were located especially in tombs. Etruscans painted scenes with mythological themes and also portrayed everyday life.

The Romans absorbed most of the Etruscans culture, including the paintings. The main difference is that the Romans started to use the paintings as a way of decorating their houses, different than the Etruscans that only painted tombs.

The Romans also changed the painting system by applying the pigment over wet plaster, which fixed the pigment to the wall, because of that they are called frescoes. The Roman painters had different styles depending on the time, first, they were very influenced by the Greek because during that period Rome conquered Greece, later, the painters changed to a more refined style.

Both Etruscans and Romans pictures are very important because they show the culture and the habits of that people and how they saw the world around them, also because we could see the evolution of them and how they culture was mixed with the several conquers of the Romans.