[natroniks]

I think Ancient art - visual and otherwise - was steeped in formulaic motifs. It's hard to judge the "passion" of the artist's hand with such low quality images, not to mention the damage wrought over thousands of years. I think it's worthwhile to be careful not to judge ancient art with a modern eye. They had different values. It's quite possible if not likely that frescoes were viewed as temporary, to be plaster-painted over every so often. We can see multiple layers of painted plaster in other parts of Pompeii, so it's not unlikely private homes would do the same. If then they viewed this art as fleeting, why should they pay for the best details when the overall effect is more important? Anyone who walked into this hall would have been familiar with the Trojan cycle. So as long as the characters were recognizable - hence the name labels - that was sufficient. I personally find these bright, full-bodied figures against a stark black background reminiscent of the chiaroscuro effect mastered by Caravaggio some 1500 years later using oil

[duped]

I'm not an artist or art historian but my understanding is that fresco (the technique) has no upsides other than longevity. It's time consuming, if the artist makes a mistake they need to start over, and has to be meticulously planned. That's why even the great masters of the Renaissance painted so few, and they tended to be large endeavors. It took a lot of time and planning to do one, even at a small scale.

Like if a Roman home owner decided they didn't like the fresco on their wall, it would take at least a year to paint a new one.

[beezlebroxxxxxx]

> I think Ancient art - visual and otherwise - was steeped in formulaic motifs.

A good example is ancient Egyptian art, which remained remarkably consistent across multiple empires, kingdoms, and dynasties, stretching some 3 millennia and change, a time range and consistency that is simply hard for us to fathom.

[empath-nirvana]

For statuary in particular, it's important to note that Egyptians, and Greeks to a lesser extent, believed that statues of gods were _physically inhabited by those gods_ and could be used to communicate with them, so it was pretty important not to mess with depictions.

For other common tropes, like Medusa, they were used as wards against evil and were basically magical spells or talismans.

[angiosperm]

There is no hint of passion. It is just formulaic decoration. The only interest for viewers would be in the clothing styles, which would track trends in Rome, and so need to be painted over frequently.

Comparisons to Hummel are more appropriate than to Caravaggio.