‎Francesca Bologna‎
‎Painting Pompeii. Painters, Practices, and Organization‎

‎, Brepols, 2024 Paperback, xvi + 120 pages, Size:216 x 280 mm, Illustrations:20 b/w, 66 col., 8 tables b/w., Language: English. ISBN 9782503611198.‎

Reference : 64414

‎Summary In the Roman world, wall paintings were one of the most pervasive art forms, adorning buildings of all levels, from public spaces and elite houses to far more modest dwellings. Yet despite the very visual nature of their work, Roman painters have remained largely invisible to history. This book attempts to rectify this situation, by shifting the focus from the paintings themselves to the people who realized them, looking beyond the bright colours and imaginative forms to investigate the materials, production practices, and choices underpinning artistic decisions. Taking Pompeii as its starting point, this volume reconstructs what it meant to paint for a living, and asks if it was actually possible to make a living as a painter in the Roman world. Wall paintings are investigated stylistically but also from an ethnological and economic point of view. Broader comparisons across time and space, combined with a quantitative analysis of the labour involved in making wall paintings, allow the author to assess this art form as an economically-embedded practice. Through this unique approach, the volume exposes the social and economic forces underlying craft production, and offers new insights into the lived experience of Roman artisans. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Introduction and Book Structure Chapter 1. Painters and Workshops: An Ongoing Debate The Morellian Method Individual Style and Attribution in Archaeology Identifying Roman Wall Painters' Hands 'Workshop': A Terminological Issue Workforce Organization, Division of Labour, and Specialization Identifying Specific Teams of Painters: Previous Approaches and Their Limits Art and Its Makers in the Ancient World Chapter 2. Pompeian Painters Third Style Painters Further Possible Attributions Observations on Distribution and Dating: Workshops or Teams of Painters? Fourth Style Painters The 'Vettii Workshop' Patronage and Commissioning Chapter 3. Making in Figures: The Energetics of Wall Painting Wall Painting Technique Labour Figures The Casa dei Pittori al Lavoro (IX, 12, 9) Materials: Plaster and Colours Production Times: Plastering and Painting Costs Living Standards Local Demand and Professional Choices Free Labour or Slaves? Chapter 4. Being a maker in the Classical World and Beyond Quattrocento Florence and Other Comparative Models Instability of Employment Mobility Versatility and Specialisation Apprenticeship Sketch-books and the Creation of Art Chapter 5. Conclusions Works Cited‎