ved no attention until figure-painting had
declined. Vitruvius mentions that the ancients had some very important
wall-paintings consisting of simple landscapes, and that others had
landscape backgrounds with figures illustrating scenes from the poems of
Homer. But we have no reason to believe that Greek landscape-painting was
ever more than scenic or decorative work, and thus fell far short of what
is now the standard for such painting.

The painting of the early Romans was principally derived from or through
the early Etruscans, and the Etruscans are believed to have first learned
their art from Greek artists, who introduced plastic art into Italy as
early as B.C. 655, when Demaratus was expelled from Corinth--and later,
Etruscan art was influenced by the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia. So it
is fair to say that Etruscan art and early Roman art were essentially
Greek art. The earliest artists who are known to have painted in Rome had
Greek names, such as Ekphantos, Damophilos, and Gargasos. Later on in
history there are painters mentioned with Latin names, but there is little
of interest related concerning them; in truth, Ludius (who is also called
by various authors Tadius and Studius) is the only really interesting
ancient Roman painter of whom we know. He lived in the time of Augustus,
and Pliny said of him: "Ludius, too, who lived in the age of the divine
Augustus, must not be cheated of his fame. He was the first to bring in a
singularly delightful fashion of wall-painting--villas, colonnades,
examples of landscape-gardening, woods and sacred groves, reservoirs,
straits, rivers, coasts, all according to the heart's desire--and amidst
them passengers of all kinds on foot, in boats, driving in carriages, or
riding on asses to visit their country properties; furthermore fishermen,
bird-catchers, hunters, vintagers; or, again, he exhibits stately villas,
to which the approach is through a swamp, with men staggering under the
weight of the frightened women whom they have bargained to carry on their
shoulders; and many another excellent and entertaining device of the same
kind. The same artist also set the fashion of painting views--and that
wonderfully cheap--of seaside towns in broad daylight."

We cannot think that Ludius was the first painter, though he may have been
the first Roman painter, who made this sort of pictures, and he probably
is the only one of whose work any part remains. Brunn and other good
authori