Architectonic

Architectural qualities, as observed in subjects which are not typically architectural ones. For instance, "architectonic" is used as the name of the second style of classical Roman fresco painting, in which painters covered walls with such architectural elements as columns and porticos, punctuated with illusory windows revealing scenic landscapes. One reason the architectonic style was so effective was it use of linear perspective ? long before its reinvention in the Renaissance. This style of fresco was in fashion most of the 1st century BCE.Example: Rome, Cubiculum (bedroom) from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor, c. 40-30 BCE, Republican, architectonic style, fresco; room: 8 feet 8 1/2 inches x 10 feet 11 1/2 inches x 19 feet 7 1/8 inches (265.4 x 334 x 583.9 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. See cubiculum.Related link: Art-and-Archaeology.com has a set of pages about Roman frescoes, including examples of the architectonic style. The architectonic style of Roman wall painting was preceded in popularity by a style called "incrustation," and followed by another called "ornamental." The last of the four styles displayed a combination of the traits of the first three.