The director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, wrote a book about Pompeii (I don't know if it was translated to English, since I read it in Italian), and it described why rich people decorated their homes this way. Of course these paintings served to rich homeowners to show off their power, but also to have some fun during dinners. For example, everybody in ancient Rome knew the mith of <name_your_favourite_roman_god>. So, when entering a room with a painting of such god on the wall, after a couple of glasses with their friends, they'd start arguing, "I understood why Jupiter did this and that..." or, sometimes, they painted the mith with something odd just to have fun. It was a conversation starter, a way to be ironic of life and with friends, and a way to enjoy their lives.
mr_toad|1 year ago