It's strange to feel a kinship with people who lived 2,000 years ago, but when I look at the frescoes of Pompeii, I feel very close to these painters. The photos above are from a 2008 exhibition of 2,000-year-old paintings called Pompeian Red, the National Museum of Rome. LINK
More than 100 paintings "shed light on the beliefs, home decorations, fashions, architecture, landscape, dining tables and people who lived in the ancient city of Rome and in Pompeii before its destruction by a volcanic eruption in AD79". I would add that they were not afraid to show the act of love on their walls as seen in the second to last image (above).
Right now, I am painting a picture with a volcano in it. It's for an art show opening March 26th in NYC. I'll actually be in two shows in NYC that week. I'll tell you more soon.