The second style was superceded by the third style from about 20-25 BC. In the third style the architectural elements lose their solidity and reality, they become ephemeral and flimsy. Third style walls are much more 'open', there is more empty space. This gives them a lighter, less busy feel. The introduction of miniature panel pictures occurs in this period. Vitruvius, the ancient architect who wrote a book on architecture states that seven coats of plaster, the last comprised of marble dust, are required for a good wallpainting.

By the second half of the 50's AD a new style of wallpainting was developing. It has come to be known as the 4th style and is more difficult to spot than the other three. It combines 2nd style architectural elements and vistas with the 'open' feel of the 3rd style. Tiny panel paintings are used more and a fourth horizontal register is introduced at the very top of the wall. A white background is common in the fourth style. Another common feature is the inclusion of large figures with the fictive architecture.

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