What is Fresco Painting? Materials and Process
This week we will learn about the fresco painting process: What were the materials involved, and how did the artist prepare and paint on the wall? Follow along as a fresco copy of a figure from the School of Athens brings the ancient process to life.
Fresco painting: making a copy of a figure from the School of Athens
Presented by David Mayernik
What is buon fresco painting? The materials and the method.
Watch as we cover the materials of traditional lime plaster, its mixing, and its application to the wall.
The process (Part 1)
Presented by David Mayernik
Drawing, plastering, transferring the cartoon, and beginning to paint
See the fresco cartoon transferred to the wall, and the image begin to emerge.
The process (Part 2)
Presented by David Mayernik
Painting a copy of Raphael’s Heraclitus (Michelangelo)
Watch the finishing touches and what happens at the end of a day’s work, or giornata.
Additional Resources
Presented by David Mayernik
- A video of Prof. Mayernik working on a fresco.
- Overview of the fresco process, with examples and key terms: http://www.frescotrail.com/buon-fresco.html
- About buon fresco painting, Traditional Building magazine: https://www.traditionalbuilding.com/product-report/fresco-painting-techniques
- Buon fresco today, Traditional Building magazine: https://www.traditionalbuilding.com/product-report/frescoes
View the Event
Presented by David Mayernik
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Featured Speakers:
- David Mayernik, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame