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Buon
Fresco (also kown as True Fresco) is an ancient
painting method, with its beginnings in Egyptian,
Greek, and Roman times. Not reaching its full development
and expression until the Renaissance, Buon Fresco
is painting on the medium of wet plaster with pure
pigments. The pigment becomes locked under the calcium
carbonate skin of the plaster as it cures, creating
an extraordinarily long-lasting and beautiful painting.
Frescos abound in Italy, with most Churches and
many old Villas having displaying examples in various
states of repair. Through living in Italy and in
her association with the school of Fresco in Figline
di Prato, Kimberly has access to and knowledge of
rarely seen frescos that are not in the tour guidebooks.
The most famous cycle of frescos is probably the
Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo, in Rome. There
are many other famous frescos throughout Italy and
especially Tuscany, that both the Workshop and the
Tour will visit including many important works by
Cimabue, Giotto, Fra. Angelico, Gozzoli, Pontormo,
Vasari, and others.
The traditional way to study any of the classic
art forms is to reproduce or copy the old masters.
Compare the original Fresco, Allegory and Her
Sisters, painted by Allori in the 1570's, to
the two modern "studies" below. The first "study"
is a verdaccio under-painting. This mixture
of green earthen pigment is painted on the top most
layer of plaster or the intonaco. It is used
as an under-painting to help define tone and shadow
within the fresco. The second "study" is a detail
of the face of Allegory. One of the complexities
of Buon Fresco is in learning to interpret and understand
the timing of the plaster, as the time to paint
is quite limited while it dries. Large frescos must
be executed over a period of days or even weeks,
with each day's work called a giornata. Other
lesser-known fresco methods include Finto Fresco
and Graffito. Finto Fresco (or False
Fresco) is painted on a dry intonaco and is not
considered to be Buon Fresco at all. It was a technique
often used in the painting of Grottesca frescos,
such as those on the ceilings of the Uffizi Gallery
in Florence. Graffito is another Buon Fresco technique.
Buon Fresco technique, it utilizes multiple layers
of tinted intonaco, as illustrated in the "study"
on the terra cotta tile of the decorative lion.
If you are interested in creating frescos of your
own, take a look at our Workshop
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Allegory
and her Sisters by Allori
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Study
in Verdaccio and Buon Fresco
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Uffizi
Gallery Corridor with Grottesca
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A detail for the Uffizi Gallery Corridor
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Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa
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Graffito
Study on Terra Cotta Tile
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Gozzoli's
Medeci Chapel in Florence
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Five
Giornate Study of Gozzoli's Procession
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Gabbiani's
Neptune at the Arno
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Study
of Gabbiani's Neptune at the Arno
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