Fresco

The fresco or fresh painting (it.: a fresco, affresco, al fresco ' in the Fresh " ) is a form of mural painting, in which the previously eingesumpften in water pigments are applied to the fresh lime plaster. In the carbonation of lime, the pigments are embedded within the plaster. Experts call this process also Einsinterung. The finished wall or ceiling image is called the fresco or rare fresco. The exporting artist is known as a fresco painter and fresco artist.

The term fresco has colloquially naturalized for murals of any kind. It is, therefore, not only for the wet version way (fresco ) is used, but also for paintings that are running dry ( secco ) ( with tempera, casein or Acrylatfarben ). Even applied to wall surfaces canvas paintings are erroneously referred to as frescoes, sometimes even in the technical literature.

Technique

As a fresco painted on the form already fixed but not yet bound plaster, requires the plaster of a layered structure. On the supporting the fresco wall or ceiling a first grout is applied first of coarser lime plaster. Furthermore, additional and thinning layers of finer plaster with increasingly higher proportion of lime and fine sand or stone flours. The number of necessary layers of plaster is specified differently in sources and differs mostly between three and seven. The final and remaining visible image is ideally absorbed into. Days' work applied to the top layer smoothed fine plaster. Not finished on the same day of the cleaning contract areas of the image, corrections or overwriting are only possible by removal of the plaster and full rebuild of the last layer of plaster bandages after passing the lime plaster or they must be executed in a secco technique. Historically, therefore, often found forms of different painting techniques in a mural. Since the true fresco is much more durable, the running in secco techniques image areas are often in worse with age than those performed in affresco preservation technique. Because of the hand- painting technique and sophisticated image construction provides the fresco technically and artistically high demands on the performers. The time-consuming wall and screen layout requires careful planning, preparation and implementation. This is likely in addition to the limited range ( it can only kalkechte, alkali - stable pigments are used, some of which are also now banned structurally, eg cadmium - containing pigments ) may be one of the main reasons why this method of painting contemporary rarely applies.

In the Al -fresco - painting overnight eingesumpfte kalkechte color pigments are mixed in Kalksinterwasser and on the still fresh, moist lime plaster ( Intonaco ) applied. During setting (drying, solidification ), a homogeneous Kalkputzschicht with the associated color pigments. This reaction is called carbonation. The thus generated protective layer around the individual color pigments combines very stable with the lower layer and receives the color intensity of the pigments for millennia. For the major works of art history of the marsh or Grubenkalk was stored for years in soil pits, so that the hydration process of quicklime was allowed to proceed as far as possible. Ready mixed slaked lime or modern, industrially produced Weißkalkhydrate are almost useless because they bind through quickly, which is desirable for all applications outside of the wall painting in the rule for the fresco painting. The longer the storage takes the creamier and thus better the consistency of the material ( quick lime CaO H2O = water calcium hydroxide Ca (OH) 2, see also Kalkkreislauf ). Nowadays produced Grubenkalke be eingesumpft three to seven years. In historical sources for advice on how to periods up to 30 years. At the same time, a thin protective layer or sinter skin, the "sealed" the fresco and give it a silky shine, his ultimate recognition feature gives forms.

Individual motives of the total frescoes are each processed in a day, the so-called day's work ( giornata ). Their outlines are traced in original size on a cardboard and transferred to the wet wall. This can be done by rubbing the contour with a sharp pen, a grid transmission or classic by piercing the contour drawing with a needle or a pin wheel and then tracing with a dust bag. In the classical technique of cardboard is completely transferred to the penultimate layer of plaster and tightened the traced dotted contour with a monochrome sketch. This first painting is also referred to as Sinopia. The term denotes both the color ( historically a mixture of red ocher and black or ocher, vermilion and black, the name originally refers to a town of that name in the Near East, were traded in the red in ancient ocher ) and the draft painting as such. It is necessary to keep the orientation of the overall picture in the execution of individual Tagwerke. The individual carrying the day's work cleaning ( Intonaco ) is then thin ( about 3 mm thick) applied to the Sinopia -bearing plaster and executed the final remaining visible painting. A variant of the background music is the " Verdaccio ". It is a monochrome, originally executed in Green Earth or a green earth mixture painting, which not only traces the contour but respects the fundamental character of the picture on shades and face painting. Later, the term rendered on all forms of shaded accompaniment of any hue. The Verdaccio can be run as a separate plaster intermediate layer between Sinopia and Intonaco or worked in Intonaco, where the painting is later covered only with a translucent, thin layer Grubenkalk. Historically found the Verdaccio especially as background music in the representation of persons and fining of skin tones application. The plaster of the next day must be very carefully brought up to the already colored plaster from the previous day in order not to destroy the existing plant. The resulting collisions between the individual Tagwerken are clearly visible in raking light.

History

Popular fresco painting was done in ancient times. Well-preserved examples of Roman fresco found in Pompeii (eg in the Mysteries Villa ) and Herculaneum.

In the Middle Ages enjoyed working since Giotto (1266-1337) with a mixed technique of fresco secco and technology. Well-preserved examples can be found in the Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padua and the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi.

During the Renaissance and Baroque 'al fresco' is then almost exclusively worked again. Famous examples include the Sistine Chapel with the most important cycle of frescoes by Michelangelo of the West, those of Raphael in the Vatican and Domenico Ghirlandaio's fresco The Birth of Mary in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

For measures of heritage conservation and restoration of the frescoes are often detached from the wall and mounted on a new image carrier.

The largest fresco in the world ( 677 m²) is located in the staircase of the Würzburg Residence and was painted in the years 1752 to 1753 by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. As the largest secular frescoes inventory of the Middle Ages was considered the 1390-1410 picturing of Roncolo Castle in Bolzano, which includes court scenes and literary materials.

Probably the most ancient Christian frescoes in the German-speaking area are found in the St. Proculus Church, Naturns in South Tyrol ( 7th century)