Tempera

A temperature (from Latin temperare " mix ", " moderate ") is a stain, the pigments are bound with a binder of a water - oil emulsion. As the aqueous portion of the emulsion may tempera paints also contain glues.

True tempera paints are rare as finished tube paints on the market, as they spoil very easily and can be preserved only limited under heavy use of preservatives; this is especially true for casein tempera. In the normal case, therefore, one imagines her the colors of pigments and an emulsion itself.

Tem types

Temperature is on the nature of the aqueous emulsion proportion differentiated into, for example, casein, egg, starch or ( wax ) Soap tempera. Is in art, and was mostly used the egg tempera or casein. It is soluble in water, while the temperature with a gum arabic emulsion (rubber emulsion) insoluble.

As oily phase are drying oils ( linseed, poppy seed oil, walnut oil and sunflower oil ), whose stand oils. Derived from those paints, alkyd resin, resin solutions, turpentine and wax to use Further additives which are highly controversial, however, because of their painting techniques properties are, for example, honey and soap, which serve to increase the emulsification.

A fundamental distinction is that between fat and lean tempera. All temperature modes can be rubbed either rich or lean. In fatter temperature outweighs oil in the emulsion binder, ie, tiny aqueous Leimkügelchen swimming in oil. In the lean tempera swim oil globules in aqueous glue. After evaporation of the water of the emulsion, an oil film with holes at the points remains in bold temperature at which the water was. Temperature during lean small oil globules remain on the image carrier. Mediums for fat temperature is therefore also oil, lean- temperature water.

Tempera paints dry compared to oil paints relatively quickly, but this only in the sense that the colors though after the rapid evaporation of the water in part may be revised again, but as oil paints must thicken slowly. The residual oil after evaporation of the water must be oxidized in order to bind the pigments can. This happens more quickly than in the case of oil colors, since the network surface of the oil or the oil globules is higher than that in the continuous oil film of the oil paints.

Skinny temperature is, therefore, after the evaporation of the water dry and further overcoated, bold contrast, behaves more like oil paints, so stay longer " wet".

Benefits

The main technical advantages of tempera painting are the aging and slow drying. Cracks which may occur in oil paints, tempera painting in are rare. The reason for cracking in oil paints is in the extension of the oil when oxidized. In tempera paints this increase in volume of the oil remains without consequences, the oxidized oil expands in the voids left behind, the evaporated water. Another advantage is that the inks dry very slowly and the image is so far reworked.

Disadvantages

The tempera painting is more difficult than oil painting and the painter requires greater technical knowledge and picturesque experience. When the egg tempera paint by " dotting " and in several layers takes place. This is time consuming and labor intensive, gentle subtle color transitions are difficult to achieve. Only the well-known in the Russian icon painting Plav technique for color transitions in faces allows fine and subtle shades, influenced by the optical results of oil painting; but it is technically extremely difficult to control. Allow oil colors, however, the colors to rub together and thus create smoother transitions. Also in Plav, the colors are gently rubbed together.

Another drawback is the optical variation of the colors during the painting. While the oil paints when painting look almost the same as in the dried state, the temperature changes more. After evaporation of the water, the colors strong, lean temperature effect appears powdery, pastel and changes during varnishes strong, similar to pastels. These changes are highly dependent on the type of temperature used, fat behaves differently than lean, unlike casein egg tempera. Eitemperabilder were, for example, exposed to the sun, so that the natural color of the yolk fade. The required experience of the painter, he could not just paint what he saw. The problem occurs on the way, even with acrylic paints, the acrylic binder is cloudy with a bluish tinge, only with drying, it becomes clear. Therefore, acrylic and tempera paints work after drying much "cleaner".

Moreover, for many tempera - types that the color is brittle, that is, the colors are only very limited use on flexible image carriers such as canvases. When casein or Quark-/Topfentempera high surface tensions may arise in addition, sufficient for example, image carrier to warp ( such as wood ).

A further drawback is the low stability of the final emulsion. The colors spoil very quickly and must be rubbed just before processing. A storage is hardly possible.

Historical

The tempera painting has in antiquity and late antiquity customary encaustic (hot wax painting ) largely replaced in medieval Europe, however, was in ancient times, has been used in at about the mummy portraits. In the Eastern European art, the temperature was first used in the wall painting of the Tarnovo art school, which then quickly spread to the rest of the Orthodox world. The above-mentioned disadvantages, together with the fact that very easily can achieve smooth color transitions with oil paints, but similar effects are such as to achieve with tempera, led to the oil painting, tempera pushed into the background - except in the traditional icon painting in the egg tempera to this day has remained the preferred technique. At the same time replace screens as large, lightweight and not prone to cracking, but the tempera painting because of its flexibility rather ill-suited to image support the previously usual wooden panels. The displacement of Tempera Painting by oil painting took place from the 15th century and began in the Dutch room. One of the first and best-known painter who moved from Tempera Painting for oil painting, but both techniques also mixed and began parallel, Jan van Eyck, which is sometimes even referred to as the "inventor of European oil painting" is what is so undetectable and barely keeping. Still have especially as background music, the precursor of paintings in the multilayer oil resin paintings, and sketches for many generations of painters, the temperature operated, including, for example, Peter Paul Rubens.

References

• Kurt Wehlte: Materials and techniques of painting.
• Kurt Wehlte: Tempera Painting, Introduction to materials and methods of painting. In 1982.
• Egon von Vietinghoff: Handbook on the technique of painting. Cologne: DuMont, 1983 ( 1991).