FRESCO PAINTING Modern Methods and Techniques for Painting in Fresco and Secco by OLLE NORDMARK AMERICAN ARTISTS GROUP, INC. NEW YORK PREFACE This book has been written for the painter in fresco, who wishes to acquire enough knowledge of the craft to enable him to supervise, guide and efficiently work with the craftsmen plasterers who are put in charge of the preparation of his materials and wall and who will assist him as the finishing plasterers throughout the period of painting. It should be remembered that the surface of the so-called Intonaco, must yield the best possible working conditions, giving the painter the longest possible time to execute the part of the wall intended for a days work. In order that such a condition should prevail, a thorough knowledge of the materials used in the practice of fresco painting must be acquired through the practical utilization of a series of operations to obtain necessary ultimate results. Stress is, therefore, laid upon the fact that the painter him self must guide and guard the preparation of his materials and the different layers of mortar which build up the fresco ground, the foundation for the painting. Also, if he is not prepared himself to do the work, he must be able to give final full direc tions for the Intonaco or painting surface, the richness of the mixing and its perfect application which in itself requires experienced handling of tools in the piece-meal plastering of the wall, all of which is the groundwork for the actual painting. This HANDBOOK, therefore, will endeavor to explain the practice of fresco and fresco-secco painting in connection and collaboration with the trade from which it was derived the building trade. OLLENORDMAKK CONTENTS i WALLS 3 ii PREPARATION OF MORTAR MATERIALS 9 in MORTAR MIXING 17 iv PLASTERING THE FRESCO GROUND 22 v FRESCO GROUNDS 32 vi INTONACO 38 vii PRELIMINARY WORK TO PAINTING THE FRESCO . . 43 viii PAINTING THE FRESCO ... 67 ix SECCO PAINTING IN LIMECOLOR 87 x MODELING OF RELIEF IN MORTAR 95 xi RETOUCHING 101 xii PRELIMINARY WORK FOR PLASTERING ..... 108 xiii THE SCAFFOLD 112 SOURCE OF SUPPLIES 115 INDEX - 121 COLOR PLATES FIRST STEPS IN FRESCO PAINTING 80 by OlXE NORDMARK COMPLETED FRESCO PAINTING 81 by OLLE NORDMARK FRESCOS IN POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C 82 by REGINALD MARSH FRESCOS IN POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C 83 by REGINALD MARSH FRESCOS IN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D. C 84 by HENRY VARNUM POOR FRESCOS IN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D. C 85 by HENRY VARNUM POOR DETAIL FROM FRESCO IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D, C 86 by GEORGE BIDDLE FRESCO PAINTING WALLS CHAPTER ONE T JL. . H H E QUESTION of a suitable wall for the fresco-mural, or how to make any available area a permanent foundation for the plaster coats making up the fresco ground, has vexed the fresco painter from ancient times to our days. BRICK WALLS Generally it can be said that the old-fashioned brick wall made from handmade bricks is still the ideal wall for the fresco mural. Bricks baked to a fresh looking red and laid in lime-sand mortar constitute that kind of a wall. Old plastered walls must first have the plaster removed. Old as well as new walls are cleaned with a weak solution of HYDROCHLORIC ACID, washed with hot water and then sprayed and rinsed with cold. During the spraying the wall is examined for non-absorbentbricks of a muddy violet or clincer grey color. All such bricks baked and burnt beyond the temperature of the fresh red color must either be insulated by waterproofing or, better still, replaced with good bricks to remove the ever present possibility of EFFLORESCENCE. Waterproofing is done by painting over with an ASPHALT type of WATERPROOFING which will still allow the mortar to cling to the safeguarded brick. Deep hollows and faulty bricks are filled out and repaired with lime-sand mortar, 1-2 mixture with brick chips mixed in

DIVRecognized authority in the field discusses painting methods used by such masters as Alberti, Cennini, Vasari, and Borghini; also comments on causes of fresco destruction and how to restore works of art. /div

Modern Fresco Paintings is the first collection of Ali Cavanaugh's paintings, andit follows her entire career using watercolor on kaolin clay to create hermodern fresco technique and the lovely work that flows from it. Beginning withher hyper-realistic portraits and ending with her latest, more free-flowingpictures, her use of light, color, and the human form captures the essence ofher models and their forms and feelings in a particular moment. Cavanaugh's artistic sensibilitywas developed by two important events in her childhood. Her dependence on the visualworld began when she lost much of her hearing through spinal meningitis whenshe was two, and her creative spirit developed out of her being raised in a ruralenvironment where she had to create her own ways of expressing herself and makingher own fun. She developed her stunningmodern fresco medium almost by accident as she was learning to apply the outerlayer of plaster to her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since that time thisvolume illustrates her growth as an artist and her mastery of the technique. These are lovely works, paintedmasterfully. Both long-time followers of Cavanaugh's work---from the earliest "SockArms" paintings to those who found her through more recent work like the Chroma series---and those who are discoveringher and her art for the first time, will be delighted by this collection.

This is the most comprehensive book to date on the techniques of icon and wall painting. Illustrated with over 450 colour photos and 180 drawings, it will be a source of pleasure and inspiration for the general reader as well as for the practising icon painter. The book is more than just a technical manual; it sets artistic practice in the context of the Church's spirituality and liturgy, with chapters on the theology and history of the icon, the role and symbolism of the iconostasis, and the principles behind the positioning of wall paintings within churches. The wealth of information in this book makes it an indispensable reference text, not only for iconographers but also for any painter working in egg tempera, fresco or secco. All the necessary processes are covered, including the making gessoing of wooden panels, gilding, preparing pigments, lime plastering and fresco, the various techniques for painting in tempera, right through to photographing the finished artwork. -- from dust jacket.

New York Times bestseller A magnificent, never-before-published collection of every painting and fresco on display in the Uffizi, the Galleria Palatina of the Pitti Palace, the Accademia, and the Duomo, and more -- nearly 2,000 works of art -- all presented in a beautiful slipcased package. This stunning book provides a comprehensive look at the masterpieces housed in the Renaissance art capital of the world including the art of Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, Correggio, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Titian, Rembrandt, van Dyck, El Greco, and hundreds more. Ross King, bestselling author of Brunelleschi's Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, explores the history of art in Florence through seven introductory essays connecting the paintings, politics, the every day life of Florentines and how they influenced each other. Art historian Anja Grebe (author of The Louvre and The Vatican), highlights two hundred and fifty of the most iconic and significant paintings and frescoes around the historic city. This stunning showcase of the art capital of the world also includes two removable posters of Florence -- one from the Renaissance and one from the present day.

Reproductions of paintings depicting eight U.S. national parks.