Group D – Framing: Art and Furniture Restoration

Mural technique:

The earliest wall paintings found are those dating back to 30,000 B.C. that were discovered in 1994 in southern France at the Chauvet Cave. Through the centuries, artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael have painted murals to stunning effect. Murals even gained recognition as a political art movement, when, in the early 1900s, Diego Rivera and other Mexican muralists used them to convey social messages. Mural techniques include fresco, mezzo-fresco, secco, marouflage and contemporary frescography.

Fresco

Popular from the 13th to 16th century, the fresco (fresh) technique involves painting onto fresh or wet plaster to allow the color pigments to react with the lime in the plaster and dilute the colors. It is important to start painting approximately one hour after the plaster has been applied on the wall or ceiling surface and to complete the painting within eight hours before the plaster cures.

Mezzo-Fresco

Mezzo-fresco (moderately fresh) took over from fresco as the most popular technique for murals in the mid-16th century. Artists use this technique to paint on moderately dry plaster. Binders, such as egg, glue or oil, are required to adhere the paint to the plaster. This technique is applicable for internal or external applications. To test if plaster is ready for mezzo-fresco application, press your thumb into the plaster. If the plaster gives, but you do not leave a thumb print, you can start painting.

Secco

In the secco (dry) technique the artist applies the paint to cured plaster. This technique requires adding a binder such as egg, glue or oil to the paint so it will adhere to the dry plaster. It is only suitable for interior applications, since the paint application is not weather resistant. Since the color pigments do not react with the plaster, the colors stay true and do not dilute, as with the fresco technique.

Marouflage

With the 3,000-year-old marouflage technique, the artist paints the mural on a canvas and glues the canvas to the wall surface. The main advantage of marouflage is that it allows for portability. Artists traditionally used rabbit-skin glue to adhere the canvas, but white lead ore became more popular in the mid-19th century.

Frescography

Frescography is the contemporary version of marouflage. Artists digitally design murals on computers and machine-print them onto canvas. The advantage of this technique is that murals can be custom-designed and printed for application onto irregular shaped walls and surfaces. The canvas is water- and ultraviolet-resistant, making it suitable for interior and exterior uses.