"Fresco" Abstract

29 July 2011

The art of mural painting took many forms since the oldest of ages. One such form is Fresco. Briefly, Fresco is the art of painting on wet plaster, using water colors. The use of this art expanded throughout the ages because of the wet plaster’s ability to absorb the colors, giving strength and vividness to the art work. Many Fresco pieces were found around the Mediterranean basin; especially in Egypt, where Fresco was used in funerary paintings on tomb walls, as the ancient Egyptians believed in the ability of the deceased to communicate from the afterlife through spells with the drawings on the walls. We also find Frescos in Greece; the most famous of which is at the Knossos Palace in Crete, reflecting the Greek perception of mural painting, where the artist used daily life elements. In the Roman era, the martial and practical nature of this people was reflected in the depiction of war victory scenes in a variation of legendary landscapes. We also notice the use of Fresco in homes. This art continued until the Renaissance, with the most important painting being Michelangelo’s nine scenes from the Book of Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Church.