‘And so, we evolved: from chaos to a realm of elegance.’
That’s what a few Italian thinkers believed back in the late 14th century AD. And they believed so because they felt that this new age would be a “rinascita” or rebirth of art, literature, culture and learning.
Fresco, an art form honed during the Italian Renaissance, is one of the most significant techniques of mural-painting in the history of art. Although these paintings are commonly associated with the Italian Renaissance, the origins of this art form are still unknown.
The word fresco is derived from an Italian word for fresh because water-based pigments are applied on the plaster while it is still wet (or fresh), typically on the walls. The colors are made by grinding dry powdered tints in pure water. They are then dried and left to sit with the plaster to become a permanent part of the wall. Frescoes are the most ideal form of painting for murals because it naturally fits the imperial style, is durable and has a matte finish.
Types of Frescoes
There are majorly three common types of frescoes:
- Buon Fresco, or “true” fresco, is the type where the artist directly paints on the wet intonaco. Intonaco is an Italian word for the last layer of plaster on which frescoes are usually painted. A Buon Fresco does not require a binding medium for the pigments to stick. Instead, one can simply mix the colors in water and paint. This kind of fresco is extremely demanding. It requires extravagant skills and an eye for detail. One needs to finish the painting while the plaster is still wet with no room for mistakes because there’s no option to overpaint and correct if something goes wrong.
- Secco Fresco, or “dry” fresco, uses dry, finished walls as its painting surface. The dry walls are soaked with lime water and are then painted upon while it’s still wet. The pigments, in this type, use a binding medium such as an adhesive so that the paint sticks. The colors do not perforate into the plaster, but rather form a surface film. Fresco Secco is effective for two primary purposes: correcting errors in Buon Fresco and executing detailed illustrations.
- Mezzo Fresco or “medium” fresco is when the painting is done on almost dry intonaco. The pigments only slightly penetrate into the plaster in this one. Mezzo Fresco became so increasingly prevalent during the Renaissance that it even surpassed Buon Fresco in popularity.
History of Frescoes
This technique of mural-painting has been around for a millennia, almost as early as 2000 BCE. It was used during the Minoan Civilization (the bronze age settlement of Crete) and by Romans in Pompeii. Some of the ancient frescoes were also discovered in Egypt and Morocco, with Egyptians employing Secco Fresco for funerary murals. Additionally, some early frescoes have also been found at Brihadisvara Temple and Ajanta Caves made between 200 BCE to 1100 BCE. This was a prominent art style all throughout the Turkish and Mediterranean region. Interestingly, archaeologists have discovered some new frescoes in Pompeii this year.
The Frescoes of Ancient Egypt
Fresco, majorly secco fresco, was used in Egypt for sepulchral context. These frescoes most often used religious symbols and imagery as a way to guide the deceased into the afterlife. One of the first discovered frescoes in Egypt was found at Hierakonpolis in Tomb 100. The portrayals included boats, scenes of people fighting among themselves and animals.
The Frescoes of Aegean Civilization
The oldest mural-paintings used the Buon Fresco style dating between 2000 BCE and 1500 BCE during the bronze age. These were most commonly found in Aegean civilization, specifically Minoan civilization from Crete and several other islands of Aegean Sea. Some initial Crete frescoes were confined to monochromatic walls. With time and influence from the east, this simple art style developed into a monumental architecture style. It depicted scenes of celebrations, festivals, religious processions and bull sports. One of the most renowned works of Minoan society is the Bull-Leaping Fresco. It depicts a holy tradition where individuals leap on a bull’s back.
Certain art historians also believe that fresco artisans from Crete may have been sent to Egypt and other eastern regions as part of trade barter, a probability which underlines the importance of the art style in that period.
The Frescoes of Ajanta Caves
The wall-paintings of Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra are the earliest surviving frescoes of India that sequentially illustrates the Jataka tales. It dates back to around 2nd century BCE till about 6th century BCE and has been assumed to be created by the Buddhists. The outstanding feature of the Ajanta frescoes was the way they depicted the eyes of the people. It was meditative, and showcased grace and compassion. The frescoes of Ajanta have had a significant influence on Buddhist paintings, especially in Tibet, Nepal, China, Japan, and parts of Central Asia.
The Frescoes of Sigiriya
The Sigiriya Frescoes are found in Sigiriya, a site in Sri Lanka, that was painted around 480 AD, during the rule of King Kashyapa. It adorned the Sigiriya palace built in the 5th century. The total number of these paintings was around 500, though many have faded with time. It is believed that these frescoes depict women of the court dressed like Apsaras.
Frescoes of Sigiriya echo the style of Gupta-period paintings in the Ajanta Caves. However, they are way more colorful and vibrant, offering a glimpse of the ancient Sinhalese art.
The technique of the Sri Lankan frescoes were a little different from true fresco paintings. The pigments contained a mild binding medium which contributed to their durability, allowing them to survive for over 1500 years.
Frescoes from the reign of Cholas
The frescoes of the Chola Empire were discovered under the paintings of the Nayak period. These were probably made after Ajanta frescoes, in Ellora and Elephanta, and included of elements of Shaivism. Some of the Chola frescoes were also found in the passage of Brihadisvara Temple in 1931.
In a nutshell,
The world’s artistic heritage has a rich array of frescoes, with some of the earliest examples being found in Egypt and Italy. India, as well, boasts a significant history of frescoes with some notable ones having been found in Ajanta and Ellora caves dating back to around 200 BC, alongside other valuable frescoes from the Bagh Caves, Armamalai Caves, Badami Caves Temples and Sittanavasal. This global diversity in frescoes underscore the unique cultural and historical contexts they represent, highlighting how art shapes and is shaped by human connections across different regions and eras.
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By Vidhi Ojha
