Interior showing the nave and altar of the basilica of Sant'Angelo in
Formia, Italy. This Romanesque basilica was built in AD 925 on the ruins
of an ancient temple. The frescos in the apse and nave date to AD 107278,
and show the influence of Byzantine mosaics and miniatures on mural painting.
(Image © The Art Archive/Tate Gallery London)
Byzantine fresco of Cain killing Abel in the basilica of Sant'Angelo in
Formia, Italy. The fresco dates to the late 11th century, and is one of
a number of frescos in the nave depicting Biblical scenes. (Image © Tha
Art Archive/Ethnographic Museum Vinnica Ukraine/Dagli Orti)
Byzantine fresco of Pilate washing his hands and Christ being helped with
the cross by Simon of Cyrene, in the basilica of Sant'Angelo in Formia,
Italy. This is one of the scenes from the life of Jesus depicted above
the arches in the central nave. The Last Judgement is depicted on the
back wall. The frescos were painted in AD 107278. (Image © The Art Archive/Victoria
and Albert Museum London/Eileen Tweedy)
The Duke's Grooms, from the fresco of the Family of Ludovico Gonzaga,
by Italian painter and engraver Andrea
Mantegna, in the Camera degli Sposi in the Ducal Palace, Mantua,
Italy. Mantegna's figures are stately and rich, thoroughly imbued with
the spirit of the Renaissance and of their courtly position in the society
of their day. (Image © The Art Archive/British Museum/Eileen Tweedy)
A fresco from the Cycle of Months by the Bohemian artist Torre Aquila
Tren. In high summer, courtiers disport themselves outside a manor house,
fishing, hawking, and playing at courtly love, while in the background
peasants scythe and rake the fields. (Image © The Art Archive/Torre Aquila
Trento/Dagli Orti)
Mural painting technique using water-based paint on wet plaster that has been freshly applied to the wall. The technique is ancient and widespread some of the earliest examples (c. 17501400 BC) were found in Knossos, Crete (now preserved in the Archeological Museum in Heraklion). However, fresco reached its finest expression in Italy from the 13th to the 17th centuries.
The advantage of fresco over other wall-painting methods is that it produces an exceptionally permanent result. The colours become incorporated with the substance of the plaster, and if the process is properly carried out, are as lasting as the plaster itself. It is suitable only for dry climates, as damp causes the plaster to crumble. For this reason, fresco was never as popular in watery Venice as it was in other major Italian art centres such as Florence and Rome.
Hutchinson Encyclopedia
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