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Public Wall Art Unit: Fresco Painting

marleeyunger
Nov 3, 2014
4 min read

Cycle Level: 2

Here's a look into Fresco painting during the public wall art unit.

The Lesson

Introduction

Stimulus for Creation: Fresco paintings refer to a kind of wall art that takes place when the plaster is wet

or still fresh. It uses color pigments and water to create rich paints. The artist must paint quickly onto the wet plaster in order for it to become embedded there and an actual fresco painting. “Fresco” is an Italian word meaning “fresh,” which clearly explains the given technique.

Although this style of painting has been around for over 30 000 years, it became extremely popular during the late Medieval and Renaissance period. These paintings can be found on church walls and government buildings.

Using the same concept, fresco-secco paintings can also be made. This involves a similar technique, but it is done on dry plaster instead. This technique allows the artist to work at a slower pace and fix any mistakes. Although there are many commonalities between fresco and fresco-secco paintings, the main difference is that when the paint is applied to dry plaster, there needs to be a binder to make it stick to the wall. This binder can be egg, oil, or glue.

As our class has already began learning about the Renaissance period in history, I thought it would be interesting and enjoyable for students to make their own paint and explore frescoes, as it was a popular art technique during this historical period. I will begin by having the groups stand up and make a tableau in front of the class. A tableau is a drama term used to describe a still image involving a group of people. The tableau usually revolves around a given theme. For the purpose of this tableau, it will be Renaissance themed. If groups are stuck, I will help them come up with an idea. After we have completed this short warm up activity, I will show the class frescoes from famous Renaissance painters, including Michelangelo’s Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I will explain that the tableaus we created in our groups could represent what we could find on fresco paintings as well.

Development In order for students to succeed in this lesson, they must already understand the

Renaissance period and the color wheel. More specifically, students must be aware how to properly mix colors to form new colors. For example, students must know that by mixing blue and yellow, they will make green. I will explain the necessary components needed to make our own paint and students will write notes on a handout. For those needing a little extra support, I will have a handout already filled out for them. On the same handout, students will have a step-by-step guide of how to make the tempura paint. We will make the paint as a class, but just in case a student falls behind or goes ahead, the steps will be right there. The main transforming gesture we are focusing on is applying color pigment, which will be explained as we make our frescoes.

Activity

PROCEDURE FOR TEMPERA PAINT Making the pigment paste: Step 1 – Mix together 10 ml of pigment and 2.5 ml of water Step 2 – Mix with a palette knife and grind it thoroughly Step 3 – Continue until smooth

Making the binder: Step 1 – Crack a medium and drain the egg white from the yolk. Separate it by using an egg separator or rotating it between hands draining it slowly. Step 2 – Place the egg yolk on a paper towel and move it around remove leftover egg white. Step 3- Pierce the yellow allowing the yolk to drain into a clean container. Step 4 – Add 2 ml of water and stir well.

Mix together the egg yolk and water Step 2 – Stir well

Making the paint: Step 1 – Combine slowly equal amounts of pigment paste and binder on a plate Step 2 – Mix well making sure it is smooth Step 3 – If paint is too lumpy, add more water until desired consistency

PROCEDURE FOR FRESCO Before this lesson: Step 1 – Prepare plaster and set to dry on a foam plate. Step 2 – Before the plaster is dry, pierce a hole at the top for an easy display method.

During lesson (40 minutes): Step 1 – Distribute the dry plaster Step 2 – Allow students to make their own fresco Step 3 – Set aside to dry Step 4 – When dry, remove the foam plate Step 5 – Tie a string through the hole of the fresco painting and display work.

Closure

After every student has completed their fresco painting, I will have the paintings on display. Students will walk around and look at classmates work. When completed, students will write a reflection containing one paragraph on what they liked about his or her fresco and what they would do differently. Another paragraph will be about the frescos of their classmates. Students must use appropriate language to describe elements discussed in the reflection.

Assessment

Students will be evaluated using the rubric given to us by Melissa Ledo. Furthermore, students’ reflections will be evaluated on the following criteria: