Fresco Painting

Course Description

The aim of this combined studio art/lecture course is to introduce fresco painting (wall painting) to students who have not necessarily studied art history or acquired any form of artistic training. This course explains what fresco painting is and why it became one of the most important painting techniques in Renaissance Italy. Using a radically new and exciting approach to understanding this painting technique and the historical and political contexts in which these masterpieces were created, students will leave the course with a unique understanding of frescoes and their golden age. The primary focus of this course is to provide students with an intimate experience of how a fresco is created. They will be handling the basic ingredients of fresco painting, i.e. sand, lime, stone, stucco and mineral pigments, to create their own frescoes using traditional techniques. The aim of this course is an understanding of fresco technique and therefore focuses on process rather than the final product. An integral part of the course are the site visits to ascend the scaffolding in Florentine churches and palaces to witness at first hand the restoration of great fresco cycles normally closed to the public.