Painting Techniques
What is a painting ?
Painting involves application of pigments in a liquid medium.
What are the painting mediums used in the medieval period ?
Liquid medium:
Tempera
Fresco
Tempera:
Tempera is opaque and tends to dry fast. There are two types of tempera painting: Egg Tempera and Tempera Grassa. This painting technique used mainly in the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance period. Later on, with the introduction of the oil painting, use of tempera is replaced. In the Middle Ages mostly used on the altarpiece and in the Renaissance on canvas.
Egg Tempera is made of egg yolk mixed with pigment and water.
Tempera Grassa is same as egg tempera with an addition of oil.
Fresco:
Fresco (Affresco) and Dry Fresco (Fresco Secco)
Fresco is a type of mural painting made on wet or dry plaster. It’s been used since the antiquity.
Fresco: is applied on a wet plaster. It is a water based painting technique. Plaster is made of lime, water and pigment.
Dry Fresco: is applied on dry plaster. The same rule applies as Fresco. The only difference is Fresco tends to last longer since it is made on a wet plaster.
The application process starts by preparing the wall. Putting the rough (arriccio) layer of wet plaster on the wall then they draw with “sinopia” or using “spolvero” technique to transfer the design to the painting surface. Later, the division into “giornatas” (since wet plaster tends to dry fast, artists needed to divide into sections for everyday’s work) After divided into giornatas, the area to be painted is applied with a thin (intonaco) layer and painting process starts. Paint consists only pigment and water since wet plaster plays a binding role. Lastly, calcium carbonate layer is applied on top the whole surface as a kind of protection.
Oil Paint:
Oil painting is founded by the Flemish artists later introduced to Central Italian art by Venetian artists. It allowed glazing and also stayed wet longer than tempera paint which allowed artists to rework the surface. When artists wanted to show modeling of form or the movement from light to dark they had to use lines in different tones of the same color side by side. This is known as hatching technique. Oil painting took the lead and allowed for very soft modulation of light and shadow.
—————————————————————
What is underpainting ?
Underpainting helps to establish tonal values and can influence the final color application.
What are some other painting methods ?
Encaustic painting: it is a mix of wax and pigment fused onto a surface with heat. First used by ancient greeks and egyptians. Some early medieval christian icons in Rome and Constantinople were believed to have used encaustic painting before the transition to egg tempera. Jasper Johns also used in his “Flag” artwork.
Dry painting: a technique where the paint is applied in a way that doesn’t require additional moisture or thinning agents like water or oils. It can also apply to techniques like encaustic or dry brush where the point is applied without liquid medium.
Impasto: a painting technique where the paint is applied thickly to a surface, creating a textured surface for a three-dimensional effect. Heavy, paste-like consistency of the paint often used in oil painting. It is associated with artists like Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Goya. It can add emotional intensity.
Ex. Starry Night, Van Gogh, 1889
Monet, Water Lilies, 1919
Jackson Pollock, No.5, 1948
Thesaurus
Sinopia: a reddish-brown pigment found in the north coast of Turkey. Also means, any underdrawing on the arriccio layer is commonly called sinopia, whether done in red pigment or not.
Spolvero: a technique used to transfer images from cartoon to painting surface by opening holes around the outline of the figure and applying charcoal on top of it.
Giornata: a day’s work or made fresh daily.
Glazing: applying oil painting on a white background in layers or in glazes.
