Now is a good time for finding out more about something that has been around since the time of the Egyptians. Where to start because the beginning could be theoretically older still . I’d like to give you an idea of the qualities of buon fresco that make it so special .
When you want to work on a wall, which is the most agreeable and impressive kind of work, first of all get some limeade some sand, each of them well sifted.
Cennini The Craftman’s Handbook {translated}
Intonaco is the the mortar used as a treadtional buon fresco mural surface. Aggregate usually sand and lime are mixed together, the qualities of these two elements give fresco painting a luminosity unmatched by other painting techniques. At a distance they seem to glow. Both are free from synthetic chemicals, lime putty as a plaster has the unique function of adding both light and purifying air. Fresh fresco is a light as cloud . Each giornata, painting day, has its own weather, the intonaco will reflect the conditions of the day. When the day is hot and dry it will dry out quickly, when the day is humid and cool there day will be longer and the plaster will remain laden with moisture into the night.
arredamentofresco.com 