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Renaissance Revival
Egg Tempera
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Egg tempera is pigment mixed with an egg yolk as a binder. It is applied to a
dry surface and is thus called fresco secco, as opposed to buon fresco which is a pigment mixed only with water, no binder, and applied to wet plaster. The oldest date that we know tempera was used, is from 35 000 years ago. It was applied in the cave paintings that were found in Chauvet, France. It was also the painting of choice during the oldest civilizations from the Egyptian tomb paintings right up until the Renaissance. It was in Northern Europe, during the Renaissance, that oil paint slowly took over. First oil was mixed with the egg tempera, but eventually the egg was dispensed with. The advantages and disadvantages of these two media vary. It is important to take this into consideration when one is deciding on what type of appearance one wishes the painting to achieve. Here is a little booklet that I created. It has more detailed information, if you wish to pursue this technique further:
Silverpoint refers to the type of stylus, made out of silver, that is used in this drawing style. Metalpoint refers to any metal that is used as a stylus in drawing. An abrasive surface is pivotal for the lines to show. Historically, toxic materials like lead were used as both a stylus and a ground. Fortunately, today we have alternatives and in addition we do not have to go through the lengthy process of drying and grinding old chicken bones to make the ground. The ground is available from major art suppliers, like Dick Blick. This drawing style is extremely fine and laborious and it is not possible to erase the line. One can of course apply another layer of ground, if the drawing needs to be altered radically. A large drawing can take more than forty hours to complete. Silverpoint was used by most of the well known Renaissance artists. Toward the end of the Renaissance, it was superseded by graphite. |