fresco

Mural painting technique using water-based paint on wet plaster that has been freshly applied to the wall. The technique is ancient and widespread; some of the earliest examples (c. 1750–1400 BC) were found in Knossos, Crete (now preserved in the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion). However, fresco reached its finest expression in Italy from the 13th to the 17th centuries. One of the finest examples of fresco is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508–12) by Michelangelo, in the Vatican, Rome.

The advantage of fresco over other wall-painting methods is that it produces an exceptionally permanent result. The colours become incorporated with the substance of the plaster, and if the process is properly carried out, are as lasting as the plaster itself. It is suitable only for dry climates, as damp causes the plaster to crumble. For this reason, fresco was never as popular in watery Venice as it was in other major Italian art centres such as Florence and Rome.