fresco secco

In the fresco secco, or lime-painting, method, the plastered surface of a wall is soaked with slaked lime. Lime-resistant pigments are applied swiftly before the plaster sets. Secco colours dry lighter than their tone at the time of application, producing the pale, matte,…

Fresco secco (“dry fresco”) is a process that dispenses with the complex preparation of the wall with wet plaster. Instead, dry, finished walls are soaked with limewater and painted while wet. The colours do not penetrate into the plaster but form a surface film, like…

In fresco secco (“dry”), the artist applies paints to already dried plaster. The stability of these paintings depends upon the presence of a binding medium—such as egg, oil, gum, or glue—mixed with the pigments to adhere them adequately to the wall surface. This type of painting is…