Medium: Fresco

One common painting medium, particularly in ancient Rome, was fresco. This type of medium involved mixing pigment with limewater. Fresco paint was applied to either wet or dry plaster.

Plaster is made by mixing a powdered paste with water and permitting it to dry. The application of fresco paint to dry plaster, or fresco secco, often caused paint to eventually peel from the plaster surface due to moisture accumulation between the wall and painting.

Applying fresco paint to wet plaster is known as true fresco. This technique required great skill, as artists had to work quickly, mixing the pigment with the wet plaster before it dried, making it part of the wall.