Mineral painting

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The mural Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way was made using stereochromy Emanuel Leutze - Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way - Capitol.jpg
The mural Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way was made using stereochromy

Mineral painting or Keim's process, also known as stereochromy, is a mural or fresco painting technique that uses a water glass-based paint to maximize the lifetime of the finished work.

Contents

The name "stereochromy" was first used in about 1825 by Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs and Schlotthaurer. [1] In the original technique, pigments were applied to plaster or stone and sealed with water glass to preserve and enhance the colors. [2] [3] The method was then improved in the 1880s by Adolf Wilhelm Keim and renamed mineral painting [4] [5] or Keim's process.

Keim's process

Keim's process was reported in 1884 at the Royal Society of Arts in London, by chemist and craftsman Adolf Wilhelm Keim of Munich, as an improvement on the earlier stereochromy technique of Schlotthaner and von Fuchs. [6] [7] [8] [9]

The process

Keim's focus on carefully preparing the painting ground came from his study of older frescos and their state of preservation. [10] Keim reportedly labored for twelve years to refine his process. [8]

See also

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Acrylic paint Water resistant paint type

Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted with water, or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor, a gouache, or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media.

Fresco Mural painting upon freshly laid lime plaster

Fresco is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The word fresco is derived from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh", and may thus be contrasted with fresco-secco or secco mural painting techniques, which are applied to dried plaster, to supplement painting in fresco. The fresco technique has been employed since antiquity and is closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting. The word fresco is commonly and inaccurately used in English to refer to any wall painting regardless of the plaster technology or binding medium. This, in part, contributes to a misconception that the most geographically and temporally common wall painting technology was the painting into wet lime plaster. Even in apparently Buon fresco technology, the use of supplementary organic materials was widespread, if underrecognized.

Oil painting Process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil

Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of the world. The advantages of oil for painting images include "greater flexibility, richer and denser colour, the use of layers, and a wider range from light to dark". But the process is slower, especially when one layer of paint needs to be allowed to dry before another is applied.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paint</span> Pigment applied over a surface that dries as a solid film

Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many colors—and in many different types. Paint is typically stored, sold, and applied as a liquid, but most types dry into a solid. Most paints are either oil-based or water-based and each has distinct characteristics. For one, it is illegal in most municipalities to discard oil-based paint down household drains or sewers. Clean-up solvents are also different for water-based paint than they are for oil-based paint. Water-based paints and oil-based paints will cure differently based on the outside ambient temperature of the object being painted Usually, the object being painted must be over 10 °C (50 °F), although some manufacturers of external paints/primers claim they can be applied when temperatures are as low as 2 °C (35 °F).

Pastel Art medium consisting of powdered pigment in the form of a stick

A pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those used to produce some other colored visual arts media, such as oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. The color effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process. Pastels have been used by artists since the Renaissance, and gained considerable popularity in the 18th century, when a number of notable artists made pastel their primary medium.

Tempera Fast-drying painting medium

Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long-lasting, and examples from the first century AD still exist. Egg tempera was a primary method of painting until after 1500 when it was superseded by oil painting. A paint consisting of pigment and binder commonly used in the United States as poster paint is also often referred to as "tempera paint", although the binders in this paint are different from traditional tempera paint.

Sodium silicate Hygroscopic chemical compound of variable Na2O/SiO2 ratio precursor of waterglass

Sodium silicate is a generic name for chemical compounds with the formula Na
2x
Si
y
O
2y+x
or (Na
2
O)
x
·(SiO
2
)
y
, such as sodium metasilicate Na
2
SiO
3
, sodium orthosilicate Na
4
SiO
4
, and sodium pyrosilicate Na
6
Si
2
O
7
. The anions are often polymeric. These compounds are generally colorless transparent solids or white powders, and soluble in water in various amounts.

Whitewash Paint made from lime and chalk

Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used.

Oil paint Type of slow-drying paint

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried oil paint film. The addition of oil or alkyd medium can also be used to modify the viscosity and drying time of oil paint. Oil paints were first used in Asia as early as the 7th century AD and can be seen in examples of Buddhist paintings in Afghanistan. Oil-based paints made their way to Europe by the 12th century and were used for simple decoration, but oil painting did not begin to be adopted as an artistic medium there until the early 15th century. Common modern applications of oil paint are in finishing and protection of wood in buildings and exposed metal structures such as ships and bridges. Its hard-wearing properties and luminous colors make it desirable for both interior and exterior use on wood and metal. Due to its slow-drying properties, it has recently been used in paint-on-glass animation. The thickness of the coat has considerable bearing on the time required for drying: thin coats of oil paint dry relatively quickly.

Oil pastel Stick consisting of powdered pigment and an oil-based binder

An oil pastel is a painting and drawing medium formed into a stick which consists of pigment mixed with a binder mixture of non-drying oil and wax. They differ from other pastel sticks which are made with a gum or methyl cellulose binder, and from wax crayons which are made without oil. The surface of an oil pastel painting is less powdery than one made from gum pastels, but more difficult to protect with a fixative. Oil pastels are bold and bright. They can be blended easily but they can break easily too.

Lime (material) Calcium mineral

Lime is a calcium-containing inorganic material composed primarily of oxides, and hydroxide, usually calcium oxide and/or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for calcium oxide which occurs as a product of coal-seam fires and in altered limestone xenoliths in volcanic ejecta. The International Mineralogical Association recognizes lime as a mineral with the chemical formula of CaO. The word lime originates with its earliest use as building mortar and has the sense of sticking or adhering.

Fresco-secco

Fresco-secco is a wall painting technique where pigments mixed with an organic binder and/or lime are applied onto a dry plaster. The paints used can e.g. be casein paint, tempera, oil paint, silicate mineral paint. If the pigments are mixed with lime water or lime milk and applied to a dry plaster the technique is called lime secco painting. The secco technique contrasts with the fresco technique, where the painting is executed on a layer of wet plaster.

Silicate mineral paints or mineral colors are paint coats with mineral binding agents. Two relevant mineral binders play a role in the field of colors: Lime and silicate.

Alkali–aggregate reaction Expansive chemical reaction damaging concrete

Alkali–aggregate reaction is a term mainly referring to a reaction which occurs over time in concrete between the highly alkaline cement paste and non-crystalline silicon dioxide, which is found in many common aggregates. This reaction can cause the expansion of the altered aggregate, leading to spalling and loss of strength of concrete.

Buon fresco is a fresco painting technique in which alkaline-resistant pigments, ground in water, are applied to wet plaster.

Keimfarben German paint manufacturer

KEIMFARBEN GMBH is a medium-sized company based in Diedorf near Augsburg. It belongs to the Leonhard Moll AG Group and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of silicate paints. Buildings such as the White House, Mariinskyi Palace, Buckingham Palace, Sydney Opera House, and the Bolshoi Theatre are painted with Keimfarben paints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation and restoration of frescos</span> Art preservation techniques

The conservation and restoration of frescoes is the process of caring for and maintaining frescos, and includes documentation, examination, research, and treatment to insure their long-term viability, when desired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation and restoration of paintings</span>

The conservation and restoration of paintings is carried out by professional painting conservators. Paintings cover a wide range of various mediums, materials, and their supports. Painting types include fine art to decorative and functional objects spanning from acrylics, frescoes, and oil paint on various surfaces, egg tempera on panels and canvas, lacquer painting, water color and more. Knowing the materials of any given painting and its support allows for the proper restoration and conservation practices. All components of a painting will react to its environment differently, and impact the artwork as a whole. These material components along with collections care will determine the longevity of a painting. The first steps to conservation and restoration is preventive conservation followed by active restoration with the artist's intent in mind.

The conservation and restoration of Pompeian frescoes describes the activities, methods, and techniques that have historically been and are currently being used to care for the preserved remains of the frescoes from the archeological site of Pompeii, Italy. The ancient city of Pompeii is famously known for its demise in A.D. 79 after the fatal eruption of Mount Vesuvius wiped out the population and buried the city beneath layers of compact lava material. In 1738, King Charles III or Charles of Bourbon, began explorations in Portici, Resina, Castellammare di Stabia, a Civita, where it was believed that the ancient cities of Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum were buried beneath. The first phase of the excavations at Pompeii started in 1748, which led to the first conservation and restoration efforts of the frescoes since their burial, and in 1764, open-air excavations began at Pompeii. Pompeii has a long history of excavation and restoration that began without a strong foundation or strategy. After centuries of cronyism, recurring financial shortages, and on-again-off-again restoration, the city's frescoes and structures were left in poor condition. In 1997, Pompeii was added to the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites.

References

  1. Doerner, Max (1984). The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting: With Notes on the Techniques of the Old Masters, Revised Edition (First ed.). Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 311. ISBN   9780156577168.
  2. "Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way". Architect of the Capitol | United States Capitol. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  3. "Stereochromy - definition, etymology and usage, examples and related words". www.finedictionary.com. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  4. "Mineral painting - CAMEO". cameo.mfa.org. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  5. Mayer, Ralph. A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969
  6. Rivington, J. A. (February 15, 1884). "A New Process for Producing Permanent Mural Paintings, Invented by Adolf Keim, of Munich". Journal of the Society of Arts. London: George Bell and Sons. 32 (1630): 245–257.
  7. 1 2 Jackson, F. Hamilton (1904). Mural Painting: Handbooks for the designer and craftsman. C. Scribner's Sons. ISBN   1112229248.
  8. 1 2 3 "A New Process of Mural Painting". The Builder. London: Henry Heathcote Statham. 46: 228. February 16, 1884.
  9. Spon, Edward; Spon, Francis N. (1886). Spons' Mechanics' Own Book: A Manual for Handicraftsmen and Amateurs (2nd ed.). London: E. & F.N. Spon. pp.  423–429. Keim's process.
  10. Osgood, J. R.; et al. (1884). American Architect and Architecture. Vol. 15. p. 125.