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What
is a Fresco?
by
Chris Lee
The mural "The Underground Railroad"
is a fresco. The word fresco is an Italian word meaning "fresh". This describes
what a fresco is because it is a painting technique done on wet or fresh
plaster. The painting had to be completed quickly while the plaster was
still wet. Because of this, the fresco technique didn't allow the artists
time to include many details in the picture. To make a fresco, the artist
first made a charcoal drawing on the wall completing as much of the drawing
as he could in a single day. The artist next spread a thin coat of wet plaster
over the dry wall retracing the charcoal lines which he could barely see
underneath. Paint mixed with water and egg whites was applied directly to
the wet plaster. The paint and wet plaster bonded together to form a permanent
surface. Sometimes artists painted over the surface after it dried, however
this layer of paint usually flaked off in time. If a mistake was made, the
white surface had to be cleaned off and the section done again.
An
Artistic Perspective on the Mural
by
Colleen Elliott
The Underground Railroad, in Dolgeville,
New York depicts a scene that tells the story of a black family trying
to escape the tortures of slavery. With white abolitionists as their guide,
the mural shows the family descending into a cave for hide-away until
nightfall.
The facial expressions on the people
depicted in the mural are very powerful. The facial expressions seem incredibly
accurate for the event that is taking place. The anxiety that the viewer
feels is portrayed in the eyes of the characters as if the viewer were
in the mural himself. The little girl seems to be the focal point of the
piece. She is staring off into the distance to see if there are any followers,
which adds a little extra sense of fear to the painting. The overall mood
of the painting is very dark, dreary and secretive. The formal elements
of the work of art are very attractive. The dark shades of color help
establish a strong distinctive mood in the mural. The dark blues and blacks
used to create the sun rising on the horizon are beautiful. As well as
the dark greens used to create the landscape. The shading is excellent.
Somewhat unrealistic in spots like the light reflections on the men from
the lantern. However, the shading is overall impressive. The details in
this mural are extravagant. All facial expressions are very nicely done.
However, the hands on the slave man holding the document got my complete
attention. Almost every visible muscle or vein in the human hand were
painted and captured in this part of the mural.
Evaluation:
This mural was very well done. The fresco techniques are extremely
difficult. For the type of mural (fresco), and the size of the mural,
This painting is a wonderful piece of art.
Related Internet
Links
--these links are external to The New Deal Art web site:
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