The genre of monumental and decorative painting includes works of large size, the purpose of which is to decorate architectural and building structures. Monumental painting is intended for viewing it from great distances and therefore there are no small strokes and details in it, its lines are clear and laconic.
Fresco
As integral elements of monumental painting, panels, frescoes, mosaics, stained-glass windows must preserve the overall structure of the architectural ensemble, otherwise they will simply lose their meaning. The most time-consuming and most ancient technique of wall painting is fresco ("al fresco" - raw), i.e. painting on wet plaster.
As a paint for painting with a fresco, the master used a special pigment diluted with water. At the same time, the simultaneous drying of the paints and the base guaranteed the durability and strength of the coating. This effect was achieved due to the film formed during the drying of calcium carbonate, which served as a kind of paint fixer. The color palette of the fresco differs from the mosaic and is presented in natural pastel tones. An experienced frescoist knows that after drying, the fresco painting becomes paler, moreover, the fresco is painted only in parts, while the plaster is still wet. In the event of any oversights in the painting, nothing can be corrected, you can only remove the entire layer of damaged plaster. This is exactly what the great Michelangelo did, and the world now admires his creation in the Sistine Chapel.
Mosaic
An equally popular painting technique was mosaic - an image that was held on a cementing base and consisted of pieces of multi-colored materials (marble, pebbles, smalt, semi-precious stones, colored glass) of various shapes tightly fitted to each other.
The first antique mosaics adorned the floors of palaces and noble houses in Rome and Pompeii. They depicted copies of paintings by Greek masters and created landscape compositions. Gradually, the mosaic made of colored glass (smalt) moved from the floors to the vaults and walls of temples. In order for the light to play and shine, pieces of smalt lay unevenly on the surface, which gave a great effect of light reflection. It is because of this property of mosaics that a special light aura has been preserved in medieval cathedrals today.
Stained glass
The name "stained glass" in French means window glass. According to history, the first stained glass windows adorned the temples of the Catholic Church as far back as the first century AD. Through the use of colored glass, the light passing through the stained glass is colored and creates an atmosphere that is optimal for places of worship.
The oldest works in Europe are considered to be five stained glass fragments from the Augsburg Cathedral. They are made of bright multi-colored glass using tonal shading and painting techniques that only highly skilled craftsmen could do.
Panel
A panel means a fragment of a wall, highlighted by any edging and filled inside with a sculptural or pictorial image. As a type of monumental painting, a panel can be executed in the form of a painting or a relief image. The panel can be made of mosaics or tiles, in the form of woodcarving, embossing, plaster stucco molding, etc. You can purchase a ready-made panel made of tiles or wallpaper, or you can bring your own bold idea to life.
