Mural or monumental decoration: its aims and methods

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Page 239 - Essay on the whole Art of Criticism as it relates to Painting," and " An Argument in behalf of the Science of a Connoisseur.
Page 70 - ... as to render them of the usual consistency of oil colours ; then paint with fair water. The colours, when mixed with the composition, may be laid on either thick or thin, as may best suit your subject; on which account this composition is very advantageous where any particular transparency of colouring is required ; but in most cases it answers best if the colours be laid on thick, and they require the same use of the brush as...
Page 71 - ... slowly; or the wax may be melted by holding a hot poker at such a distance as to melt it gently, especially such parts of the picture as should not appear sufficiently transparent or brilliant; for the oftener heat is applied to the picture, the greater will be the transparency and brilliancy of colouring; but the contrary effect would be produced if too sudden or too great a degree of heat was applied, or for too long a time, as it would draw the wax too much to the surface, and might likewise...
Page 28 - Germans generally use more sand, viz., three parts to one of lime. The thickness of the coat is such as is generally used in preparing the walls of dwelling-houses. The surface of this first application should be rough, but not unequally so; and the mason should avoid leaving cavities in it. The wall thus prepared should be suffered to harden perfectly; the longer it remains in this state the safer it will be, especially if the lime used was in the first instance fresh. In that case, two or three...
Page 228 - The practice of painting made easy; in which is contained the art of painting in oil, with the method of colouring — Thomas Bardwell. London, 1756. This book had a high reputation in its day and although Bardwell printed an elaborate royal copyright and autographed every copy of the edition it was widely pirated and copied.
Page 71 - ... are observed to be growing dry. In painting with this composition, the colours blend without difficulty when wet; and even when dry the tints may easily be united by means of a brush and a very small quantity of fair water.
Page 71 - ... water. When the painting is finished, put some white wax into a glazed earthen vessel over a slow fire, and when melted, but not boiling, with a hard brush cover the painting with the wax ; and when cold...
Page 40 - Take very white slaked lime reduced to a fine powder; place it in a large tub, and mix well with water, pouring off the water as the lime settles, and adding fresh for eight days. The lime, divided into small cakes, is then placed to dry in the sun on the house-top, and the longer these cakes are left the whiter they become.
Page 50 - But the expressions encausto pingere, pictura encįustica, ceris pingere, picturam innrere, by Pliny and other ancient writers, make it clear another species of painting is thereby meant. We have no ancient pictures of this description, and therefore the precise manner adopted by the ancients is not completely developed, though many moderns have closely investigated the subject, and described their processes. At what time, and by whom, this species of painting was first invented, is not determined...
Page 24 - This figure was added to fill up a vacant space, and thus the change, though a considerable improvement, involved no inconvenience. Some less important alterations in the same fresco, such as covering the head of Aspasia with drapery, instead of showing her flowing tresses, (for thus she appears in the cartoon,) might have been made on the wall, without any change in the drawing. That this cartoon was the identical one which served for the execution of the fresco, is proved by the exact conformity...

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