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Why is buon fresco considered a durable mural-painting technique?
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Mural
Detail of Religion, mural in lunette from the Family and Education series by Charles Sprague Pearce, 1897; in the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.
Buon fresco (or "true" fresco) is considered a highly durable mural-painting technique because the pigments become an integral part of the wall surface rather than sitting as a separate layer on top of it.12
The process achieves this permanence through a specific chemical reaction:
- Integration with Plaster: The artist applies water-based pigments onto a freshly prepared, damp layer of lime plaster (intonaco).13
- Chemical Binding: As the plaster dries, it reacts with carbon dioxide in the air to form calcium carbonate. This process effectively locks the pigment particles into the crystalline structure of the wall.23
- Resistance: Because the colors are fused into the wall fabric itself, they exhibit great resistance to aging and wear compared to techniques that rely on surface binders, which can flake or peel over time.12
While this method provides exceptional longevity, it requires significant technical skill, as the artist must work rapidly while the plaster is wet and cannot easily correct mistakes once the surface has set.12