After we arrived, we learned how to make the correct consistency of plaster by mixing dry plaster and water, an exceedingly messy job. We filled shoebox lids with the plaster, and let it set for a couple of hours. While the plaster was setting, we ground the paint by mixing pure pigment with water. In order to get a gradation of colors when painting, we need to add more pigment for a darker color, or add more water for a lighter color. During the break, Mr. Baris gave a presentation on the development of pictorial space in the Renaissance. Included in the presentation were many artworks we saw during our spring break trip to Italy.

We returned to our plaster, which we cut into even squares. Ms. Wagner had taken a detail of Plato and Aristotle from School of Athens by Raphael and divided it up into squares for us to paint. In order to transfer the photo images onto the plaster, we placed the photos on the plaster, and traced lines by poking holes in the plaster with a pin tool. We then painted the plaster using the pigments that we had mixed earlier. Learning how to make a fresco helped us appreciate and understand the amount of effort and time that went into creating the frescoes that we saw on the trip.

By Alison Redding ’08 and Hannah Wrangham ’08