The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-05
PROCESS OF PAINTING ON
WET PLASTER REDISCOVERED
Max r. Friederang, Well Known In Richmond An Artist
Who Produced the Splendid Illustrations Of Rich
mond's First Horse Show, Amazes the Art Crit
les With Exhibit Of !" Genuine
Antique Fresco.''
Antique FrescO.


unimpaired after being buried under the
earth where they were subjected to the
soaking ruins of n thousand years, and
as to tho second by the excavations in
Pompei and Hercuianeum. where the
frescos were inundated and covered by
o sea of boiling lava and glowing ashes
from crupting yesuvus This character
istic Is due to the fact that the pigments
used, form chemical combination with
the lime in the plaster, and. once the
matter has dried. the painting Is there
to say 80 long as the plaster shall last
The history OF the antique fresco"
may be summed UP In brief; its genesis
and antiquity. it's spread to Egypt, to
the land of the Minotaur,'' Greece, to
Etruria. to Rome. its climax, Its de-
cline and the causes, attempts to revive
1t and failure, the substitutes for 1t,
the discovery of it's secrets by Max. II.
Friederang his vicissitudes In attempt
ing to revive 1t and the work ureauy
done.
Genesis of Process.
Its genesis may be logically traced to
hieroglyphics. or sign writing. when his
tory was recorded by pictures, where
the hleroglyphs were often exposed to
the elements. which nccessitated the use
of pointing medium that would with
stand the ravages of heat and moisture.
1t follows, therefore. that its antiquity
antedates present written history, but
work in this medium has been discovered
by Petrie in Assyrian temples to be
1900 years old.
Its progress was then traced 10 Egypt.
where 1t was used to decorate the tombs
OF the kings and the wealthy mobiles.
The paintings discovered seem to show
that 1t was used there In the same stage
to develop as found in Assyria.
The next. point OF discovery was tho
'land OF NIinotaur," which for ages WAS
deemed to be mere myth or legend.
but which archaeoldgists in their exca-
vations In the Grecian archipelago prove
to have been historical fact. Mural
decorations In the pure fresco were dis
covered there.
To what is now known as ancient
Greece. this process was carried. though
the painting art seemed to have been
there secondary to sculpture In general
esteem. 1t appears to have been prin-
cipally used there In the decoration of
the sarcophago of the wealthy. and some
wonderful examples OF the work then
done have been preserved
Art Buried BY Vesuvius.
When the Romans conquered Greece
many artists were taken to Rome to
grace the victor's triumph. but when
permitted, resumed the practice of the
fresco art. Others fled the conquering
hosts and took refuge in Etriria, where
they revived their art. II Is there that
this arts advance was next traced. and
the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum
were adorned by them; and their pupils,
only to be buried later on by the erup-
ton Of the volcano SVesuyius
Following Etruria. Rome took to this
art and from there it APPEARS to have
spread throughout what Is now known as
Italy, all artists using 1t exclusively.
us climax OF progress may be said to
have arrived In the time of Leonardo da
Ninci, Michel Angelo. Raphael, Botice'E.
fCorresio and Murillo, while Michel Angelo
and Raphael may be said to have been
it's greatest masters. The former with
Leonardofda vincl were expert chemists.
as we'll as wonderful painters. Michel
Angelo united science and art in Develop
ing the antique fresco'' process. Leonar-
DO produced its decay. Raphael was a
genius. pure and simple. and managed to
get from other artists the scientific Sc
crets of the process.
With the passing away of the "old
masters mentioned, the decline OF art
began. the last great master to use 1t
being Clio Batista carlone, Clio Andrea,
his son, in 1897, and Tiepola. Michel
angelo would never intrust his great
talent to any Italian artists, distressing
them to the extent of refusing to accept
any pupils. Leonardo da, Vinci was also
secretive, and it is thought Raphael and
the other old masters only directed their
pupils in the use of colors, mixing the
same themselves. and thus tho secrets
became lost art. This was due In n
great measure to the troubleous times
that obtained about this era. Europe be-
ing torn with wars and ravaged by the
plague, during which the painting art
declined to its lowest ebb.
About the middle OF the nineteenth
century Germany and Great Britain made
an attempt to revive this lost art. The
former government sent one hundred
artists to Rome to search for its secrets.
but without avail Two OF them returned
with substitute called "stereochrome''
OF water glass" which proved n COM
plete failure, costing thousands OF dol
lars expended In large mural decorations
which have failed to last. England was
a victim also of this substitute. the
works OF Sir Frederick Leighton in this
process In the House of Parliament shar-
ing the same fall as those in Germany.
He also attempted the "antique fresco,'
but without success, as he used the
5Plinius formula. which misdirected the
entire art world.
Discovers the Secret.
About the middle of the twentieth cen-
tury. Max F. Triederang, while at work
in the Vatican at Rome, discovered
manuscript containing the formulate of
Michelangelo, and copied them into Ger
man, his native tongue. Doubling at
first the verify of his discovery, and de-
termining to prove the same by expert
ments, he soon found that he had the
secrets of the lost art. and determined
to devote his life to the rcvivaliof the
wonderful process.
he was doomed to a series Of heart
breaking disappointments, his health Civ
Ing away under work several times. Dis.
ease also attacked him, until his life was
despaired of: but mind conquered matter.
and he left his bed to make trip TO
this country for his health, Here he dis
covered a condition in public life which
appeared to him closely analogous to that
in Italy at the time of the climax OF tho
antique fresco, and he decided to re-
vlvc the process or school in this coun-