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Fresco-making is an ancient art of Shekhavati that dates back to several centuries
in India. Different regions had their distinct styles. The artists of Shekhavati
have been inventing new methods for making frecoes with locally available material.
The fresco painters of Shekhavati were called chitaras and belonged to the Kumhar
or potter caste. They were also called chejaras or masons since they performed both
the functions of building and painting. The chejaras of Shekhavati used additional
local materials with the principal constitutes. The impact of two styles developed
according to the working process of painting and medium can be seen here in the
frescoes.
Fresco-buono, the first method employed painting on a wet surface. The second method
known as Fresco-secco was done on a dry surface. The first method which did not
require any sticking or binding material was comparatively more stable and the paintings
remained unfaded and less affected by heat and rain. The word fresco originated
from the Latin word for fresh (fresh plaster or wet surface). It is also known as
wet wall painting, Aayash, Alagila etc. Fresco-buono is done on wet lien plaster
with colours mixed with lime and water. On drying, the lime absorbs carbonic acid
from the air and reacts chemically into insoluble Calcium Carbonate. This thin layer
becomes the upper surface of colour and the colour becomes stable. Wall painting
on a dry surface is called Fresco-secco.This is called the tempera method where
tempera colours are used with sticking and binding material. The advantage in this
method is that modifications can be added to the paintings later. In this method
it is required to ensure that the walls are free of moisture to prevent an alkaline
effect on the paintings which could ruin the colours. Gum, sares, egg and casein
are used as binding material in this method. In the havelis of Shekhavati, usually
pure frescoes are drawn on the lower surfaces and walls outside while the interiors
and ceilings are painted using fresco-secco. Mineral colours obtained from rocks
and sand were used for these wall paintings as these don’t react with lime. The
colour pigments used were mainly kajal (lamp black) for black, safeda (chalk) or
chuna (lime) for white, neel (indigo) for blue, harabhata (terra verte) for green,
geru (red stone) for red, hirmich (a mineral) for brown, kesar (saffron) for orange
and pevri (yellow clay) for yellow ochre.More...