Techniques
With my artworks I propose a reinterpretation of decorative techniques from the Florentine Renaissance onwards, for a period spanning the centuries from 15th century to 18th - 19th centuries, characterized by the production of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure with its particular techniques of inlaid marble.
The reinterpretations of the painting techniques that I have identified are based on the use of alternative materials than marble or precious materials unobtainable today.
The execution is entirely handmade: the basis for the painting is the classic ammannitura, obtained from a mixture of chalk and special glues very diluted and used by painters since the Middle Ages. The veins of marble inlays and the likelihood of wood is obtained by writing about fifteen layers of very diluted acrylic color, interspersed with layers of shellac and protected by a water-resistant paint finish.
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Technique of scagliola |
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This technique was practiced as early as 17th century by the architect and engineer Guido Fassi (1584-1649) to overcome both the difficulty in finding marbles with a variety of colors and to use cheaper materials. The plaster is made from a paste (Meschia) of powdered chalk, glue and water which becomes solid and polished like stone once drying and grinding. Patterns are carved on the surface, and into the furrows pastes in colored plaster are putted. After a further phase of sanding and polishing bright and silk finish decorations are obtained. They could be used to cover walls and floors or create tables, frames, columns and ornaments of various kinds. |
| Trompe l'œil |
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With the technique of trompe l'oeil (French for 'deceive the eye') the observer is induced to have the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions. A mural trompe-l'oeil effect may represent a window, a door or a porch to give the impression that the room is bigger. The technique is based on the use of chiaroscuro and perspective. The observer's viewpoint is essential to build the illusion and find the vanishing point. By this position observers will achieve maximum effectiveness of optical illusion, especially if real light sources and related shadows in the room are complied. |
It is a work of cabinetry for the decoration of furniture with different qualities of wood. After spreading in Italy and especially in Florence during the 15th and 16th centuries, the technique was imitated in France and then throughout Europe The ability of the artist is expressed in the choice of woods of different quality and colors to be included in the drawing and the figures to be obtained.
Inlay
