Fresco Painting

Fresco is a way of painting on walls and ceilings. The artist paints on wet plaster. As the plaster dries, the paint becomes part of the wall. This makes the painting last a very long time. Some frescos are over 2,000 years old and still look amazing.

How Fresco Works

The artist puts fresh, wet plaster on a section of wall. Then they paint on it quickly before the plaster dries. The paint soaks into the plaster and becomes part of the wall. The artist can only work on a small area each day. This means big frescos take a very long time.

Famous Frescos

The Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo is the most famous fresco in the world. Ancient Romans painted frescos in their homes in Pompeii. Giotto painted beautiful frescos in churches in Italy. Fresco painting was a major art form during the Renaissance.

Fun Facts

• The word fresco means fresh in Italian because you paint on fresh, wet plaster.
• Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco while standing on scaffolding.
• Frescos in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii survived under volcanic ash for nearly 2,000 years.

Did You Know?

Fresco artists must work very fast because wet plaster dries in just a few hours. They can only paint a small section each day!