Like
most Italian creations, including the Renaissance, when it comes to
Venetian plaster, it breaks down into 2 main elements -science and
art.
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| a canal shot from our trip to Venice to research the uses of venetian plaster |
The Italians found a way to take a basic material found in
abundance (lime), come up with a chemical process to heat and hydrate
the material, resulting in a material that was green (many hundreds
of years before it became fashionable) extremely
strong, mold and mildew resistant and moisture friendly but also
could be colored and applied in multiple thin layers creating
incredible movement depth and dimensions that in itself became its
own art form applied by artisans who understood all this.
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| traditional venetian plaster wall in a hallway in Venice |
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| Frescoes traditionally done in plaster |
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| the interior courtyard a beautiful hotel in Venice, the walls on top are venetian plaster |
One of my mentors gave us the story of how Venetian plaster came to be named. The technique was developed in Roman times, and used to great effect in places like Pompeii and other ancient cities. When the northern tribes invaded Italy, the artisans who held the secrets on how to create this finish fled to Venice, where the watery terrain was easy to hide in and defend their position. So for the next many, many years, these artisans kept it safe and alive in Venice. We went there to see examples of their work.
Over
the years we have trained in many studios in many locales, for the
many materials that we use for wall finishes. Our time spent in Italy
would be our favorite in
terms of really understanding the science and the art of Venetian
plaster.We studied some of its basic roots in applications, as well as how
Italian designers use these materials not only in old world
settings, but as a cutting edge design element.
I
was very fortunate to have spent time with highly talented artisans
in Vicenza and Florence who had over 30 years experience in
teaching and application, having worked on everything from original
restorations of building in Venice for many years to cutting
edge projects in Brazil, the Jamaica Islands, New York City and Asia.
I
learned the science, as well as the art. This is knowledge passed on
by people who love their craft, and with a backdrop of artistic
riches you find throughout Italy its hard not to get it.
Ciao
Kevin
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