The History of Tempera Painting
Tempera painting was the primary medium used in the ancient cultures of the world. The paint was created through a combination of minerals, egg yolk and water. The egg yolk was used chiefly as an adhesive substance while the minerals varied greatly based on what was available and the color desired. Tempera painting is the oldest type of painting in visual art.
First Appearance
Tempera paintings first appeared as cave paintings around 15,000 B.C. This period is also referred to as the Paleolithic period and the paintings made were limited to the colors red, brown and black.
Cultural Tempera
Around 3100 B.C., tempera painting began to be used for decorating walls and ceilings in tombs and palaces. In addition, tempera paintings gained popularity as decorative and expressive works of art.
Fresco
A type of tempera painting done when the canvas was still wet arose in the Roman Empire and was referred to as fresco. Many fresco paintings were found when the ruins of Pompeii (destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 A.D.) were excavated.
Byzantine Period
During the Byzantine period (700 to 1450 A.D.), a wide variety of colors were introduced in tempera painting. The still-popular fresco style was expanded upon through the use of wood paneling murals.
Late Tempera
Tempera was the medium used by Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling (using the fresco method) and Leonardo da Vinci to paint "The Last Supper." However, the rise of oil-based paint in the 15th century led to the eventual discontinuation of wide-spread tempera painting.
