History: Secco

Secco painting, also known as in secco and fresco secco, refers to the technique of applying paint to dry plaster. This technique contrasts true fresco, which is paint applied to wet plaster; thus, secco is less durable since the paint that is applied to the plaster easily flakes or rubs off over time. Secco painting is done on plaster that has dried and been moistened again to simulate wet plaster; the pigments are used with a binding medium like egg. Sometimes the secco method is used to add detail to frescos; again these details tend to be less durable than the actual fresco.

The earliest examples of secco paintings can be found in ancient Egyptian tombs when tempera paints were used on dry plaster to depict the lives of deceased individuals. Other early examples come from the ancient city of Pompeii where Romans used tempera paint on both wet and dry plaster to decorate their homes and public buildings. Secco was widely used throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance as adornment on ceilings and wall of palaces and churches. Today, secco and fresco are used less commonly and are mainly a form of fine art.

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