The main difference between fresco and mural is that fresco refers to painting that involves using water-soluble paints on wet limestone while mural is a large painting on a wall, ceiling or any other permanent surface.
We can use the word mural to refer to any large painting on a wall, ceiling, or any other permanent surface of a building, located both interior and exterior. Fresco is a type of mural making. In fact, it is one of the oldest and most famous techniques in mural making. Both murals and frescos have a very long history.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is a Fresco
– Definition, Features
2. What is a Mural
– Definition, Features,
3. Difference Between Fresco and Mural
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Art, Fresco, Mural, Painting
What is a Mural
A mural is a large painting on a wall, ceiling or any other permanent surface. The word mural comes from the Latin “murus”, which means wall. Murals have a very long history; from cave paintings from the Paleolithic age at Lascaux Grotttoes in southern France to street art murals seen everywhere today. Over this long history, murals have decorated the interiors and exteriors of many buildings, such as temples, churches, museums, libraries, palaces and houses of the rich, as well as streets and other architectural elements.
When creating a mural, the artists make sure that all the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into it. Since murals cover large surfaces with different textures, elements and constitution, mural artists use various techniques for mural-making, using different types of paints and instruments. They can paint with oil painting, tempera, acrylic painting, etc. while using brushes, rollers, or airbrushes. When the murals are finished, artists sometimes use a coat of varnish or protective acrylic glaze to protect it from UV rays and surface damage.
In recent times, mural artists have also incorporated digital techniques into their work. Wallscapes (large advertisements) which are painted directly or printed out and then attached to the surface of a wall, are an example of a digital trend in mural painting.
What is a Fresco
A fresco is a technique of mural painting that involves using water-soluble paints on wet limestone. This is, in fact, one of the oldest and most popular forms of mural painting. This type of painting is done rapidly in water-based pigments on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling so that the colours penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries. Frescos are ideal for making murals since they are durable and have a matte finish.
Fresco paintings have been used since antiquity and are closely associated with the paintings of the Italian Renaissance. Works of Cimabue, Fra Angelico, Giotto, Masaccio, and Correggio are good examples of frescos during the Italian Renaissance. Raphael’s Stanza murals in the Vatican and Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine Chapel are perhaps the most famous of all frescos.
Difference Between Fresco and Mural
Definition
Fresco refers to a painting that involves the use of water-soluble paints on wet plaster while the mural is a large painting on a wall, ceiling or any other permanent surface.
Technique
A fresco is done rapidly in water-based pigments on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling so that the colours penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries. Murals, on the other hand, are painted using various techniques, such as oil painting, tempera, acrylic painting, painting with brushes, rollers, or airbrushes, etc.
Conclusion
We can use the word mural to refer to any large painting on a wall, ceiling, or any other permanent surface of a building, located both interior and exterior. In fact, fresco is one of the oldest and most famous techniques in the mural making. Frescos are done using water-soluble paints on wet or dry limestone while murals are done using various techniques. Thus, this is the main difference between fresco and mural.
Reference:
1. “Mural – The History and The Meaning.” Widewalls, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Mural On Stucco Building” (CC0) via Public Domain Pictures
2. “Creación de Adán (Miguel Ángel)” By Michelangelo – (Faithful Photographic Reproduction) (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
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