What’s Tempera?
As early as two thousand before, tempera has emerged in the era of ancient Egypt. It was applied for mummy portrait drawings. There’s no standard formula. Different painters have their formulas, milk, honey, gum, essential oils, alcohol, etc., the most important and, of course, egg yolks. The different formulas bring different painting effects, which is the fascinating of tempera. After carefully materials blending, the paint can be surprising or unexpected.
If you ask about the feature of Tempera, its Durability, the magic of tempera.
When you look at Da Vinci’s masterpiece “Monorissa”, it’s a pity that her smiling face is suffering from ages and full of cracks.
In contrast, in some medieval works earlier than The “Monorissa” or those of the same period that still used tempera, the erosion of the tide and temperature is less. Tempera helps delay the decay of art and retain the subject.
The beauty’s face with tempera is like jade, such as halo, hazy amiable. Permanent youth may be a myth, but tempera makes the myth comes true.
Some of the most celebrated tempera paintings are by Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli:
Birth of Venus，1484-1486
Many artists have painted the moment of Venus’s birth, but above one is probably the most popular. In the world, there is no paint better for the beauty than tempera. The newly born Venus sits on a shell, her skin fleshly, and the whole scene is as bright as ever. The painting is as if it’s covered with pearls. That’s the most unique quality of tempera.
Beauties under tempera are immortal, but tempera itself is not that popular among artists now. Around year 1500, the advent of oil paint gradually replaced the complex tempera. Oil painting was supposed to be convenient, but lost the most delicate part of art. In today’s world, varieties of painting materials. The brands have already prepared the best quality and convenient pigments for you, as long as you twist the lid, spin out artificial liquid, and then art appears on the canvas.
However, we still miss the old time of tempera.
