What I am trying to do is a mural and not a fresco. Without exploiting the words, it appears necessary to clarify these two techniques. But before all, here is a short historical background: if I refer to the caves of Lascaux (Dordogne / France), which are not really recent, (since one estimates that they were carried out 15000 years before JC), I note that the first graphic expression attempts are carried out along an axis which one can describe as vertical.

Moreover, the support is irremovable. Do not imagine that I live in a cave, but perhaps there is a touch of the prehistoric man in me.

The Egyptians decorated their temples with bas-reliefs with , the Greeks also left very beautiful works. Whereas the Renaissance left the beautiful share to the fresco, it is at the beginning of the twentieth century that the mural expression (with social tendency) is expressed again (in particular in Mexico by Diego Rivera). The Sixties make it possible to restore some frontages in New York, thanks to a group of artists. Technically the mural differs from the fresco in the sense that the wall receiving the decoration is dry (the coatings have finished to set, the painter does not work on wet material).

The murals can be carried out in outdoors or indoors. In general, the decoration will be done on a wall of a dwelling house (i.e. heated in winter), and it will be exposed as little as possible to difficult climatic conditions

As you noticed by reading Step by step, I paint indoors. I ensured myself of the perfect flatness of the wall, and the absence of moisture. I use acrylic paint which resembles water paint by its consistency. Its essential characteristics are a fast drying, a stability in time, a complete evaporation. In addition, its final aspect is smooth, and the range of hues is very broad. Mural or fresco, a decoration is often reproduced starting from an original definitely smaller.

To transfer this original, one generally proceeds to the technique of squaring (reproduction of the broad outline of the drawing to the scale of the wall by respecting the proportions). The larger the wall the more necessary it will be to try to correct the visual effects.

Indeed, the various angles of sights deform the perspective. The fresco, great speciality of Fra Angelico (convent San Marco in Florence), or Michelangelo (Sixtine vault in Rome) is from any point of view extraordinarily complex  to realize; after having posed the arriccio (rough-cast) and the intonaco (coating), the artist works before it dries. The drawing (sinopia) is plotted then the pigments are mixed in water and applied in six hours approximately (giornata). The whole must be carefully considered so that the connections are the least visible!

(illustrations: unfortunately these splendid decorations are not mine)