Introduction to Egg Tempera
with Holly White-Gehrt
September 3rd - 6th, 2024
Tuesday - Friday
9:30am - 4:30pm
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Tuition: $625
Materials Fee: $25
All Levels Welcome
Egg tempera, more luminous and durable than oil painting, and has been described as a mosaic of microscopic jewels. Enthusiasts embrace the method of egg tempera painting for its slow, meditative qualities.
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Painting with egg tempera dates back to antiquity, first found in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman murals. In Medieval times, egg tempera was used in Christian worship, allowing sacred imagery to move from the walls to portable panels. Egg tempera was still the primary medium in the early Renaissance. Fra Filippo Lippi, Sandro Botticelli, and Piero della Francesca started in egg tempera before using oil paint.
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In this workshop, we will work from Early Renaissance images so that our focus will be on technique and materials. Students will get hands-on experience with this simple and elegant medium, using techniques of contemporary egg tempera Masters such as Koo Schadler and Fred Wessel. With only egg yolk, powdered pigment, and water, students will become familiar with the properties of different pigments and the water/oil emulsifying nature of egg yolk.