Materials & Technique

On his first trip to Italy, in 1920, Rivera studied the work of Italian Renaissance masters, paying particular attention to the materials and techniques of fresco painting. He later modernized the medium by synthesizing traditional fresco technique with materials like commercially prepared cement mixtures and synthetic pigments. In an effort to overcome the immobility of murals, by definition fixed on site, Rivera also invented what he called "portable murals"—freestanding fresco panels with a cement and steel backing.

Explore Rivera's distinctive approach to fresco in the two videos below.