A fresco for Erasmus

The fresco that currently decorates the entrance of the Erasmus College, Place Cardinal Mercier, was created in February and March 2024 using techniques and materials from mural painting of the Roman era. The initiative allowed the association of art, research and dissemination through an experimental archaeology experience which had an artistic and educational vocation.  

The project evolved and had two objectives:

A scientific objective: to test by experimental archaeology the hypotheses formulated by research in an attempt to concretely reproduce the gestures of ancient artisans, their processes, using the recipes and mixtures identified through physico-chemical analyses. New data can thus be collected, illuminating still unknown parts of our knowledge about the painters of Antiquity, anonymous artisans but who were often true artists, and the precursors of the great masters of medieval and Renaissance fresco, such as Giotto and Michelangelo.

An artistic objective: to bring together art and science producing an original and unique work of art, which are inspired by the techniques and images of Antiquity but are rooted in a contemporary space. The fresco adorns the entrance of the Faculty of philosophy, arts and letters and enriches the cultural and artistic life of Louvain-la-Neuve, already known for its numerous contemporary frescoes by artists such as Claude Rahir, Roger Somville and François Schuiten, which are scattered throughout the town.

The project was supported by the "Research and Creation" fund of UCLouvain Culture, as well as by the Faculty of philosophy, arts and letters (FIAL) and the Institute of civilizations, arts and letters (INCAL).

Who are the participants in this project?

Maud Mulliez defines herself as an artist/artisan-researcher. She has a doctorate in art history and archaeology and training as an artist and restorer. She has been interested for several years in experimentation concerning the gestures of painters, their tools and their materials, particularly from the Antiquity era. She has produced several works from an experimental archaeology perspective, notably for the Saint-Raymond Museum in Toulouse, in Arles or more recently in Saintes as part of the Aquitania Ornata programme during which the construction of a lime kiln resulted in the use of artisanal lime and thus get very close to the original techniques.

Paolo Tomassini (F.R.S.-FNRS/UCLouvain) is a qualified researcher at the FNRS. He is an archaeologist, specializing in the study of ancient decorations and architecture of the Roman era. He conducts research on the technique of ancient wall painting, combining archeology, archaeometry, and digital archaeology, identifying materials through physical-chemicals and recreating virtually the gestures of painters and decorated architecture via 3D modeling.

The following students from the faculty FIAL of UCLouvain actively contributed to the project : Miléna Borecky, Istria Daue, Marie Denève, Enya Krens, Tom Poncin, Raphaël Porez and Julie Vandenbosch.

What is represented?

The fresco in the hall of the Erasmus College is an artistic creation specifically designed for the space it decorates. However, it scrupulously adheres to the codes of Roman-era mural painting, drawing inspiration from very precise models of paintings of the «final third style» (middle of the 1st century AD) in central and southern Italy. Using the garden and nature as recurring themes, several ancient testimonies have inspired decorative motifs, such as for example the viridarium 18 of the villa of Poppée in Oplontis, the atrium of the Villa of the Mysteries of Pompeii or the paintings of the Sanctuary of the Bona Dea and the Caseggiato delle Taberne Finestrate of Ostie.

Why a fresco in the roman style in the Erasmus college ?

Roman civilisation brought mural painting to one of the highest levels reached in the history of art, laying the foundation for Western parietal art from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The technique constitutes the genesis of the fresco, using pigments on a plaster in lime mortar which is still fresh. By assimilating and reworking the techniques of Greek painting, the Romans were able to produce paintings of high quality, whose colours - if they were well made – do not change and are eternal. This resistance of the coating to time, combined with the fact that it is relatively cheap, fast and easy to produce, regardless of the climate or geographical context, has allowed mural painting to quickly become the most widespread form of decoration in ancient times.

Today, the techniques of antique painting can still have a role to play. The only colours used by the Romans were pigments of natural and mineral origin and therefore eco-compatible and with zero impact. The lime mortar, a Roman invention par excellence, is again becoming a useful material due to its reduced costs, great solidity and durability.

Erasmus College, headquarters of the Faculty of philosophy, arts and letters and the Institute of civilizations, arts and letters of UCLouvain, is the ideal place for this creation, which will symbolize the attachment to the roots of the past, to the traditions transmitted by the texts  (in this case the Latin authors Pline and Virtuve) and the material and artistic traces, but also the gaze turned towards the future, where the human sciences are enriched by an increasing interdisciplinarity, integrating sciences and new technologies to build a better world.

And beside the fresco ?

Next to the fresco, a part of the wall was left untreated. It is a learining tool aimed at illustrating in a visible way, the different stages of the work. Starting from the bottom up, you can see: 1. The original brick wall; 2. The filling of the cement joints with lime mortar; 3. The gobetis or arriccio, the first layer of bonding in the lime mortar; 4. The body of coating or intonaco, the main layer of preparation in mortar; 5. The intonaco with herringbone incisions to facilitate the attachment of the successive layer ; 6. The finishing layer or intonachino, a mortar with a marble dust aggregate; 7. The paint spread on the intonachino while it is still fresh.