The Gold Leaf Layering Technique (Video)

CHARTER Program : Gothic and Renaissance Painting
Gold Leaf & Egg Tempera

On this one week art class in Italy, you will create a personal masterpiece using Gothic and early Renaissance era gilding techniques with egg tempera painting. While living and learning in the quaint village of Cuorgnè, which is nestled in the foothills of the Italian Alps on the outskirts of the charming city of Torino (Turin), you will be inspired by guided local tours to critically view Northern Italian artistic productions from the Gothic and Renaissance eras.

Your week in the studio will be divided into three phases: preparing, gilding, and painting. Your original drawing, or chosen reproduction artwork, must first be sketched onto a wood panel surface prior to the layering of gesso and bolo (a red pigmented clay from Armenia). You will also prepare and experiment with your own egg tempera paints using the fine powders and egg production techniques from long ago. Next, you will layer gold leaf onto your artwork with a special water based glue and burnish it - first with a brush and later with an agata stone. And finally, your instructor, Donatella Lami*, will guide you through the painting phase in the studio with just the right amount of helpful assistance.

Mid-week, a guided tour of Torino will introduce you to the city that American broadcaster NBC called a cross between Paris and Vienna during its coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. At the Duomo, where the "Shroud of Turin" is located, you will see spectacular egg tempera with gold leaf paintings by the Northern Italian painter Defendente Ferrari on display. Your newfound knowledge of the city will allow you to spend your warm summer evenings living 'La Dolce Vita' relaxing in front of the Alpine views in Cuorgnè or expending a bit more energy in the city's nightlife.

After you've completed your masterpiece, you will wrap up your Italian experience in style by taking a relaxing weekend tour of Northern Italy's Lake Como region. A guided tour of Lago Maggiore's aptly named Isola Bella will make you wish you could stay in Italy forever.

This program is suitable for people of all ages and artistic talent is not a pre-requisite. However, an appreciation for art, an adventurous spirit, and an inquisitive mind are necessary for your enjoyment and that of your fellow classmates. You will return home with at least one of your own original egg tempera with gold leaf productions, knowledge that will enhance your artistic repertoire and memories of a truly unique Italian experience.

Professoressa Donatella Lami has been a professional restorer of canvas paintings and wood panels for more than 20 years in addition to her work as a teacher in CESMA's art conservation program. Professoressa Lami has spent much of her professional life in and around both Torino and Florence restoring some of Italy's finest treasures.

This art class is also offered as a part of our month long Ancient Italian Art Production for those who are interested in spending more time exploring additional artistic production techniques and other parts of Italy.