Stucco as Decoration

While stucco sidings gained popularity in America only during the twentieth century, it has been used in architecture for far long before this, even going back to the ancient era. The ancient Romans and Greeks constructed wall frescoes by putting their art on surfaces made of a combination of glue, gypsum, and marble dust, creating a fine-grained hard plaster. While wet, this plaster is flexible and can be used to form various aesthetic shapes, painted, or made shiny by polishing.

 

In history, there are various masters of stucco art, such as Giacomo Serpotta. One such stucco artwork can be found in Sicily, Italy, in the Oratory of the Rosary in Saint Lorenzo. It is a figure of a nude male sitting and gazing out of a window cornice. The Italians became particularly good at stucco techniques during the Renaissance era, exporting their mastery of the material throughout the rest of Europe.

 

Afterwards, even church interiors featured stucco designs with fine details and elaborate artistry, especially among German artisans. An example of such a work is The Wieskirche in Bavaria, Germany. While the walls outside of the church are simple, visitors are surprised by the intricate artistry found on the interior walls, using mainly stucco. Today, stucco continues to be a standard exterior for homes, what with its many advantages and potential for beautiful architecture.