PART 1

Frescoes

Fresco painting is the age-old technique which 0. __________ painting on damp plaster walls. It is known to have been used to decorate homes for at least 5,000 years and has probably existed in one form or another for 1. __________ longer. Its very nature makes it 2. __________ for adorning large surfaces, which explains its ubiquity in churches and government buildings. 3. __________ oil paintings, which are glossy and reflect light, making it difficult to view them from certain angles, frescoes have a pleasing matt finish. As fresco plaster bleaches relatively easily, artists do not use as wide a range of pigments as in other types of painting, sticking mainly to pale earth 4. __________ .
Fresco painting is considered to have reached its 5. __________ in Italy during the Renaissance, with Michelangelo being perhaps the most famous artist to 6. __________ this technique. A great many churches in Europe 7. __________ wonderful frescoes, while more recently celebrated artists such as the renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera have used the technique to great 8. __________.