In addition to stone and wood, there is a third traditional material that is often unsung but produces some of the most talented craftsmen of our day that tirelessly create the most familiar and integral elements of beautiful churches. Everything, from capitals and cornices to statuary and bosses, is made possible today by plaster. Often mistakenly described as a lost art, is certainly alive and a key part of the mystique of churches.

 Plaster, also known as stucco, has a surprisingly long and international history in ornamental use. While it is unknown when it officially was discovered, the basic materials needed to create plaster (lime, water, sand, and sometimes animal hair) are so universal that it has been utilized across the globe with little need for cross-cultural diffusion. Plaster reliefs have therefore been used throughout ancient Egypt, Minoan Greece, Etruscan Italy, Persia, the Indus River Valley, Mayan Mexico, and far beyond. Often, walls would be constructed of stone or wood both on interiors and exteriors as a durable and attractive surface that was easily decorated. In Pompeii and other archaeological sites, we can still observe frescoed walls with incredible detail that have been preserved. Plaster was also a perfect material for decorating vaulted ceilings due to its light weight and smooth surface. Due to this astounding durability, more recent artistic movements were able to borrow techniques and uses before they were lost to time.  

The rediscovery of frescos and plaster cast sculpture from the ancient world combined with religious fervor triggered a wave of artistic invigoration known as the Italian Renaissance. Behind masterworks of Renaissance art like those in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Masaccio’s Brancacci Chapel lies this historic and gravity-defying material binding paint pigments and covering ceilings and walls in artwork and sculpture.

The later Baroque period marked a reimagination of what plaster could do for art. The idea of belcomposto, meaning beautiful whole, inspired artists to master architecture, painting, and sculpture for a unified work of art that created an experience like none other. A prime example is Giovanni Battista Gaulli’s Triumph of the Name of Jesus from 1679. This composition adorns the ceiling of Chiesa Il Gesu, the home church of the Jesuit order, and embodies a heavenly scene unfolding overhead. A command of perspective, light, and materials makes Gaulli’s work a powerful illusion. The heart of the work is a fresco, framed by plaster to create the illusion that the ceiling opens up at this frame into a view of heaven. Plaster clouds and figures swirl beyond the confines of the frame and are painted to appear as if they are directly above the viewer, falling or rising through the ceiling away from or into heaven. This belcomposto and visual trickery quintessential of Baroque art blurs the line between solid and painted form, none of which would be possible without plaster.

While the use of plaster in fine art has diminished, it remains one of the most useful decorative materials in architecture. Today, Canning encounters and fabricates plaster in every form: moldings and trim, whole ceilings and walls, ribs, bosses, and even columns and capitals. Buildings that begin as metal shells are brought to life as the whole interior is constructed in plaster – a result nothing short of enchanting.

Plaster is a mechanical system, meaning it uses fasteners and a matrix of plaster on wood or metal lathe to hold in place rather than any chemical bonds. Wooden or metal frames are formed to create domes, columns, or walls and wet plaster is pressed into the frame. The plaster that seeps through holes in the frame is called a key and it holds the plaster up. It is then formed into a smooth surface or whatever form needed. It can also be shaped by molds as we see with ornaments like bosses, capitals, and statues.

No matter the final form, our invaluable craftsmen dedicate their time and talents to this historic trade and have completed some of our proudest achievements such as St. Mary’s Church in Willimantic, CT and First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, MA.

Despite the beautiful, historic qualities of plaster, it is still subject to deterioration. After a devastating electrical fire, much of the historic plaster was lost and required full replacing or was in a fragile state required consolidation. Once the structure was made whole and the ceiling soared overhead once more, the client wished for new decoration and a large mural of Mary and Jesus to proclaim the church as restored and a completed work of art dedicated to St. Mary. The apse dome, cloaked in the same blue as Mary’s mantle and dotted with delicate stars, rises above the altar and converges into a triumphal arch, crowned with a seventeen-foot mural of Mary and Jesus appearing through the heavens. With the restoration of the plaster substrate, the church could fulfill its role as a place of beauty and contemplation.

Meanwhile, the First Church of Christ, Scientist makes use of plaster in a very different way. This 1929’s interior displays an intricate frieze below the cornice that is made up of plaster creating simulated mosaic. The walls are a rough plaster but as your eye traces up the wall, the rough plaster undulates in the painted pattern, giving the illusion of individual painted pieces affixed to the wall. Under raking light, the texture is quite visible and almost feels like a painting with heavy impasto. 

This textured effect provides visual interest as we glance up to the walls, but also bridges the gap between the smoother field of the walls and the heavy and intricate carved cornice. The frieze itself unites the windows, cornice, ornamentation, and colors, guiding our attention to the central inscription above the organ: God is Love.  

These churches and many more make clever or common use of plaster but, no matter the use, plaster serves as an adaptable medium with an impressive historic provenance and durability. 

Fresco is a painting technique dating back to antiquity known for the vibrance of the paint colors and durability. Famously known for the works of Michelangelo and Raphael, fresco is a method of painting still used today. Read More.