Research Article
Presentation of Efforts Aimed to Rediscover the Forgotten and Lost Aspects of Byzantine Fresco
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 3, September 2025
Pages:
76-95
Received:
2 August 2025
Accepted:
14 August 2025
Published:
30 August 2025
Abstract: Fresco painting (al fresco) is one of the oldest and most durable mural techniques. Although mosaic art is more resilient, it does not strictly fall within the category of painting. Christianity adopted the ancient technique of fresco painting for the depiction of religious themes on walls shortly after its emergence. After the Great Schism between Eastern and Western Christianity (1054 AD), Western art gradually began to diverge from the common fresco method practiced until then, adopting less demanding variations such as the giornata technique. In these methods, the wet plaster layer is thin, the paint layers superficial, and pigments are fixed with organic binders applied onto the thin plaster surface - a hallmark technique of the Renaissance. In contrast, the Eastern tradition largely maintained its adherence to ancient practices, employing thicker layers of fresh plaster, pronounced and thick paint layers (impasto), and the use of organic agents to retard drying and enhance the vividness of colors - characteristics of Byzantine or Orthodox fresco painting. The scarcity of extensive literature on Byzantine fresco painting, compared to the abundant bibliography on Renaissance frescoes, combined with the decline in its use in Eastern Europe, has created significant gaps in its contemporary application. Consequently, numerous artistic and technical elements that contributed to the perfection of the works have been lost. The aim of the present study is the comprehensive revival of Byzantine fresco painting, in order to preserve the high aesthetic and technical excellence that characterized its peak period (9th-15th centuries AD). Specifically, it investigates the use of plenty organic materials in plasters and pigments, given that recent physicochemical analyses as Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, etc., have identified protein- based organic compounds not only on the surface but also in deeper layers of ancient monumental frescoes. Drawing upon forty years of field experience, we present effective practices intended to strengthen efforts for the preservation of Byzantine fresco painting and to prevent its irreversible loss, which would constitute a significant blow to art and culture.
Abstract: Fresco painting (al fresco) is one of the oldest and most durable mural techniques. Although mosaic art is more resilient, it does not strictly fall within the category of painting. Christianity adopted the ancient technique of fresco painting for the depiction of religious themes on walls shortly after its emergence. After the Great Schism between...
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Research Article
Navigating Integrity on Professional Ethics in Ethiopian Theatre: A Study of Two Prominent Theatre Houses in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tesfay Equar Kidanu*
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 3, September 2025
Pages:
96-119
Received:
21 August 2025
Accepted:
1 September 2025
Published:
17 October 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ajad.20251003.12
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Abstract: This research article was conducted to explore integrity and measure the level of ethical behavior among theater professionals in Ethiopian Theater, with a particular emphasis on the Ethiopian National Theater and Hager Fkir (Country Loves) Theater Playhouses. To end this study attempted to measure performance show ethics (pre-performance show ethics (rehearsal ethics), backstage ethics, during performance show ethics, post-performance show ethics and the perception of theater professionals toward professional ethics. To identify the respondents ' expectations of theater professional ethics at playhouses. According to methodologically employed mixed methods are quantitative and qualitative approaches, the study is more quantitative than a qualitative approach. Convenience sampling and Purposive sampling techniques were used during questionnaires and in-depth interviews, respectively. The sample sizes were 59 respondents among theater professionals, and the sources of data were primary and secondary. The data collection tools were questionnaires, interviews, observation, and document analysis. Methods of data analysis used during quantitative data analysis were SPSS version 20 for questionnaires based on simple table frequencies, percentages, averages, and to analyze Qualitative data, thematic analysis through narratives, and merged the data. The findings of this study showed that shown data showed the level of professional ethics at performance, with a total mean average below three, which is 2.7. The perception of respondents of theater professional ethics is weak. The playhouses are a commitment to theater professional ethics in poor practice. In addition, data revealed the weak practice of theater professional ethics at playhouses as the respondents responded to it. Its implications playhouses were a lack of standard in the theater professional code of ethics and pieces of training. Finally, based on the findings of the study, relevant recommendations were forwarded. The researcher suggested that guideline documents on theater professional ethics and code of ethics should be formulated by the Ethiopian playhouses and the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Culture and Tourism Bureaus of Addis Ababa. The researcher also recommended that training should be given to the theater professionals by concerned scholars or theater house organizations.
Abstract: This research article was conducted to explore integrity and measure the level of ethical behavior among theater professionals in Ethiopian Theater, with a particular emphasis on the Ethiopian National Theater and Hager Fkir (Country Loves) Theater Playhouses. To end this study attempted to measure performance show ethics (pre-performance show ethi...
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