Paul Delvaux
Paul Delvaux
Paul Delvaux was born in Antheit, in the province of Liège. The artistic gem of the Kursaal is undoubtedly his fresco. At the time, Delvaux was fascinated by mermaids. Although he was often associated with surrealism, he himself considered that interpretation too narrow.In 1952, architect Stynen commissioned Delvaux to design a fresco. For the realization of the figures, Delvaux and his colleagues used detailed preparatory drawings and designs, many of which are preserved in the Delvaux Museum in St. Idesbald.
The figures are sharply outlined against a predominantly blue background. The painting was applied onto a plaster support with an average thickness of 40 mm, consisting of a white-grey rough layer of approximately 36 mm and a smooth white finishing layer. The rough layer is composed of sand and lime, possibly with a small addition of gypsum. The white layer is a mixture of lime and gypsum.
The black underdrawing was applied directly onto the smooth white layer in the form of a line drawing. This was followed by several stages of underpainting, likely using a matte paint mixture, which gave the surface a slightly rough texture. The final layers were then applied on top.
It is said that Delvaux used around 2,000 eggs for this fresco. Eggs were used as a binding agent in which the pigments were dissolved.
