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ABOUT ENCAUSTICS
Encaustic is a painting method where color-pigmented beeswax is melted, applied to a surface
and reheated to fuse the paint into a smooth or textured finish. The word encaustic comes from
Greek and means 'to burn in', which refers to the process of fusing the paint. Encaustic has a
long history, but it has been experiencing a recent resurgence in popularity due to the
increased convenience and safety of heating appliances. The surface can be polished to a high
gloss, it can be modeled, sculpted, textured, and combined with collage materials. It cools
immediately, so that there is no drying time, yet it can always be reworked. The durability of
encaustic is due to the fact that beeswax is impervious to moisture. Because of this it will not
deteriorate. Encaustic paintings do not have to be varnished or protected by glass.
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History of Encaustics
Encaustic painting was practiced by Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B. C. Most of our
knowledge of this early use comes from the Roman historian Pliny, who wrote in the 1st century A. D..
Pliny seems to have had very little direct knowledge about studio methods, so his account of techniques and
materials is sketchy. According to Pliny, encaustic was used in a variety of applications: the painting of
portraits and scenes of mythology on panels, the coloring of marble and terra cotta, and work on ivory
(probably the tinting of incised lines). Wax is an excellent preservative of materials. It was from this
use that the art of encaustic painting developed. The Greeks applied coatings of wax and resin to
weatherproof their ships. Pigmenting the wax gave rise to the decorating of warships. Mention is even made
by Homer of the painted ships of the Greek warriors who fought at Troy. The use of a rudimentary encaustic
was therefore an ancient practice by the 5th century B. C.. It is possible that at about that time the
crude paint applied with tar brushes to the ships was refined for the art of painting on panels. Pliny
mentions two artists who had in fact started out as ship painters. The use of encaustic on panels rivaled
the use of tempera, in what are the earliest known portable easel paintings. Tempera was a faster, cheaper
process. Encaustic was a slow, difficult technique, but the paint could be built up in relief, and the wax
gave a rich optical effect to the pigment. These characteristics made the finished work startlingly
life-like. Moreover, encaustic had far greater durability than tempera, which was vulnerable to moisture.
Pliny refers to encaustic paintings several hundred years old in the possession of Roman aristocrats of his
own time. The nature of encaustic to both preserve and color gave it wide use on the stone work of both
architecture and statuary. The white marble we see today in the monuments of Greek antiquity was once
colored, probably delicately tinted like the figures on the Alexander sarcophagus in Istanbul. Pliny says
that when the sculptor Praxiteles was asked which of his pieces he favored, he answered those "to which
[the painter] Nicias had set his hand." Decorative terra cotta work on interiors was also painted with
encaustic, a practice that was a forerunner to mosaic trim.
Perhaps the best known of all encaustic work are the Fayum funeral portraits painted in the 1st and 2nd
centuries A.D. by Greek painters in Egypt. A significant Greek population had settled in Egypt following
its conquest by Alexander, eventually adopting the customs of the Egyptians. This included mummifying their
dead. A portrait of the deceased, painted either in the prime of life or after death, was placed over the
person's mummy as a memorial. Many of these pieces have survived to our own time, and their color has
remained as fresh as any recently completed work. In the great period of economic instability that followed
the decline of the Roman empire, encaustic fell into disuse. Some work, particularly the painting of icons,
was carried on as late as the 12th century, but for the most part it became a lost art. The process was
cumbersome and painstaking, and the cost of producing it was high. It was replaced by tempera, which was
cheaper, faster, and easier to work. In the 18th century the idea of encaustic painting was revived,
initially by amateurs as a novelty to rediscover the techniques of the ancient painters. It was further
explored in the 19th century, to solve the problem of dampness faced by mural painters in northern
climates. The success of these efforts was limited, and encaustic remained an obscure art form. In the 20th
century, the availability of portable electric heating implements and the variety of tools has made
encaustic a far less formidable technique. This factor has created a resurgence of encaustic painting, and
it is once again taking its place as a major artists' medium. "Its effects, its visual and physical
properties, and its range of textural and color possibilities make it eminently suitable for use in several
different contemporary styles of painting that are not adequately served by our traditional oil-painting
process." — Ralph Mayer, The Artist's Handbook
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