The mural painting of Kerala remains the most iconic symbol of the region’s culture
and artistic traditions. The word mural comes from the Latin word Murus, or a
readied wall. There are two styles - One is the Fresco style where colours are
applied on a slightly wet surface. The one where the colours are used on a dry
surface is the dry fresco style. One mural painting takes 41 to 60 days to get over
Ancient traditional murals were done using natural colours on lime-plastered walls.
The murals used only five basic colours — ochre red, ochre yellow, green, black and
white — which were made using natural materials such as laterite, coal, patina and
leaves.
The materials used in mural art work like pigments, brushes, gum etc. are all
made of natural materials like minerals and plants. The most frequently used
pigments in Kerala murals are saffron-red, saffron-yellow, green, red, white,
blue, black, yellow and golden-yellow.
