Egg Tempera
Egg tempera is a traditional paint made by combining pigment with an egg-yolk binder and water. It dries quickly in thin layers and is normally used on a rigid, smooth, absorbent ground rather than a flexible painting support.
Painter
Michael Bergt
Michael Bergt is an American painter known for egg-tempera figures on panels, often paired with acrylic or gold leaf and imagery drawn from mythology.
Michael Bergt quick facts
Michael Bergt's documented panel paintings combine egg tempera with finely rendered figures, gold-leaf embellishments, and occasional acrylic media.
| Born | 1956 |
|---|---|
| Died | — |
| Nationality | American |
| Movements | — |
| Paint types | Egg tempera · Acrylic paint · Gouache |
| Painting surfaces | Painting panels · Paper (gouache) |
| Painting methods | Careful figurative rendering in egg tempera on panels; acrylic passages and applied gold leaf in selected paintings |
| Common subjects | Human figures, mythology, Renaissance-inspired compositions, elaborate patterns, and symbolic narratives |
| Other materials | Gold leaf on prepared painting panels and in works on paper |
| Notable works | Venus · Held · Balance of Power |
Sources: Nüart Gallery: biography, egg-tempera practice and imagery, Rehs Contemporary: biography and egg-tempera panels, Rehs Contemporary: Venus, egg tempera on panel, Nüart Gallery / Artsy: Held, egg tempera and gold leaf on panel, Southwest Contemporary: Balance of Power, egg tempera and acrylic on a panel, American Art Collector: contemporary egg tempera, gouache, and gold leaf, and Nüart Gallery: working themes and painting context.
Paint types used
Explore Bergt's primarily egg-tempera practice alongside documented acrylic painting and gouache, with gold leaf treated as a separate material.
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is a fast-drying, water-based paint made with pigment and an acrylic polymer binder. It is widely used in art and decorative projects because it is versatile and durable.
Gouache
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder. Traditional formulas dry to a matte finish and can be reactivated with water.
Surface types used
Rigid painting panels support Bergt's detailed egg-tempera compositions, while documented gouache works use paper as a more flexible support.
Painting Board
Painting board is a rigid artist support made from hardboard, wood, or another stable panel material. It may be sold raw or prepared with a medium-specific ground layer.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made primarily from cellulose fibers. Its weight, sizing, surface texture, and wet strength determine how much paint it can accept before buckling, pilling, bleeding, or warping.
Painters similar to Michael Bergt
Explore related painters using egg tempera, precise figure work, prepared panels, symbolic imagery, and traditional painting techniques.
Koo Schadler
Koo Schadler is an American painter known for contemporary egg tempera paintings, metalpoint drawings, works on prepared paper and rigid panels, and teaching traditional painting methods.
Robert Vickrey
Robert Vickrey was an American painter and illustrator known for detailed egg tempera paintings combining realistic observation with symbolic imagery, alongside acrylic, watercolor, and gouache work.
Fred Wessel
Fred Wessel is an American painter known for Renaissance-inspired egg-tempera portraits and still lifes on gessoed panels with gold leaf.
Paul Cadmus
Paul Cadmus was an American painter known for figurative paintings, social satire, sustained use of egg tempera, and casein, watercolor, and gouache studies on paper.