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
Paul Cadmus
Paul Cadmus was an American painter known for figurative paintings, social satire, and sustained use of egg tempera throughout much of his career.
Related: George Tooker · Robert Vickrey
Paul Cadmus quick facts
Review key details about Paul Cadmus's life, career, figurative practice, major subjects, and the egg-tempera methods and social satire that shaped his work.
| Life | 1904–1999 |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Paint medium | Egg tempera |
| Common subjects | Figures, social satire, urban life, mythology, allegory, and portraits |
| Known for | Using the slow, precise egg-tempera technique for sharply observed figurative paintings. |
| Notable works | The Fleet's In! and the Seven Deadly Sins series |
Sources: Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Met: The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, and Smithsonian Archives of American Art oral history.
Paint types used
See the paint types documented in Cadmus's work, with links to PaintZeal references explaining each medium's properties, uses, and working characteristics.
Surface types used
See the surface types documented in Cadmus's work, with links to PaintZeal references explaining how each support behaves and is prepared for painting.
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.