Painting - a starting point

Painting

A starting point...

Definition

•  Painting is the practice of applying paint to a surface (support) such as paper, canvas or a wall.

Media•  Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast drying painting medium

consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium •  Fresco is a painting, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes

from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco ("fresh"), which has Latin origins.

•  Pastel is an artistic expression which involves the application of soft colors by painting with soft crayons wrapped in paper. Ideally, this results in a soft and delicate painting, although a modern school involves bolder applications. The procedure and materials sometimes make it difficult for the artist to fix mistakes, but the medium can be a forgiving one under most circumstances.

Techniques•  An impasto is when a thicker layer of paint is laid onto the canvas with brush or knife

which gives the painting physical dimensionality. You will definitely see the strokes of the brush or palette knife used.

•  Grisaille - painting technique by which an image is executed entirely in shades of gray and usually severely modeled to create the illusion of sculpture, especially relief.

•  Sfumato is the Italian term for a technique which overlays translucent layers of colour to create perceptions of depth, volume and form. In particular, it refers to the blending of colours or tones so subtly that there is no perceptible transition.

Task /HW

•  Use photoshop filter options and transform an image through at least 6 filters among the suggested techniques and media:

•  Impasto, wash, glaze, grisaille, scumble, pointilism, sfumato, sumi-e, gouache, ink, pastel, tempera, encaustic, watercolor, fresco, spray

• Write your comment in the workbook

What is represented?

Georges Braque: Le Portugais (The Emigrant) 1911-1912 Oil on canvas 117 x 81 cm Kunstmuseum Basel

What kind of information do we get about this painting?

Sketch the composition.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: The Calling of Saint Matthew 1599-1600; oil on canvas; 10' 7 1/2" X 11' 2" Contarelli Chapel, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

Read and comment Leonardo’s writing. Can you use Leonardo’s text in the context of this painting?

"Thepaintermustkeeptenthingsinmindtoensurethesuccessofhiswork ‐namely,light,shadow,colour,volume,form,placing,distance,proximitymovementandrepose."

"Incomposi>onswithfigures,thecharactersmustdifferincomplexion,age,colour,aAtude,corpulence,build,fat,thin,tall,short,proud,courteous,old,young,strongandmuscular,weakandwithfewmuscles,happy,melancholic,withcurlyorstraighthair,shortorlong;‐withalertorvulgarmovements;‐andvarythecostumesandcoloursandallotherthingsnecessaryforthiscomposi>on.Itisacardinalsinforthepaintertocreatefacesthatlookalike,andtherepe>>onofgesturesisalsoagreatfault."

Resources:•  Mark Harden’s Artchive: http://www.artchive.com/index.html

•  The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary http://www.fact-archive.com/encyclopedia/

•  Web Gallery of art, image collection, virtual museum: http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/p/pietro/cortona/index.html