Preamble
This is the twenty-third post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Oil Painting - Part VI [1]
The artist's interest in techniques of the past is neither that of the antiquarian nor that of the scientist, nor are artist very often concerned with the precise duplication of the technical effects of early painters in order to produce works that will exactly initiate their results.
Guy Ribes is one of France’s greatest forgers and studied draughtsmanship for 16 years in a silk workshop. In 1975, he then left for Athens, where he met the local jet set.That was when he began copying masterpieces.Ten years later, he met an art dealer in Paris and started producing fakes to order, from Matisses, to Renoirs, Modiglianis, Chagalls and Picassos… He didn’t copy existing paintings but instead created paintings “in the style” of renowned artists. He used only the materials and pigments from the relevant era and sometimes spent an entire year immersed in a painter’s work to understand how to mimic their style. In 2005, he was finally arrested by the police and stopped working as a forger… instead painting under his own name.
Artists are primarily concerned with learning as much as they can about their materials and methods so that their opinions as to the durability of works of art may be based on a knowledge of how different types of work have stood the test of centuries under all sorts of conditions. In analyzing the procedures of past ages, which were employed to create effects often entirely at variance with current artistic standards, they are interested in adapting them or principles to their own use rather than in the mere duplication of the old effects for their own sake.
ArtCloth is defined as artwoks using cloth as a medium rather than a canvas. Many artists from a diverse range of backgrounds have attended my workshops to learn my signature techniques using cloth as an art medium. They learn a myriad of techniques which can be adapted to their own style of creativity. The picture below highlights participants from one such workshop. To view their output click on the following link - In Pursuit of ArtCloth. This link will also give you highlights of many of my workshops in this new exciting area of Art.
Group Photo.
Back: From left to right - Suzanne Walcott, Cathy Griffith, Kathy Hawkins and Vicky Lowery.
Front: From left to right - Sarah Lazarus, Rhonda, Ha, and Tearza Stark.
From the viewpoint of a practicing artist all the data which have been accumulated from the two principal sources (literary research and chemical analysis) lead directly to a third source, which is most conclusive and valuable; this lies in the recreation of these techniques by reconstruction as well as by analysis. We know, for example, that the Egyptians used a size or water-soluble binder with their colors; whether it was gum arabic, glue or milk, is less of a concern, and a long and careful study into this matter would be antiquarianism, not valuable research. Should we wish for any reason to duplicate the effects of these painters it matters little which one or which mixture of materials we use as long as we get the results by obeying the simple and generously flexible rules for permanance in their application.
Ancient Egyptian art forms are characterized by regularity and detailed depiction of gods, human beings, heroic battles, and nature. A high proportion of the surviving works were designed and made to provide peace and assistance to the deceased in the afterlife.
Laurie, Doerner, Eibner, De Wild, and others among the modern writers on painting have expressed definite opnions on these matters; their conclusions may oppose one another on minor details, but they are based on more solid factual foundations than were possible a generation ago. Whether a little egg was added to the sun thickened oil in any specific case or a lot of Venice turpentine, resins, and oil of lavender added to the oil, is of secondary importance from this viewpoint.
Experimental painters are able to draw many conclusions from their experience, and is as good a position to analyze old methods by examination of a painting as are many professional experts.
Once more a word of caution is perhaps not out of place for those who delve into the documents of the past; the artist is advised not to rely too heavily on old writings as practical guides for painting. By about 1860, as a result of two decades of an intensive revival of literary research, the ancient books and manuscripts have been put into modern languages. This was followed by a period of study and interpretations on old methods so that by now our most authentic accounts of early procedures have been adapted and related to modern use. But sometimes points of argument are still brought up by persons who are not aware of old controversies and disputes which covered the same ground long ago.
Acwell's directed study of literature of this field is of inestimable value, but the practice of seizing upon isolated recipes and exhuming discarded and outmoded material has frequenty led to unfortunate results. Misguided attempts to discover the so-called secrets of the old masters (a theory that in itself is almost universally rejected) have cropped up intermittently from Sir Joshua Reynolds down to the present day; fresh use of old matters requires an authentic knowledge of the field.
Sir Joshua Reynolds
Materials: Oil on canvas.
Courtesy: Gilbert Stuart National (1784).
Rather than resume the 200-year-old search for the legendary "secrets" once used by painters, we should try to develop the very best medium we can create, regardless of whether it utilizes ancient materials or syntethic products of our own age. We know quite a bit about the properties that our paint must have for good brush manipulation and to survive the test of time, and we will know still more as we obtain further modern laboratory results of research done specifically for the benefit of artists.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
This is the twenty-third post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Oil Painting - Part VI [1]
The artist's interest in techniques of the past is neither that of the antiquarian nor that of the scientist, nor are artist very often concerned with the precise duplication of the technical effects of early painters in order to produce works that will exactly initiate their results.
Artists are primarily concerned with learning as much as they can about their materials and methods so that their opinions as to the durability of works of art may be based on a knowledge of how different types of work have stood the test of centuries under all sorts of conditions. In analyzing the procedures of past ages, which were employed to create effects often entirely at variance with current artistic standards, they are interested in adapting them or principles to their own use rather than in the mere duplication of the old effects for their own sake.
ArtCloth is defined as artwoks using cloth as a medium rather than a canvas. Many artists from a diverse range of backgrounds have attended my workshops to learn my signature techniques using cloth as an art medium. They learn a myriad of techniques which can be adapted to their own style of creativity. The picture below highlights participants from one such workshop. To view their output click on the following link - In Pursuit of ArtCloth. This link will also give you highlights of many of my workshops in this new exciting area of Art.
Front: From left to right - Sarah Lazarus, Rhonda, Ha, and Tearza Stark.
From the viewpoint of a practicing artist all the data which have been accumulated from the two principal sources (literary research and chemical analysis) lead directly to a third source, which is most conclusive and valuable; this lies in the recreation of these techniques by reconstruction as well as by analysis. We know, for example, that the Egyptians used a size or water-soluble binder with their colors; whether it was gum arabic, glue or milk, is less of a concern, and a long and careful study into this matter would be antiquarianism, not valuable research. Should we wish for any reason to duplicate the effects of these painters it matters little which one or which mixture of materials we use as long as we get the results by obeying the simple and generously flexible rules for permanance in their application.
Laurie, Doerner, Eibner, De Wild, and others among the modern writers on painting have expressed definite opnions on these matters; their conclusions may oppose one another on minor details, but they are based on more solid factual foundations than were possible a generation ago. Whether a little egg was added to the sun thickened oil in any specific case or a lot of Venice turpentine, resins, and oil of lavender added to the oil, is of secondary importance from this viewpoint.
Experimental painters are able to draw many conclusions from their experience, and is as good a position to analyze old methods by examination of a painting as are many professional experts.
Once more a word of caution is perhaps not out of place for those who delve into the documents of the past; the artist is advised not to rely too heavily on old writings as practical guides for painting. By about 1860, as a result of two decades of an intensive revival of literary research, the ancient books and manuscripts have been put into modern languages. This was followed by a period of study and interpretations on old methods so that by now our most authentic accounts of early procedures have been adapted and related to modern use. But sometimes points of argument are still brought up by persons who are not aware of old controversies and disputes which covered the same ground long ago.
Acwell's directed study of literature of this field is of inestimable value, but the practice of seizing upon isolated recipes and exhuming discarded and outmoded material has frequenty led to unfortunate results. Misguided attempts to discover the so-called secrets of the old masters (a theory that in itself is almost universally rejected) have cropped up intermittently from Sir Joshua Reynolds down to the present day; fresh use of old matters requires an authentic knowledge of the field.
Materials: Oil on canvas.
Courtesy: Gilbert Stuart National (1784).
Rather than resume the 200-year-old search for the legendary "secrets" once used by painters, we should try to develop the very best medium we can create, regardless of whether it utilizes ancient materials or syntethic products of our own age. We know quite a bit about the properties that our paint must have for good brush manipulation and to survive the test of time, and we will know still more as we obtain further modern laboratory results of research done specifically for the benefit of artists.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
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