painting

steps to easel painting

1. supports

2. ground

3. priming

4. underdrawing

5. paint medium

what is this?

cradle

what kind of wood was used in flanders in the 15th and 16th c.?

oak

1-5

oak - popular - limewood - walnut - softwood

what is each layer? outside to inside

1. bark/bast

2. sapwood

3. heartwood

4. pith

what are these spots?

medullary rays

what are medullary rays?

longitudinal arrangement of fibers density

which one is the transverse, tangential and radial way of cutting?

transverse: case 1

tangential: case 5

radial: case 4

transverse

radial

tangential

how to make a panel

1. selecting the wood

2. seasoning

3. cutting

4. splitting

5. planing

what is seasoning and why is it done?

• wood is left to dry

• is done to prevent warping and breaking

what kind of joineries are these?

1. butt join connection with dowels

2. butt join with smooth surface

3. butt join with rough surface

what kind of joineries are these?

4. butt join reinforced by key

5. dovetail/butterfly-key join

6. lip join

7. lip join

8. wedge shaped join

9. tongue and groove join

what kind of joins?

1. lip join

2. tongue and groove join

3. wedge shaped join

what kind of frames are these?

1. integral frame

2. frame pegged to the panel

3. panel slotted into groove of the frame

4. panel placed against the rebate of the frame

what is barbe

the part of the painting that is hidden behind the frame and doesnt have any paint on it. so the frame was placed before the painting process.

what was done to the back of this panel?

shaved off

what was done to the back of this panel?

chiseled

painted back

1. marbling

2. coat of arms

marks

what is ground layer made of?

• NL: chalk

• germany: sometimes dolomite

• cennino: gesso grosso, anhydrite

• cennino: gesso sottile: calcium sulfate dihydrate

• gypsum is component in gesso

how is the ground layer applied

• wide bristles in transversal layers

• sanded smooth

which layer is the ground layer?

the yellow one

priming properties

• not always present

• thin

• can be unpigmented or coloured

• can be above or below the underdrawing

primuersel or insulation layer

van mander > an overlaying translucent flesh colored layer on the white preperation layer

imprimatura

a colored covering layer on the ground

underdrawing how to see?

infrared photography and infrared reflectography

sometimes the paint layers become transparant so the underdrawing shows through

underdrawing materials

• carbon based pigments

• iron-oxide-based ink > not detectable with IRR

• black chalk

• red chalk > not detectable with IRR

underdrawing transfer methods

1. pouncing

2. tracing

3. squaring

white pigments

1. gypsum

2. chalk

3. lead white

4. zinc white > from 1834

5. titanium white > from 1920

blue pigments

1. natural ultramarine

2. artificial ultramarine

3. azurite

4. smalt

5. indigo

6. prussian blue > 1704

7. cobalt blue > 1802

green pigments

1. verdigris

2. copper resinate

3. malachite

4. green earth

5. viridian > 1859

what white pigment was used?

leadwhite

natural ultramarine

yellow pigments

1. lead-tin yellow

2. ochre

3. orpiment

4. yellow lake

5. indian yellow

6. chromium yellow > 1809, 1818

7. cadmium yellow > 1817, 1846

8. sienna

red pigments

1. madder

2. vermillion

3. minium red lead

4. carmine

5. dragon’s blood

6. red earth

7. cadmium red > 1892

what are lakes?

brown pigments

1. umber

2. Van Dyck Brown

3. bitumen

black pigments

1. bone black

2. lamp black

3. charcoal

binding media

1. oil > like linseed or walnut

2. tempera > which uses eggs, glue or gum arabic

tempera

• water based

• opaque layer

• little sheen

oils in oilpaints

• linseed

• walnut oil

• poppy seed oil

• turpentine > thins the paint

• diluents: spike oil

• sicative=lead oxide

oil paint tools

• pointed bristle

• flat brush

• palette knife

oil paint techniques

• wet on wet

• translucent paint film

gilding

• water gilding > burnished leaf on red bole

• mordant gilding > unburnished leaf applied over an adhesive

• shell gold > gold ground into a powder and used in effect like gold paint

what is varnish made off?

• natural resin

what weave is used for canvasses?

• plainweave

• twill weave

• herringbone weave

what are alternative supports for paintings other than panel and canvas?

1. vellum

2. stone

3. metal

buon fresco

true fresco

applied while everything was wet

prepatory drawing > sinopia

intonaco

the wet plaster applied for a day’s work

giornata

a day’s work

fresco secco

dry plaster

easier and more flexible

mezzo fresco

nearly dry intonaco

arriccio

basis pleisterlaag

pontata

horizontal strok at the height of the stelling