J. Greig – Designer

How to look at the paintings of the great masters?

If you are a painting lover, the great French museums will interest you. And even if you did not have a particular passion (until today!) For painting, it is impossible that the Louvre, for example, may not have interested you one day.

Perhaps you have even had the chance to visit it, and to contemplate the innumerable works it contains.
But if, as I suppose here, your experience in painting was not yet very large at that time, it is very likely that you could not have appreciated the beauty of the works in their entirety.
Indeed, rare are those who know how to really appreciate the work of a great master in its entirety, and who manage to understand the message conveyed by the painting, what the artist wanted to express etc.
But do not worry: it is quite normal not to know how to do this, since it is something that is acquired with a lot of experience ... it is not for nothing that the study of adults paintings is studied at university.
In this article, I will try to train you in the fundamentals of analyzing the paintings of the great masters. My goal is simple: by the end of your reading, you should be able to analyze and understand the paintings of the great masters better than 95% of the population.

So grab a pencil and a piece of paper, because we're going to try to intrude into the minds of the greatest painters in our history.

"Painting is easy" training
The course of the week:
The basics of watercolor pencil
The Munsell tree

I - Simple, but frighteningly effective advice

The first piece of advice I would like to give you to help you understand the paintings of the great masters may seem obvious, but it is really essential: visit many museums, and look at many, many works from different horizons.
It is indeed impossible to really appreciate a work without seeing it with your own eyes regularly.

Why ?

Because it is absolutely essential that you familiarize yourself with the museums, and it is only by making the effort to go and rub shoulders with these works that you will get there.
This represents the first step.

It is quite logical, but I want you to understand that it is not only by learning the theory that you will be able to fully analyze and appreciate the most beautiful works in the world.
Now let's move on to a little theory.

II - Have an open mind

The first step in appreciating a masterpiece is to have an open mind.
By that I mean that you absolutely have to put yourself in conditions of discovery. That is to say, it is imperative that you leave far behind everything that could influence your judgment:

Your personal tastes;
Your time preferences;
Your artist preferences;

If I clarify this, it is that all these points will, very often, come to block your observation.
Another trap you will need to avoid is trusting your first impressions too much; those which are generally extreme, baseless and arbitrary.

These will encourage you to remember only the main colors of the work, the central emotion it gives off.
Once you have done all this background work, you are ready to begin the analysis of the work, which we will split into 2 parts.

III - Heart and mind

To properly analyze a work, it is important to cut out its analysis.
Indeed, a painting will by definition give us emotions. The more successful the painting, the stronger the emotions you will feel.

This is how this discipline works.

The secret to looking at a work by a great master is to know how to make a clear distinction between his eyes and his mind.

In other words, it is necessary to distinguish the feelings felt from the admiration for the technical and artistic prowess of the artist.

To analyze a work without emotion, start by looking carefully at what is on the painting, and what is not there. Look at it in its entirety for a long time, then focus on the details.

It is important to proceed in this order to properly analyze a work. This allows you to soak up the work and its components first, and then appreciate the details hidden by the author.

Note that it is often in this last phase that you will really take pleasure, since it is in this that you will fully realize the beauty and complexity of the painting before your eyes.

IV - The importance of time

The last piece of advice I would give you to fully appreciate a great work is very classic, but too many people forget it: take your time.
Indeed, a master painting is by definition very complex, otherwise it would not deserve its name!
Imagining being able to fully understand it in a few minutes (or, for some, a few seconds!) Is a big mistake ... if you don't have several hours in front of you, don't expect to be able to grasp the complexity of a painting.
This advice applies especially to the most beginners of you, since your eye is not yet broken in this exercise.

Learn Oil Painting in 6 Steps

Oil: Choice of subject

Transparency, luminosity, effects of matter, meticulous work of detail ... The possibilities, in oil, are endless ... Six key phases to guide you in the elaboration of a work in oil painting.

1. Choice of subject

Are you a beginner? Get your hands on simple subjects, like still nature. Then, you can tackle more complex themes, portraits or landscapes.

A photograph will allow you to work without time constraints and, if you cannot draw, to trace your model on the support.

2. Composition of the table

Find a common thread that connects the different elements (lines, shapes, colors, light) of a scene into a coherent whole. Your best ally is your intuition!

Unusual angles will enhance the interest of the painting. Observe your subject by focusing on a detail or by apprehending the whole scene. To do this, use a window cut out of cardboard or form a frame with your hands. If you're working from a photo, crop it with paper strips.

Test your ideas on paper: carry out as many studies as necessary, varying framing or play of light and shadow.

Oil: Preliminary drawing

3. Preliminary drawing

It’s more of a "framing guide" than an advanced drawing. This is not a mandatory step, but it is very useful for depositing the colors later.

On the support, sketch your subject either in charcoal, without forgetting to spray a fixative to prevent it from dirtying the colors; either in pencil, very lightly so that it does not show up under the paint; either in oil or acrylic, with a very neutral and diluted color.

Not sure of your pencil stroke? Transfer the main features of the model using the grid technique or tracing paper if you are working from a photo.

Work in broad strokes, get to the point: do not try to faithfully reproduce the scene in every detail, you will unnecessarily overload your painting.
Tip: Observe the subject with half-closed eyes, it then comes down to spots of color and blurred masses. This will help you subtract the superfluous details and simplify the shapes that compose it.

4. Preparatory layer
In order for the paint to adhere well and dry without cracks, you need to apply a thin base coat.

White or colored? A white background illuminates the hues, ideal for subjects rich in color. A colored background offers a basic tone which will unify the table: choose the color according to the final tone desired for the table (warm, cold, light, dark ...).

Use a well-diluted paint and wait for it to dry before proceeding to the next steps.

You can also use acrylic, which dries faster.
Tip: To check if the bottom is dry, pass your index finger lightly in several places: if it does not bear any trace of paint - even if the surface gives the impression of being sticky - you can put the next layer.

Oil: Laying layers of color

5. Laying layers of color

The coloring is done by superposition of layers. Start by placing the light and shade areas, fill in the large areas of color and then work patiently, by superimposing layers of increasingly intense color.

You must respect the golden rule of oil painting: paint "fat over lean". Each superimposed layer should be slightly more "fatty", therefore rich in oil, than the previous one. For this, strongly dilute the first layers and less and less the following. Otherwise, you risk seeing your painting flake over time.

Second rule of thumb: wait until the paint layer is completely dry before applying the next.

There is another technique, faster, intended for experienced painters: the painting "alla prima". Used outdoors or from a model to capture the spontaneity of a scene, it allows the painting to be completed in a single session, because each layer of color is applied to the previous one, which is still fresh.

Oil: Final coats and touch-ups

6. Final layers and touch-ups

This is where the painter's real work is accomplished. There is no more work "in the dough", but light touches. We call it "making the canvas sing"! It is the final harmony of tones.

Use undiluted paint, as it comes out of the tube.

Take a step back often to judge your work. Be your first spectator!

Do not go too fast! Refine your work little by little, put down the lights, work the shadows, take care of the details. At this stage, any profound change in color results in a change in all the shades in the table. Know how to stop ... Go, now sign!

What is a glaze? Paint "fat over lean"? The technique went prima? What effects do they produce? Overview of the basics to help you use them.

Preparing oil colors

Oil painting: color preparation

Because of the thick, greasy consistency of the oil, and its very long drying time, oil painting requires more control than water-based techniques.

How to get started with oil painting

Starting a new artistic practice is exciting, fun, but sometimes somewhat impressive. Because although the discovery is enriching, we do not always know how to get started or with what ... This blog contains all kinds of articles intended for a more or less informed public, but I realized that there was perhaps missing the very basis: How to start ??

Oil painting has a reputation that often precedes it: It is a traditional technique, beautiful but very complicated. Which is not really false ... except that its complexity is due only to the choice of its practice. With a simple method, oil painting becomes simple. Here's how to practice a simple method with minimal equipment.
1 - Obtain the equipment

Online or in store, basic Fine Arts materials are easy to find. And no need to clutter, we just start with these 5 elements: Brushes, colors, support, medium, thinner.

The simplest and most practical and to get a ready-to-use box with all the necessary equipment. The higher the price, the more quality and complete the boxes. It will simply add the support and sometimes the thinner.

Otherwise you must choose these elements individually

Brushes: synthetic, 2 rounds + 2 brushes minimum (learn more).
Colors: fine quality or study (what is it?), Minimum 6 colors (which?)
Support: block of special oil / acrylic paper or canvas or canvas cartons on frame (find out more)
Medium: the standard painting medium. A 75ml bottle is enough (what is it?)
Thinner: White Spirit or turpentine (available in drugstores or DIY stores)

Regarding the palette, the manufacturers offer you very beautiful ones in varnished wood for example. But as it is recommended to always have a clean palette, it is better to use disposable palettes, otherwise you will have to clean them after each session. Special paper blocks exist, otherwise plastic plates (recyclable of course!) Do the job very well ...
2 - Prepare

It is true that oil painting is not really a spontaneous practice. This technique allows all possible effects during long sessions thanks to its slow drying, unfortunately, unlike aqueous techniques, you must first of all prepare the material…

The thinner and the medium being harmful to health, it is better to paint in a ventilated room. Just open a window, for example.
Place your stand on a table or easel.
If you are right-handed, put your equipment (brushes, palette and medium) to the right of the support. Conversely if you are left-handed, put them on the left.
Place your colors on the palette, varying in size from a pea to a nut depending on the format of the support. Better to add more if it runs out rather than wasting it. The tubes are already expensive enough.
The medium is poured in very small quantities (a tablespoon) into a container in which you will dip the brush.
As for new brushes, sometimes the bristles are glued by the manufacturers in order to protect them, thus making them rigid. Do not bend them by forcing, rather pass them under lukewarm water!

3 - Ready? Go!

You are now ready to paint. Oil paint can indeed be used directly, as it comes out of the tube. Only it is sometimes difficult to apply because it "pulls" badly. This is why the presence of the medium is necessary. It enriches the fat colors, since they become fluid, shiny and consistent. The thinner (essence) should only be used during this first learning step to clean the brushes. Its dilution with mediums is useful for the development of a paint in several layers, but it is better already to learn to master its tools before complicating the process.

So start with small subjects with limited details, in a small format. When you get started, the most important thing is to understand how it works. Learn about mixing colors, dosing with medium and different brush strokes. Once this 1st approach is made, then opt for a slightly more elaborate subject.