Artists & Illustrators - UK (2020-01)

MASTER TECHNIQUES

willlookratherlikeanOldMaster

paintingandtheunvarnishedpart

rathermorecontemporary.

Thisis notsimplybecause

OldMasterpaintingsaregenerally

varnishedwhereascontemporary

worksarenot.It is alsobecausemost

traditionalworksweremadewith

layersofcolouredvarnish-likeglazes

whichmadethemdeep,subtleand

luminous.Mostmodernpaintings,

certainlythosecreatedsincethefirst

Impressionistexhibitionin1874,

appearflatterandlessglossy.

Thisis nottosayeitherofthese

thingsis better,justthatoneought

tobeabletochoosethebestlook

forone’sowncreativeintent.

Nowtakethepartiallyvarnished

paintingandputsomeblobsof

impastoalloverofit usinga palette

knifeorfatbrush.You’llseethat

comparedtotheopticallydeep

varnishedareas,theimpastoappears

toadvancea littlefurtherthanit does

overtheunvarnishedpassages.

Thisis becausethevarnishedareas

havea greateropticaldissonanceto

directimpastothantheunvarnished

directlypaintedones.Byextending

theopticalrangeinyourtestworkyou

haveincreaseditsvisualinterest,and

forpainterslookingtoimprovethe

visualmeansattheirdisposal,that

willbeofinterest.

CREATINGLUMINOSITY

TheOldMastersusedopticstocreate

anillusionofluminosity.Thekeyhere

is toappreciatethatpaintingsreflect

ABOVE In a detail
from the painting
opposite, note how
the orange impasto
contrasts with the
thin, dark glaze

light, but don’t emit it. The source of

any apparent luminosity in a painting

comes from its base layer – the white

gesso, typically. Cover that up with fat,

opaque impasto and the reflected

light will be restricted, along with its

optical depth. Layer that base with

thin, modulating layers of colour,

however, and you can add real interest.

To give your painting that glow,

you must learn to think optically.

Pay attention to how artists such

as David Hockney use the opaque

paints sparingly to ensure their thin,

coloured passages glow with a

saturated intensity.

Creating optical complexity on

your work is a creative choice,

but it is important to make an

informed decision, rather than

allowing your materials to restrict

your creative options. Look at the fat

impasto marks of Frank Auerbach

or the thin soak stains of Helen

Frankenthaler – those methods suited

their creative vision and artistic

intent. For my own part, I like having

the flexibility to paint either boldly and

strongly or subtly and atmospherically

as it suits my subject, but whatever

I paint I always remember that colour

is simply an interaction between

a surface and reflected light.

It follows then that if a paint

surface is an even, unmodulated

plane of equal opacity, it will be less

interesting than a paint surface that

allows light into it here, bounces light

off it there, and scatters refracted

light in different directions. Simple,

direct painting will generally create

a flat, bold and unmodulated picture

with a visual punch. By contrast,

indirect painting will give a much

more subtle, varied surface that has

greater depth and complexity. This is

not a polarised choice, however, and

one can lay down glazes or heap on

fat impasto marks in a single painting.

If we take the principles of indirect

painting and apply them cleverly,

we can have the best of both worlds.

Martin is course director of

the Norfolk Painting School.

http://www.norfolkpaintingschool.com

RIGHT More

contrasts can be

seen between the

impasto clouds

and glazed sky

Artists & Illustrators 49