48 Artists & Illustrators
Modern,Panorama, theGerman
artistallocateda coupleofroomsto
displayhistechnicalexplorationof
theworkingmethodsofthe16th-
centuryVenetianpainterTitian.
Thata contemporarypaintershould
choosetoimmersehimselfin
traditionaltechniqueshouldcome
asnosurprise;anobsessionofgood
technicalartistssuchasRichteris
thehandlingofoptics.Inthatrespectthere is no better guide than Titian
who devoted much of his life to
examining how best to depict things.
Good painters have always painted- and will always paint – with an eye
to how their work will interact with
light, and Titian never painted a thing
which didn’t show his preoccupation
with light and his paint film. So, if
you’re going to take one thing from
this series, my choice would be the
assertion that one should always
consider optics.
OPTICS AT WORK
Optics can mean many things.
At its simplest level, it’s just about
managing how your paint interacts
with light. This sounds simple, and
it is, but add nuance to this and we’re
soon into the dark arts of glazing,
scumbling and combining paints
with mediums.
I touched on all of those techniques
in my recent articles on essential
studio craft [see issues 404-406 –
back issues are available via
http://www.chelseamagazines.com/shop].
Yet while optics might appear a
complex subject, at its foundation
it is simply an appreciation that
different surface textures and finishes
will respond to the light in different
ways and enrich your painting.
Think of optics as the art of
managing your paint film. As a simple
example, take out one of your old dry,
“direct” paintings that perhaps didn’t
work as well as you hoped. Apply a
high-gloss glaze medium or a varnish
to part of the painting only. Once dry,
observe how the varnished and
non-varnished surfaces interact
differently with light, giving a varied
and interesting effect. Where the
glaze medium or varnish sits, colours
will look richer and deeper; where it
does not cover the paint, you will
retain an effect which is more matt,
direct and raw. The varnished areaThink of optics as the art of
managing your paint film
Very good painters aren’t just
creative visionaries but technical
masters too. In my opinion, there’s
nothing technically ordinary about a
good oil painting by Peter Doig, Hurvin
Anderson, Francis Bacon, Frank
Bowling or Anselm Kiefer. Ordinary
things depicted in an extraordinary
way – that’s the goal.
In Gerhard Richter’s 2011
retrospective at London’s TateLEFT Martin Kinnear,
Study after Seago,
oil on canvas,
30.5x40.5cm
Two versions of
the same painting
shown before and
after any optical
glazing was added.