DOCSLIB.ORG

Instrumental Colour Mixing to Guide Oil Paint Artists

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Instrumental Colour Mixing to Guide Oil Paint Artists Journal of the International Colour Association (2019): 24, 24-34 Kirchner Instrumental colour mixing to guide oil paint artists Eric Kirchner Color Technology Group, AkzoNobel Paints & Coatings, 2170 BA Sassenheim, the Netherlands Email: [email protected] Painters use a creative but time-consuming process to mix differently coloured pigment paints in order to obtain an intended colour. During the past decades it became technically possible to achieve this task also using instruments. However, their high prices have prevented painters from making this choice. Very recently, a new generation of colour instruments became available at much lower prices, making this an affordable approach for both professional and amateur painters. We selected one such instrument, and tested its ability to help painters in mixing pigment paints to achieve a desired colour. Our approach started by choosing a limited set of pigmented oil paints from an artist line of a commercial brand (Van Gogh line from Royal Talens). We applied these paints in a range of well-chosen mixtures to determine the spectral properties of each pigment paint. Using a spreadsheet program and an optical model we were then able to create any desired colour by calculating the optimum mixture of pigment paints. In this article, we test the accuracy of this method for use by artist painters. Received 12 May 2019; revised 27 June 2019; accepted 10 July 2019 Published online: 22 July 2019 Introduction A basic understanding of colour theory is fundamental to painting. But traditional colour theories offer little guidance on creating the intended colours [1], and the artist's colour wheel seems to hardly capture the complexities of paint colour mixing [2-3]. Therefore it is not surprising that artists and art students often find it difficult to use colour theory in practice when they need to mix paints [4]. Mixing colours on the palette often leads to surprises that are sometimes inspirational, and sometimes frustrating. Even some experienced painters need considerable time for mixing pigment paints and testing the result before they obtain the intended colours [5]. In this article, we will introduce a new digital tool that may help painters who have not yet fully mastered the complexities of colour mixing. This tool may become helpful in those cases where a painter has a clear idea about the colour he/she likes to accomplish on the canvas. In such cases, inspiration may come from a piece of material, a cloth or a flower, but creating exactly that colour by mixing pigment paints on the palette may require perseverance and substantial time. 24 http://www.aic-colour.org/ | http://www.aic-color.org/ ISSN 2227-1309 Journal of the International Colour Association (2019): 24, 24-34 Kirchner Since the 1960s it is possible to let computers calculate the optimum paint mixture. This approach needs a spectrophotometer that measures reflectance values as a function of wavelength, and requires colour formulation software to find the best paint mixture. Over the past decades, mixing machines in do-it-yourself shops have proven that this approach is technically feasible. However, for painters this approach is too costly, since the price of spectrophotometers is (far) beyond €5000. In the past decade, for the first time, colour instruments have become available on the market at prices below €300 [6]. In this article, we investigate the potential of these instruments to guide artists on mixing pigment paints in order to achieve a desired colour. For this we chose the Spectro1 instrument (Variable inc., Chattanooga - USA). This is the first low-cost colour instrument that produces spectral data similar to any other spectrophotometer. This paper is organised as follows. First, the Spectro1 instrument is described, along with the line of oil paints that we used as an example in this investigation. We present the process of determining spectral properties of the oil paints, and the optical model that we used to calculate the optimum mixture of pigment paints. These calculations use colour measurements as a starting point. Finally, we present and analyse the results of this approach for 36 different target colours, taken from reproductions of art works and common objects. The paper ends with conclusions. Instrument and paint samples Description of the instrument Since 2005, ten different colour instruments became commercially available with prices below €300 [6]. These low-cost colour devices directly measure values for three colour coordinates, and therefore they are colorimeters. This is in contrast to traditional instruments that measure reflectance for a series of wavelength values. These are the so-called spectrophotometers, which are much more expensive than colorimeters. Unfortunately, colorimeters are not useful for calculating paint mixtures, since the three coordinate values that they measure are not sufficient to calculate concentrations for a larger set of pigments. Also, the calculated mixtures may not have colours that are stable with changing spectral light conditions (colour constancy and metamerism). Early 2019, the first low-cost colour instrument entered the market which does provide reflectance values for a range of wavelengths. Therefor this Spectro1 instrument is positioned by its vendor Variable as the first low cost spectrophotometer. It is based on sensor technology from AMS (Premstaetten, Austria) that provides spectral information for eight different optical wavelengths [7], combined with smart technology to produce reflectance data across the visual spectrum at 10 nm resolution. The design produces a measurement geometry that has similarities to traditional diffuse geometry (specular excluded) and 45/0 geometry. Because the instrument provides spectral data, we test if this instrument can be successfully used for calculating pigment mixtures of artist oil paints, as a digital and objective method to obtain any desired colour. Paint samples For this investigation, we used a selection of twelve pigmented oil paints from product line Van Gogh (Royal Talens, Apeldoorn - The Netherlands) [8]. In order to be able to formulate a large range of colours, the selection contained two different pigments for most colour categories (red, green, yellow and white), but three for the blue colour category and only one for black. The selection was partly 25 http://www.aic-colour.org/ | http://www.aic-color.org/ ISSN 2227-1309 Journal of the International Colour Association (2019): 24, 24-34 Kirchner inspired by the palette with thirteen pigmented oil paints that the artist Vincent Van Gogh used while staying in Arles, in Southern France (although Van Gogh used four different red pigments rather than two, and avoided using black pigment) [9]. Most of the artist's pigmented paints have a similarly named counterpart in the modern commercial paint line, although this obviously does not guarantee that the pigment constitution of the modern paint line is the same or even similar to the historic palette. Indeed, some pigments used by the artist have no counterparts in the modern palette at all. There is no counterpart for Vincent Van Gogh's Geranium (Eosin) Red pigment paint. This pigment was not replaced in the current investigation since we already had included two other red pigments. Vincent Van Gogh's Chrome Yellow Lemon and Chrome Yellow are no longer available because of their toxicity. Therefore we replaced them by modern Azo Yellow Lemon and Azo Yellow Medium pigments. For the blue and green ranges, we included the counterparts of all pigments that Vincent Van Gogh used. The mixing behaviour of pigmented oil paints is not determined only by their colour, but their spectral properties need to be taken into account as well [3]. In order to determine the colour mixing properties of each chromatic pigmented oil paint, these were mixed in standardised ratios with white in approximately 50:50 and 10:90 mixtures, as well as with black in 1:99 and 3:97 mixtures. For achromatic pigmented oil paints, an adapted scheme was used. These schemes originate from their use in the paint industry as described in an earlier publication [10]. While weighing and mixing, some small deviations from this scheme appeared. This was not problematic, since we carefully weighed and registered all concentrations that we actually used. These actual mixing ratios are presented in Tables 1 and 2. First Second First Ivory Second Pure Titanium Titanium Black Ivory Black White White Carmine Red (PR83/PR57:1) 100% 50.2% 9.95% 1) 99.01% 97.09% Vermilion Red (PO34/PR57:1) 100% 50.00% 9.85% 99.01% 97.10% Viridian Green (PG7/PY43) 100% 50.00% 11.47% 1) 99.01% 97.09% Emerald Green (PW6/PB15/PY3) 100% 48.75% 9.96% 99.01% 97.09% Ultramarine Blue /Synthetic (PB29) 100% 49.95% 9.73% 1) 99.01% 97.18% Cobalt Blue (PB28) 100% 49.90% 11.45% 99.01% 97.18% Prussian Blue (PB27) 100% 49.90% 9.91% 99.01% 2) Azo yellow Lemon (PY3/PW6) 100% 49.85% 10.01% 99.01% 96.90% 10.03% Azo Yellow Medium (PY74/PW6) 100% 50.10% 99.01% 97.09% 7.48% Table 1: Mixtures as prepared to characterise the colour properties of chromatic pigmented paints. 1)These mixtures also contribute to the characterisation of Titanium White. 2)Special mixture: 80.48% Titanium White + 10.06% Ivory Black + 9.46% Prussian Blue. Mixtures Ivory Cobalt Pure Carmine Red Viridian Green Black Blue 49.75%, 80.10%, Titanium White saffl. 100% 90.00%, 97.37%, 90.05% 3) 88.53% 3) 88.55% 3) oil (PW6/PW4) 99.01% 79.68%, 91.31%, Zinc White (PW4) 100% 90.93% 3) 89.69% 3) 90.70% 3) 99.01% Ivory Black (PBk9) 100% 0.99%3), 2.91% 3) 0.99%3), 2.91% 3) 0.99%3), 2.82% 3) Table 2: Similar as Table 1, for characterising achromatic pigmented paints.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice
    Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice PUBLICATIONS COORDINATION: Dinah Berland EDITING & PRODUCTION COORDINATION: Corinne Lightweaver EDITORIAL CONSULTATION: Jo Hill COVER DESIGN: Jackie Gallagher-Lange PRODUCTION & PRINTING: Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZERS: Erma Hermens, Art History Institute of the University of Leiden Marja Peek, Central Research Laboratory for Objects of Art and Science, Amsterdam © 1995 by The J. Paul Getty Trust All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-89236-322-3 The Getty Conservation Institute is committed to the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. The Institute seeks to advance scientiRc knowledge and professional practice and to raise public awareness of conservation. Through research, training, documentation, exchange of information, and ReId projects, the Institute addresses issues related to the conservation of museum objects and archival collections, archaeological monuments and sites, and historic bUildings and cities. The Institute is an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust. COVER ILLUSTRATION Gherardo Cibo, "Colchico," folio 17r of Herbarium, ca. 1570. Courtesy of the British Library. FRONTISPIECE Detail from Jan Baptiste Collaert, Color Olivi, 1566-1628. After Johannes Stradanus. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum-Stichting, Amsterdam. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Historical painting techniques, materials, and studio practice : preprints of a symposium [held at] University of Leiden, the Netherlands, 26-29 June 1995/ edited by Arie Wallert, Erma Hermens, and Marja Peek. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-89236-322-3 (pbk.) 1. Painting-Techniques-Congresses. 2. Artists' materials- -Congresses. 3. Polychromy-Congresses. I. Wallert, Arie, 1950- II. Hermens, Erma, 1958- . III. Peek, Marja, 1961- ND1500.H57 1995 751' .09-dc20 95-9805 CIP Second printing 1996 iv Contents vii Foreword viii Preface 1 Leslie A.
    [Show full text]
  • Egg Tempera Technique
    EGG TEMPERA MISCONCEPTIONS By Koo Schadler "Egg tempera is a simple, cheap, easy-to-use technique that produced gorgeous effects...Yet nobody seems to know it." Robert Vickrey (1926-2011) There are many misconceptions regarding egg tempera, and reasons for their existence and persistence. A superficial understanding of tempera limits its potential. This handout hopes to dispel some of the myths. THE REASONS FOR MISCONCEPTIONS Reason #1: The Influence of the Renaissance Egg tempera reached its peak of popularity and achievement in the early Renaissance (approximately 1400- 1450) in Italy, and is notably associated with that time and place. Most Italian, early Renaissance paintings present a less naturalistic, more idealized rendering of the world: minimal light and shadow effects; more high-key (light) values; purer, less dirtied color; cooler color temperatures; less fully three-dimensional forms. For the most part these visual choices are not inevitable to egg tempera. Instead they reflect the less realistic, more spiritually oriented medieval perspective still present in early 1400s Italy (consequently changed by the Renaissance). Because most of these paintings were done in egg tempera, people presume the medium (rather than the culture and its thinking) accounts for this aesthetic. Misconceptions also arise from egg tempera’s association with Italian Renaissance working methods. Masters and guilds taught a successful but prescribed way of developing a painting. Its not the only way to work in tempera, but often is presented as such. Reason #2: Egg Tempera’s Disappearance Renaissance artists aspired to increasing realism in images. Oil painting has advantages (described in Misconception #7) over tempera in depicting the material world and, by the late 1400s, oil became the predominate medium of the Renaissance.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesson Plan: Oil Painting Techniques Grades: MS & HS Art
    Lesson Plan: Oil Painting Techniques Grades: MS & HS Art Supplies: • Jars for mediums & solvents (glass jar • Oil Paints or tin can) • Oil Brushes • Paint Medium Comparison Handout • Canvas Panels or Framed (for project) • Basic Oil Painting Techniques • Canvas Paper for worksheet Worksheet • Gesso • Advance Oil Painting Techniques • Odorless Turpenoid Worksheet • Linseed oil • Labels for jars • Palette Knife Lesson One: Introduction to Oil Paints Lesson Two: Exploring Different Methods of Applying Paint (Part One) Lesson Three: Exploring Different Methods of Applying Paint (Part Two) Objectives: • Students will understand the difference between water based & oil based mediums. • Identify & experience oil painting supplies. • Learn & experience various oil painting techniques. • Students will learn about the medium of oil paints, care of supplies, & how to paint with them. • Students will learn how to set up their painting area. Explore different methods of applying paint. • They will learn various techniques & procedures for getting started, painting with oil paints, and cleaning up procedures. Preparation: • Pre-mix the “medium” (1:1 ratio of Linseed Oil & Odorless Turpenoid) & pour in small glass jars (baby food or small canning jars work great). • Copy “Paint Medium Comparison Handout ” one per student (Optional) or display with document projector. • Copy “Basic Oil Painting Techniques Worksheet” onto cardstock or “paper canvas” one per student • Copy “Advance Oil Painting Techniques Worksheet” onto cardstock or “paper canvas” one per student © Michelle C. East - Create Art with ME 2017 Lesson One: Introduction to Oil Paints Delivery: Class One (45 minutes) 1. Oil Paint: a. Observe and experience the differences between water-based and oil-based paints. (See “Paint Medium Comparison” Handout ) i.
    [Show full text]
  • Oil Painting in Educational Settings
    Oil Painting in Educational Settings A Guide to Studio Safety Best Practices Recommendations Technical Information SUMMARY For 600 years, oil painting has been the preeminent painting media. Oil painting has documented our cultural heritage and has endured and evolved through the advent of photography, the modernism of the 20th century and into the digital age. Why does oil painting remain relevant? Because no other media carries the same raw power of communication. No other media gives artists the same intensity of color and breadth of mark-making possibilities. There is nothing more natural and enduring than oil painting. Oil painting practice and instruction continues to grow in universities across the country. And standards have evolved over recent decades. Turpentine was once used in virtually all painting studios. Today it is a thing of the past. Leading schools and instructors have incorporated higher standards, which we share, for a safe studio environment and the responsible management of waste. At Gamblin these ideas are not just important to us, they are the founding ideas for our color house. The objective of this guide is to provide two things for you: the proven solutions Gamblin has contributed on the materials side of the equation, and the systems developed by leading schools like the Rhode Island School of Design. Our mission is to lead oil painting and printmaking into the future. This guide is intended to help Instructors, Heads of Departments, and Facilities Managers in schools to have painting studios that are as safe as possible for students and the environment. Gamblin Artists Colors 323 SE Division Pl Portland, Oregon 97202 USA +1 503-235-1945 [email protected] gamblincolors.com CONTENTS Where does the oil in oil painting come from? How does it compare with other mediums? 1 The Nature of Oil Painting Acrylic Colors Water-Miscible Oils How do I choose and manage solvents in our oil painting studio? 2 Definition of an Artist’s Solvent Gamblin Gamsol vs.
    [Show full text]
  • EARLY NETHERLANDISH PAINTING Part One
    EARLY NETHERLANDISH PAINTING part one Early Netherlandish painting is the work of artists, sometimes known as the Flemish Primitives, active in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance, especially in the flourishing cities of Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Leuven, Tounai and Brussels, all in present-day Belgium. The period begins approximately with Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck in the 1420s and lasts at least until the death of Gerard David in 1523, although many scholars extend it to the start of the Dutch Revolt in 1566 or 1568. Early Netherlandish painting coincides with the Early and High Italian Renaissance but the early period (until about 1500) is seen as an independent artistic evolution, separate from the Renaissance humanism that characterised developments in Italy; although beginning in the 1490s as increasing numbers of Netherlandish and other Northern painters traveled to Italy, Renaissance ideals and painting styles were incorporated into northern painting. As a result, Early Netherlandish painters are often categorised as belonging to both the Northern Renaissance and the Late or International Gothic. Robert Campin (c. 1375 – 1444), now usually identified with the Master of Flémalle (earlier the Master of the Merode Triptych), was the first great master of Flemish and Early Netherlandish painting. Campin's identity and the attribution of the paintings in both the "Campin" and "Master of Flémalle" groupings have been a matter of controversy for decades. Campin was highly successful during his lifetime, and thus his activities are relatively well documented, but he did not sign or date his works, and none can be confidently connected with him.
    [Show full text]
  • Colour Chart.Indd
    The Paints, Past and Present Details and Descriptions of Colours This section gives assessments for certain determinable characteristics of all the colours presently in my range, as well as a few informal remarks on their qualities and idiosynchrasies when used. Following the pattern already laid out on all my tube and can labels, and on my more recent colour charts, I give: (1) The Colour Index Number: This is an international system for classifying and identifying pigments solely by their (often very complex) chemical formulae( e.g P(igment) R(ed) 106, Mercuric Sulphide known as Genuine Vermilion). The use of vague traditional or invented colour names is thus clarifi ed, and so, in theory at least, is the vexed matter of what pigments manufacturers actually put into their paints. If a colourman is honest, each constituent pigment in a paint can be specifi ed precisely, and the practice of secretly adulterating or even completely substituting cheaper alternatives is made impossible. Assuming, that is, the colourman is honest…I can certainly state that there are no secret additions to any of the paints in my range. What you read as the C.I number on the label is what you get. (2) Estimated Relative Drying Speed: Bearing in mind that all drying speeds will be affected by temperature, humidity and light levels, these give a broad calibration of comparative speeds, from the Very Fast, such as the Umbers, many of which, if used neat, will be touch dry within a hot summer day, to the Very Slow, which in unmixed state, might take up to a week.
    [Show full text]
  • Plein Air Painting Glossary Alla Prima: “All at Once”
    Plein Air Painting Glossary Alla Prima: “All at once”; paintings using this method are completed wet-on-wet, in a single session. Also called Direct Painting, as opposed to the Indirect Method, where artists wait for layers to dry in between sessions. Atmospheric Perspective: In a landscape, the effect of moisture or particles in the air scatters light, making objects in distance appear bluer or purpler, softer/less distinct and closer together in value. Color Temperature: Perceived warmth or coolness of a color. Color temperature is relative and judged in context of surrounding colors. Warm colors—red, orange, and yellow—appear to project forward; cool colors—blue, green and violet—tend to recede. Color temperature affects where hues are perceived to be located in the implied space of a painting. Warm Colors: Red, orange, and yellow. Colors that are perceived as warm and appear to project forward in space. Cool Colors: Blue, green, and violet. Colors that are perceived as cool and appear to recede in space. Complementary Colors: Contrasting colors that appear across from each other on the color wheel. Ex. Red & Green; Blue & Orange; Red-Violet & Yellow-Green. Composition: The arrangement of elements, principles, and materials in a painting. Think of it in a similar fashion to a musical composition: the parts are arranged into a whole. Co-Primary Colors: The warm and cool versions of a primary color. Cadmium Red and Alizarin Crimson could be co-primaries—they are both red, but when mixed with other colors, give different results. Depth Cues: Overlap, relative size, texture, value contrast, vertical position on picture plane, perspective.
    [Show full text]
  • OIL PAINTING GLOSSARY Alkyd (Pronounced: Al-Kid)
    OIL PAINTING GLOSSARY Alkyd (Pronounced: al-kid) An alkyd is a synthetic resin that can be added to oil paint to speed up the drying time of oil paints. You can buy an alkyd-based medium that you can mix in with your oils; the most commonly available is Liquin by Winsor & Newton. “Alla Prima” (Pronounced: ah-luh pree-ma) Alla Prima is an Italian oil painting technique, usually from life, in which the entire painting is completed in one session or while the paint is still wet. Usually, there isn’t any underpainting to the piece. Portraits, landscapes, and still life are common subject matter using alla prima. It translates as “at the first”. In past eras, it was used primarily as a means of sketching, but eventually, it became a means of producing finished works of art by the Impressionists. “Bistre” Bistre (“the wipe-out method”) is an underpainting using warm browns (usually raw umber or burnt umber). A thin wash of Raw umber is painted over the white canvas and then ‘wiped out’ to create a tonal underpainting. The shadows are built up using thin color, allowing the warmth of the brown to show through while the lights and midtones are applied as opaque color. You can also use Burnt Umber for an even warmer, darker underpainting. The Bistre method lends itself very well to chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro (Pronounced: key-ARE-oh-SCURE-oh) Chiaroscuro is an Italian word literally meaning “light dark”, used to describe the skillful balance of light and dark in a painting with strong contrasts to create a dramatic effect.
    [Show full text]
  • Conserving Modern Paints" Issue. Fall 2016 (PDF Edition)
    FALL 2016 CONSERVING MODERN PAINTS 1 SPRING 2016 | CONSERVATION IN CHINA A Note from the Director In the twenty-first century, the conservation of modern paints has emerged as a notable, even critical, subject of research. The great diversity in materials used in producing modern paints presents a significant challenge for those charged with caring for art created with these paints, as the paints’ sensitivity to aging, environmental conditions, and conservation treatments is gov- erned by their particular properties. The Getty Conservation Institute’s engagement with conservation issues related to modern paints dates back to 2002 when the Institute joined with Tate in London and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, on an integrated collaborative effort to study modern paint materials identification, characterization, and cleaning. Since then, the GCI’s work in this area and the diligent efforts of many others in the field have expanded to address a broad range of conservation issues connected to modern paints. In this edition of Conservation Perspectives, we offer an update on work that the Photo: Anna Flavin, GCI GCI is undertaking with respect to modern paints. In the feature article, Bronwyn Ormsby, principal conservation scientist at Tate, and Tom Learner, head of Science at the GCI, examine progress in research related to cleaning approaches for modern acrylic and oil paints—progress that is giving conservators more information and options with respect to the cleaning of paintings. The feature is followed by an article by Abigail Mack, John Escarsega, and Rachel Rivenc, who describe a GCI project that explores how paints formulated for military assets may help save outdoor painted sculptures in terms of preserva- tion and appearance.
    [Show full text]
  • Williamsburg Oil Paint Color Chart
    Handmade Oil Colors | Oil Color Sets | Dry Pigments | Mediums, Grounds & Varnishes | View Cart 6000161 6000162 6000191 6000181 6000202 6000212 6000224 6000246 Zinc Buff Zinc Buff Unbleached Unbleached Brilliant Yellow Brilliant Yellow Nickel Yellow Cadmium Yellowish Titanium Pale Titanium Extra Pale Pale Lemon 6000263 6000286 6000303 6000366 6000383 6000406 6000423 6000416 Permanent Cadmium Permanent Cadmium Permanent Cadmium Permanent Cadmium Lemon Yellow Light Yellow Light Yellow Yellow Yellow Deep Yellow Deep Yellow Extra Medium Medium Deep 6000442 6000462 6000422 6000744 6000463 6000584 6000508 6000514 Naples Yellow Naples Yellow Naples Yellow Canton Rose Jaune Brilliant Montserrat Cobalt Yellow Alizarin Yellow Italian Reddish Orange 6000524 6000534 6000546 6000543 6000563 6000587 6000597 6000607 Indian Yellow Alizarin Cadmium Permanent Permanent Cadmium Red Cadmium Red Cadmium Red Orange Orange Orange Red-Orange Light Vermilion Medium 6000624 6000647 6000657 6000658 6000665 6000775 6000687 6000685 Fanchon Red Cadmium Red Cadmium Red Cadmium Quinacridone Quinacridone Permanent Carl's Crimson Deep Purple Purple Red Magenta Crimson (Permanent) 6000684 6000686 6000785 6000714 6000724 6000774 6000728 6000748 Alizarin Perylene Quinacridone Persian Rose Dianthus Pink Ultramarine Cobalt Violet Cobalt Violet Crimson Crimson Violet Pink Light Deep 6000734 6000754 6000704 6000764 6000805 6000813 6000823 6000848 Provence Provence Manganese Ultramarine Eqyptian King's Blue Sevres Blue Cerulean Blue Violet Reddish Violet Bluish Violet Violet Violet
    [Show full text]
  • An Inquiry Into Jan Van Eyck
    Title: HISTORY, INNOVATION, AND EXCELLENCE: AN INQUIRY INTO JAN VAN EYCK Author: Amy Ione Abstract: In reviewing the history of art and science together one frequently finds rich examples that interweave the two approaches. Probing these examples, in turn, often reveals people who deftly combine artistic and scientific forms in ways that speak of excellence. Jan van Eyck was a painter in this mold. He stretched the technical innovation of oil paint beyond its initial parameters and, as this paper will show, it is because he did so that he offers a means to critically investigate history, art, science, technology, craft, and excellence together. The achievements of Jan van Eyck (~1395 ö 1441) were already distinctive by the sixteenth century. Both Giorgio Vasari, (in his Lives of the Artists, 1550) and Karel van Mander (in The Lives of the Illustrious Netherlandish and German Painters) described oil painting as a sudden technical innovation that was discovered by Jan van Eyck after much experimentation. In recent years, however, extensive documentation has established that many painters were experimenting with oil, even as far back as the 8th century. Considering this information in light of van Eyckâs accomplishments we quickly see that what stands out in van Eyckâs work was his capacity to not only see the optical possibility of using systematic glazing to make a painted surface look more realistic, but also his ability to produce work that did so. This visual quality is what makes his work unlike that produced by many other painters who were also experimenting with oils. Yet, and a key point within the discussion, despite the evidence that clearly documents the invention of oil paintings was a cultural discovery that took place over a long period of time, people continue to be drawn to agree with the attribution of priority to van Eyck.
    [Show full text]
  • Wax Medium by Rebecca Crowell Since Ancient Times, Artists Have Mixed Various Forms of Wax with Pigment to Add Body, Brilliance and Luminosity to Their Colors
    Abstract Oil Painting with Dorland’s Wax Medium by Rebecca Crowell Since ancient times, artists have mixed various forms of wax with pigment to add body, brilliance and luminosity to their colors. Today the most widely known method of wax resin and other additives. While encaustic painting is encaustic, which involves molten mixtures set up immediately as the wax cools, wax, and fusing wax with cold wax the “feel” and paint layers with a is similar to traditional heat source. There is oil painting—the paint another way to paint stays workable for hours, with wax that requires and is easily spread and no special equipment manipulated. On the or set-up, and is far other hand, cold wax less toxic than en- medium does speed up caustic. This is cold the drying time for oils wax medium–a room- considerably, enabling temperature substance made by suspending the artist to add layers of color and textural effects tiny beeswax particles in a base of solvent, without waiting days for the paint to set up. I’ve been using my favorite brand of cold wax medium, to simply paint with no concern for tenets of traditional Dorland’s Wax Medium, exclusively for about seven years. oil painting (such as the requirement to use “fat colors When I first started using Dorland’s, I was interested over lean.” When oil colors are suspended in Dorland’s it in bringing more abstraction into my work, but feeling is unnecessary to be concerned with their oil content.) constrained by brush techniques. I was also frustrated I apply the first few layers of wax/paint mixture to the with other oil mediums I’d tried that made the paint slip- panel with palette knives or squeegees, keeping in mind pery and runny.
    [Show full text]