Chapter 6

Painting

Two-Dimensional Art

• Drawing• Painting• Printmaking• Imaging: Photography, Film,

Video, and Digital Arts

Suddenly I realized that each brushstroke is a decision … In the

end I realize that whatever meaning that picture has is the accumulated

meaning of ten thousand brushstrokes, each one decided as

it was painted.

–Robert Motherwell

PAINT

• Painting - The application of pigment to a surface– Paint can be applied to many surfaces.

• Vehicle - the binding agent that holds the pigment to generate the paint

• Medium - the solvent used in creating paint

• Paint - a liquid material that imparts color to a surface

Types of Painting

• Fresco• Encaustic• Tempera• Oil• Acrylic• Watercolor• Spray Paint

Fresco• Fresco - the art of painting on plaster

– Was popular in the Renaissance – Was revived in Mexico after WWI

• Buon fresco or true fresco - done on damp, lime plaster.

• Fresco secco - painting on dry plaster Problems with fresco:• Must work fast, you can only paint what

can be completed in one day. This can create visible seams

• Some colors don’t work well with lime. (such as blue)

Encaustic

Encaustic - One of the earliest methods of applying color to a surface; uses a pigment in a wax vehicle that has been heated to a liquid state

• Very old• Extremely durable• Colors remain vibrant• Surface will retain a hard luster• Used by the Egyptians and the Romans

Examine an unusual contemporary use of encaustic painting with a creative Native-American encaustic interpretation:

Encaustic Painting

Figure 6.3, p.124 KAY WALKINGSTICK. Solstice (1982). Acrylic and wax on canvas. 48” x 48” x 3 1⁄2”.

TemperaTempera - uses ground pigments mixed

with a vehicle of egg yolk or whole egg thinned with water

• Popular for centuries, however the traditional composition is rarely used today

• Used by the Greeks and Romans• The exclusive painting medium of

artists in the Middle Ages • Fell out of favor in the 1300’s with the

introduction of oil painting.

Advantages of Tempera• Extremely durable• Pure and brilliant colors• Color did not become compromised by

oxidation • Consistency and fluidity allowed for

precisionDisadvantages: • Dries quickly• Hard to rework• Can not provide subtle gradation of tone

Tempera Terms

• Gesso - A combination of powdered chalk, plaster, and animal glue used as a ground in tempera.

• Gilding - the application of thinly hammered sheets of gold to a panel surface (commonly used in conjunction with tempera)

• Egg Tempera - the egg mixture traditionally used as a vehicle in tempera

Figure 6.4, p.125: GENTILE DA FABRIANO. Adoration of the Magi (1423). Tempera on wood panel. 9’10 1⁄8” x 9’3”.

Figure 6.5, p.125: FRANZ GERTSCH. Silvia (1998). Tempera on unprimed canvas. 9’ 6-1⁄2” x 9’ 2-1⁄4”.

OilOil painting - consists of ground pigments

combined with a linseed oil vehicle and a turpentine medium or thinner

• The transition from tempera to oil was gradual.

• Oil paint is naturally slow drying, but can be sped up with the addition of certain agents

• The first oils were used on wood panels.Glazing - the application of multiple layers of

transparent films of paint to a surface

Oil’s Advantages

• Colors can be blended easily.• Slow drying lets you rework

problem areas. • Can create beautiful delicate colors• The eventual use of canvas as a

ground allowed paintings to get much bigger.

Figure 6.8, p.127: FOLLOWER OF REMBRANDT VAN RIJN. Head of St. Matthew (c. 1661). Oil on wood. 9 7⁄8” x 7 3⁄4”.

Acrylic

Acrylic - is a mixture of pigment and a plastic vehicle that can be thinned with water.

Advantages of acrylic paint over oil paint:

• Far less messy to use• Can be used on a larger variety of

surfaces• Surfaces don’t need special preparation

Watercolor

Watercolor - Originally defined as any painting medium that employs water as a solvent; today refers to a specific technique really called aquarelle

Aquarelle - Transparent films of paint are applied to a white absorbent surface – Egyptian artists used a form of watercolor painting. – Also used in the Middle Ages

Gouache - Watercolor mixed with a high concentration of vehicle and opaque ingredients such as chalk primarily used during the Byzantine and Romanesque eras of Christian art

Advantages and Disadvantages of Watercolor

Disadvantages:• White does not exist, it is created by

letting the paper shine through. • The artist must plan ahead. • Corrections are not possible Advantages:• Portable• Great for sketches and impressions • Can also be a used as a final piece

Figure 6.12, p.129: DAVID HOCKNEY. Punchinello with Block, for Ravel’s “Parade Triple Bill” (1980). Gouache on paper. 14” x 17”.

Figure 6.14, p.131: RALPH GOINGS. Rock Ola (1992). Watercolor on paper. 14” x 20 3⁄4”.

Figure 6.15, p.131: EMIL NOLDE. Still Life, Tulips (c. 1930). Watercolor on paper. 18 1⁄2” x 13 1⁄2”.

Spray Paint

Is spray painting like prehistoric cave painting?

It raises similar questions:• Why do they do it?• Is it art?• Is it urban ritual?• Will is speak in history to the trails of

inner-city living?

Mixed Media

Collage or papiers collés - Picasso and Braque were the first to incorporate pieces of newsprint, wallpaper, labels from wine bottles, and oilcloth into their paintings.

Miriam Schapiro create what she calls “femmage”, with is a version of collage using feminine imagery and materials.