Reader review: This book is a treasure. I have checked
it out of the library several times already and now have finally
decided to buy it. I have yet to find a better guide to traditonal
painting techniques. In a world of modern techniques based
on 20th century aesthetics, this is the book for those of
us who follow a different path. If you want to paint like
Velasquez, Titian, or Nerdrum, this is the place to start.
Reader review: Max Doerner lectured art students
with the most accurate information ever compiled up to
1932. About 1900 there was a big change in the manufacturing
of color, Max was the artist's protector. "Art has abandoned
the sound principles of craftsmanship and is therefore
lacking in a dependable foundation". (Max Doerner 1931)
If you are a serious artist, I urge you to get this book.
Compare it to the Mayer's Artists Handbook and
see how just information pertaining to new colors is mentioned
and the rest of Max's historical work was usurped.
Greek and Roman art methods, medieval techniques, tempera
painting, van Eyck’s revolutionary use of oil paints,
Flemish methods of preparing colors, methods of 18th-century
British artists, technical secrets of Italian schools,
including such masters as Leonardo, Raphael, Correggio,
Andrea del Sarto, and more.
In this unusual book readers are given the opportunity to examine
works of the Pre-Raphaelites as closely as a conservator would,
and to uncover the artistic methods practiced by these painters.
Combining modern scientific research-including X-ray and infrared
technology, high-level magnification, and material analysis-with
commentary from the letters and diaries of the artists themselves,
this book explores the innovative techniques behind 20 of their
extraordinary works in a way that no previously published study
has attempted.
In addition to extensive full-color illustrations, many of them
large-scale details, this fascinating volume features texts
by leading conservators that provide a historical perspective
on the works and techniques in question.
AUTHOR BIO: Joyce H. Townsend is a senior conservation scientist
at Tate. Jacqueline Ridge is head of paintings and conservation
at Tate. Stephen Hackney is head of conservation science at
Tate.
Unique among watercolor instruction books, this volume documents,
in carefully sequenced photographs, the working methods of great
artists as diverse as Durer, Turner, Cezanne, and Sargent. Readers
are shown step by step how to make the best use of the masters'
insights. 325 color illustrations.
Preeminent among rare reference books, this 1849 work reprints (with
the original-language version and its English translation on facing
pages) manuscript collections on painting and related arts from
the 12th through 17th centuries. The treatises describe European
oil painting practices, methods of mixing pigments, much more. Preliminary
commentary on each treatise, plus excellent introduction discussing
social history, artistic practices. Glossary. Index. 6 illus.
This volume contains seven “lessons” that focus on
a painting by a great artist, provide background information,
and give a detailed evaluation of the techniques. In addition,
“how-to” instructions are provided. Master Strokes:
Pastel teaches atmospheric and urban landscapes, still lifes,
and portraits through a study of works by Turner, Constable,
de La Tour, Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, and Courbet.
An encyclopedic reference developed in collaboration with the
National Gallery of Art, the Artists's Pigments series combines
two aspects of the study of pigments--the history of individual
pigments and dyes and scientific methods for identifying and
characterizing artists' colorants--rarely brought together in
one publication. Volume 2 contains extensive studies of nine
pigments including azurite and blue verditer, ultramarine blue,
lead white, lead-tin yellow, smalt, verdigris and copper resinate,
vermilion and cinnabar, malachite and green verditer, and calcium
carbonate whites. These essays, which originally appeared in
Studies in Conservation, have been substantially revised and
brought up to date. This groundbreaking series is of compelling
interest to the practicing artist, art historian, conservation
scientist and conservator, and connoisseur.
Although vital, painting techniques have often been ignored in art
history. This book offers the methods of 77 of the world's greatest
painters illustrated with actual-size details and color reproductions
of hundreds of paintings.
Reader review: If you got to this page then you are
probably already one of the cult following of the legendary
Painters Secret Geometry. I read this book in the form
of an entire copy xeroxed form a library edition in the late
80s which I borrowed from another art fan. (Trust me I looked
for it but it wasn't for sale anywhere) We both missed the
reprint and aren't I kicking myself for it?
Basically Bouleau goes through many many master works of art
and extracts the Golden mean from them. The placement of that
figure, the way she is holding the vase in relation to her
body—so many elements in the composition of these paintings
coincide with mathematic placement its eerie. The concept
of extracting Fibonacci numbers and finding geometrical patterns
in art is nothing new, but here it is demonstrated over and
over and much better than anecdotal evidence.
I have never understood why this book is so hard to get ahold
of. It has been referenced over and over again since its original
publication and was a big influence on art analysis.
As more and more artists today look to the past, there has been
a tremendous resurgence of interest in painting realistically--in
creating convincing illusions of three-dimensional depth on
two dimensional surfaces. How did the Old Masters create their
masterpieces? What kind of education allowed these great artists
to create such beautiful work, and how can an artist learn these
lessons today? Traditional Oil Painting answers those
questions and many more. This comprehensive sourcebook explores
the most advanced levels of oil painting, with full information
on the latest scientific discoveries. Author and distinguished
artist Virgil Elliott examines the many elements that let artists
take the next step in their work: mental attitude, aesthetic
considerations, the importance of drawing, principles of visual
reality, materials, techniques, portraiture, photographic images
versus visual reality, and color. Traditional Oil Painting
helps artists master the secrets of realistic painting to create
work that will rival that of the masters.
A
Manual of Oil Painting by John Collier Paperback: 124 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (August 21, 2006)
This republication of the third edition (1889) of John Collier's
classic text offers a fascinating and informative glimpse into
the academic oil painting tradition of the late nineteenth century.
Includes instructions for painting from life using the "sight-size"
method, advice on choosing the proper paints and mediums, as
well as in-depth discussions of subject matter, color theory,
and the comparative advantages of direct versus indirect painting.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the revival of traditional
oil painting techniques.
Impressionism has captured the imagination of people the world
over since its first exhibition in Paris in 1874. People have
long sought to understand how and why the Impressionists created
their paintings and how their techniques might be replicated.
Susie Hodge reveals the answers to these questions by assessing
the techniques and styles of the great masters of Impressionism
and showing how artists today can use their methods.
An informative introduction explains how the Impressionist movement
came about, explores its historical context, and defines the
style and inspiration of the artists involved. The heart of
the book, however, focuses on eight major Impressionist painters—Monet,
Pissarro, Renoir, Cassatt, Degas, Cezanne, Seurat and Van Gogh—revealing
how they worked and analyzing their well-known paintings. Each
case includes step-by-step demonstrations that show the reader
exactly how to re-create Impressionist painting details in appropriate
style.
Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of Their History & Characteristics
(A National Gallery of Art U. S. a. Publication) by Elisabeth
West Fitzhugh (Editor), Robert L. Feller (Editor), Ashok Roy
(Editor) Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: National Gallery of
Art; 3rd edition (October 1997)
An encyclopaedic reference developed by the National Gallery
of Art, Washington, Artists' Pigments combines two aspects
of the study of pigments—the history of individual pigments
and dyes and scientific methods for identifying and characterizing
artists' colourants—rarely brought together in one publication.
Each pigment is examined individually with extensive illustration.
In addition to the history of each pigment's use, manufacture,
and nomenclature, matters of concern to the practicing artist
are explored, such as colour, permanence, compatibility, and
handling qualities. Composition is analysed, particularly chemical
and physical variations that may arise due to differences in
source, methods of preparation, adulterants, and impurities.
Conservation scientists will find a compendium of analytic techniques
that are used to characterize and identify the pigment. With
four volumes projected, Artists' Pigments offers a unique
combination of history and scientific analysis.
From dust jacket: Here is a complete account of the painting
method that originated in Flanders in the 15th century. The
detailed instructions allow the contemporary artist to express
himself along the prerogatives of our times, while employing
traditional technical means.
The historic term alla prima refers to painting on an imprimatura
without preliminary underpainting, while aiming from the start
at achieving the final effects. This implies the work has to
be finished while the initially applied colors are still wet.
The technique is easily adapted to simlifications and spontaneous
rendition of nearly all subject matter.
Bosch, Brueghel and later Rubens were among the first who initiated
the method, and they all worked on panels. The 17th and 18th
century work in alla prima was usually done on canvas. Here,
instead of the imprimatura a tone ground was used which, applied
on top of the white priming, minimized the rough texture of
the canvas, allowing the alla prima operation to proceed unimpeded.
This work, one of the most lucidly written art history books
in recent memory, addresses a topic of inherent complexity and
great recent interest. Kemp (Univ. of St. Andrews), who has
written on Leonardo, discusses perspective and optic theories
as they related to the central problem of European painting
for half a millennium, the verisimilar depiction of nature.
The first part of the book discusses perspective theory and
practice and the use of devices that led toward photography.
In the second part, Kemp explores optic theories derived from
Aristotle and from Newton and their theoretical and practical
impacts on painting. The only minor cavil is the unclear order
of the select bibliography; otherwise, this is a superb and
thoughtful book, with a level of writing to which few can aspire.
Highly recommended for general as well as special collections.
—Jack Perry Brown, Ryerson & Burnham Libs., Art
Inst. of Chicago
This magnificent book is the first full-scale exploration of
Impressionist technique. Focusing on the easel-painted work
of Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Cézanne, Cassatt, Morisot,
Caillebotte, Sisley, and Degas in the period before 1900, it
places their methods and materials in a historical perspective
and evaluates their origins, novelty, and meanings within the
visual formation of urban modernity.
Drawing on scientific studies of pigments and materials, artists’
treatises, colormens’ archives, and contemporary and modern
accounts, Anthea Callen demonstrates how raw materials and paintings
are profoundly interdependent. She analyzes the material constituents
of oil painting and the complex processes of “making”
entailed in all aspects of artistic production, discussing in
particular oil painting methods for landscapists and the impact
of plein air light on figure painting, studio practice, and
display. Insisting that the meanings of paintings are constituted
by and within the cultural matrices that produced them, Callen
argues that the real “modernity” of the Impressionist
enterprise lies in the painters’ material practices. Bold
brushwork, unpolished, sketchy surfaces, and bright, “primitive”
colors were combined with their subject matter—the effects
of light, the individual sensation made visible—to establish
the modern as visual.
**In
order to ensure that A Stroke of Genius receives credit for
your order you will need to start your
shopping session from our book pages. Any qualifying item you
place in your shopping cart within 24
hours following your entry from A Stroke of Genius will be credited
to us if the purchase is made
within 90 days. Credit will not be given for items already in
your cart from a previous visit.
DISCLAIMER:
There are many books where Amazon does not have a cover image
and we have searched
the web to find one. We have made every effort to accurately
represent books and their covers.
However, we are not responsible for any variations from the
cover displayed.
Oil Painting Techniques and Materials
The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting With
Notes on Their Techniques of the Old Masters
Methods
and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters:
Two Volumes Bound As One
Pre-Raphaelite
Painting Techniques
Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice:
Preprints of a Symposium University of Leiden, the Netherlands 26-29
June 1995
Paint With the Watercolor Masters: A Step-By-Step Guide to Materials
and Techniques for Today's Artists 
Medieval and Renaissance Treatises on the Arts of Painting: Original
Texts With English Translations
Master
Strokes: A Step-By-Step Guide to Using the Techniques of the
Masters for Pastels 
Artists'
Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics (Vol
2 - Paper)
Techniques
of the Impressionists
Materials
and Techniques of Medieval Painting 
Techniques of the Great Masters of Art
How to Paint Like the Old Masters
The Art of Impressionism: Painting Technique and the Making
of Modernity
