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"The Boulevard Montmartre at Night" by Camille Pissarro

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"Thinker Rodin as an Excuse" by Miguel Guia

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Impressionist Painting Techniques: Creating a Light Effect (Part 1 of 5). In this video, the artist gives a debrief on what effects the artists would aim to properly capture the essence of a landscape, and which techniques in specific they used. This video has a step-by-step visual demonstration, which will allow us to follow the conventions of an impressionist painting that has the theme surrounding nature (which means this source will also help us capture our theme).  

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Impressionist Painting Techniques: Creating a Light Effect (Part 1 of 5)

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This sketch is a vertical representation of the content we want to draw, with the windmill as the focal point. Two other smaller windmills are added beside it to make the center of the painting stand out. The tulip fields at the lower half of the page is drawn in first person, allowing each row to guide the viewers eyes to the focal point, and allowing the viewer to feel the beauty and grandiose of nature. Furthermore, to be able to incorporate the use of contrasting colors, clouds were used in the sky as they are known to reflect light (the sky is blue, however when the sun rises clouds may reflect some red hues. By incorporating this aspect, we are able to logically justify the appearance of contrasting colors in the sky which furthered its vibrancy (the sun is the ball labeled in the upper left corner of the paper)). The variety of colors will also be extended through the use of the tulip field, where each row will be colored differently, and the overall setting of this painting (windmill and tulip field, suggesting it is in a flower farm) represents nature, connecting to the theme many artists used to form their impressionist paintings (examples such as Monet, he used a lot of landscapes). 

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This sketch has a different focal point and is horizontal --- the previous one had the windmill, this one uses the sun as the center (The grand size of the sun also allows the viewer to feel the beauty and grandiose of nature, its expansion across earth). Furthermore, the tulip field is being observed in first person standing in front of the horizon, allowing each row of tulips to guide the viewer's vision to the sun. Around it, the sky is filled with clouds and birds to not leave too much white space and to be able to include more protrudent brush strokes, just like the style of impressionist sculptures and paintings. As labeled in the sketch above, we also plan on using the color palette in the sky behind the sun, allowing us to mix contrasting colors such as blue and white to evoke more features of nature. The variety of colors in each row of the tulip field will also allow space for more contrast, highlighting the presence of nature, another common theme present in famous impressionist paintings. Another important thing to notice, is that many artists did not try to capture the realism of the landscape, but rather the fleeting effects of the scene, such as light glimmering in the water (Caves, 2015) --- as seen, light played a big role, thus the inclusion of the sun and the cloud, as it allows the colors to be reflected into the sky, creating a scheme of colors.                                        https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2015/04/24/impressionist-painting-techniques/ (source)

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DESCRIPTION OF HOW WE WILL CREATE THE ARTWORK

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DESCRIPTION OF HOW WE WILL CREATE THE ARTWORK

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To create the artwork, as the impressionist movement inspired us, the materials we will need are the following: 1x A3 slim Canvas, oil paints in tubes, hog bristle brushes, and 1x palette knife. Impressionists used these materials due to their ability to be mixed and applied on the canvas in a loose style while also effectively moving large amounts of thick and heavy paint. One key aspect of impressionism is painting outdoors to capture the real-life moment and light, but since we have limited time and resources, replicating that will not be possible. The first thing we will do is create a light sketch on the canvas outlining the structure of the painting and determining where each element will be. For this step, no harsh lines are used, as impressionist artworks are fluid, continuous, and not harsh. This sketch is to determine where each element will be. After we have some guidelines, we can move on to painting. For the color palette, we want to use complementary colors and mix warm and cool tones on the canvas for vibrant contrasts. Since our artwork depicts a sunrise, we must also combine colors that "reflect" and emphasize the light and shadow of the scene. After deciding on the color palette, we will apply the paint on the canvas. For this, we will use short and thick strokes of paint to capture the essence of the object rather than its details; the goal is for it to look "messy" by quickly applying brush strokes to give the illusion of movement.
We must also avoid harsh edges; to do that, we must simply work wet paint into wet. It is also essential that we use Optical Mixing rather than mixing on the palette when it comes to mixing colors. "Broken color" refers to the effect of mixing colors visually rather than on a palette, ensuring non-perfect coverage and avoiding smoothly blended transitions. Impressionist painters used to apply paint in layers, leaving gaps in the upper layers to reveal the colors below, creating the "messy" effect in the shadows and highlights. This method is achieved by hatching, crosshatching, stippling, dry brushing, and sgraffito (scratching the paint). A mixture of bright colors is specifically done on the canvas, which enhances the effect of broken colors. Only dark colors are mixed in the palette. After our painting is done, if we feel it necessary, we will go back and make adjustments to the artwork: alter colors, shapes, shadows, lights, etc. And finally, we will sign our names on the canvas, fully completing the artwork.


Brush stroke appearance (nothing too sharp/rounded corners)
Nature (flower field)
Vibrant and saturated colors
Mixing warm and cold tones (contrast)

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DESCRIPTION OF HOW WE WILL CREATE THE ARTWORK

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DESCRIPTION OF HOW WE WILL CREATE THE ARTWORK

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To create the artwork, as the impressionist movement inspired us, the materials we will need are the following: 1x A3 slim Canvas, oil paints in tubes, hog bristle brushes, and 1x palette knife. Impressionists used these materials due to their ability to be mixed and applied on the canvas in a loose style while also effectively moving large amounts of thick and heavy paint. One key aspect of impressionism is painting outdoors to capture the real-life moment and light, but since we have limited time and resources, replicating that will not be possible. The first thing we will do is create a light sketch on the canvas outlining the structure of the painting and determining where each element will be. For this step, no harsh lines are used, as impressionist artworks are fluid, continuous, and not harsh. This sketch is to determine where each element will be. After we have some guidelines, we can move on to painting. For the color palette, we want to use complementary colors and mix warm and cool tones on the canvas for vibrant contrasts. Since our artwork depicts a sunrise, we must also combine colors that "reflect" and emphasize the light and shadow of the scene. After deciding on the color palette, we will apply the paint on the canvas. For this, we will use short and thick strokes of paint to capture the essence of the object rather than its details; the goal is for it to look "messy" by quickly applying brush strokes to give the illusion of movement. We must also avoid harsh edges; to do that, we must simply work wet paint into wet. It is also essential that we use Optical Mixing rather than mixing on the palette when it comes to mixing colors. "Broken color" refers to the effect of mixing colors visually rather than on a palette, ensuring non-perfect coverage and avoiding smoothly blended transitions. Impressionist painters used to apply paint in layers, leaving gaps in the upper layers to reveal the colors below, creating the "messy" effect in the shadows and highlights. This method is achieved by hatching, crosshatching, stippling, dry brushing, and sgraffito (scratching the paint). A mixture of bright colors is specifically done on the canvas, which enhances the effect of broken colors. Only dark colors are mixed in the palette. After our painting is done, if we feel it necessary, we will go back and make adjustments to the artwork: alter colors, shapes, shadows, lights, etc. And finally, we will sign our names on the canvas, fully completing the artwork.

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Color palette (Complementary colors, cold and warm colors together) - As described in our sketches, the use of contrast colors is present as it adds vibrancy to the landscape, and is a technique commonly used in impressionist paintings as it brings the space to life.

Brush strokes - The main objective of the impressionist style is the opposite of realism; it rather wants to achieve the appearance of a landscape through the use of brush strokes. When you look up front, the image isn’t coherent and the only thing that is visible are blobs of paint and imprints of thick brush strokes, however looking far away, an image will come to life and appear more coherent. Furthermore, impressionism artists aimed to capture the effect of light in the landscapes they were painting, which meant that the paint and perspective were two points that were highly emphasized in their works, as this presence would properly portray transitory motions, showing the lighting in the setting. This is why, in our own piece we wish to enhance the appearance of brush strokes and rely on the formation of the paint to form the imagery, not rely on painting the image itself and copying the properties of what we wish to draw. (Caves, 2015)

Round edges - By giving sharpness to our strokes the shapes will be more defined and defeat the purpose of impressionism (written above).

Materials - To achieve the brush strokes look the paint must be blotted on, thus a thick brush would provide the best appearance to form the painting. It will also allow more color to build up, thus achieving a better vibrancy in the composition of the painting.

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Multimedia video linked above

https://buysculpture.com/impressionist-sculptures/ --- link for sculptures

https://mymodernmet.com/erin-hanson-open-impressionism-painting/?utm_source=extension&utm_medium=click&utm_campaign=muzli --- link for paintings for reference

Sources (Academic purposes):

Caves, J. (2015, April 24). Impressionist Painting Techniques - Jackson's Art Blog. Jackson's Art Supplies. Retrieved May 17, 2024, from https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2015/04/24/impressionist-painting-techniques/

Hu, J., Zhang, J., Hu, L., Yu, H., & Xu, J. (2021). Art Therapy: A Complementary Treatment for Mental Disorders. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 686005. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686005

McDermott, K. C., Malkoc, G., Mulligan, J. B., & Webster, M. A. (2010). Adaptation and visual salience. Journal of vision, 10(13), 17. https://doi.org/10.1167/10.13.17

Oxford Art Online. (n.d.). Impressionism and Post-Impressionism | Oxford Art. Oxford Art Online. Retrieved May 17, 2024, from https://www.oxfordartonline.com/page/1623

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Impressionist Painting Techniques: Creating a Light Effect (Part 1 of 5)

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IMPRESSIONISM AND ART HISTORY (THEME AND SUBJECT MATTER)

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IMPRESSIONISM AND ART HISTORY (THEME AND SUBJECT MATTER)

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Reason for choice:

The impressionism movement was created by a group of french artists that aimed to capture landscapes through the portrayal of day-to-day life, with certain historical and mythological characteristics influencing it (Oxford Art Online, n.d.). This background intrigued our interest, thus sparking more curiosity to look into its history (art history). We further were able to understand why impressionist paintings followed such a specific style (messy upfront, but when you look away an image forms), and how light was a factor in it. With both of us being interested in physics, we thought portraying light and how it reflected off the landscape would be a great theme to follow through with.

With aims in portraying the dynamics of the space, instead of using black shades, contrasting colors and a variety of hues were instead used to provide shading/definition. Although many of the paintings used cold colors albeit wanting to incorporate a light-hearted atmosphere, there was a specific reason for it; by putting warm colors and cold colors next to each other there would be greater contrast, adding more vibrancy to the painting. Scientific studies have reported that the contrast of colors not only "retains" movement in the picture, but also due to its vibrancy it can capture the person's interest way more faster and effectively, stimulating the brain (McDermott et al., 2010). Furthermore, art therapy and these type of dynamic have been analyzed as a viable option for OCD treatment (Hu et al., 2021), a disorder that the protagonist Aza in "Turtles All the Way Down" also has.