Sunday, April 23, 2017

Reflections on recent Going Dutch painting workshops in NYC and Chicago

My wife, Helen Oh, and I recently completed a Going Dutch oil painting workshop at the New York Academy of Art in TriBeCa. The workshop explores and implements an approach modeled on that of Flemish and Dutch figure painters of the 15-17th centuries. During two consecutive weekends, a group of talented and dedicated group of students put the course ideas to a practical test in painting the figure.

Soon thereafter, I taught the same workshop solo for three consecutive days at Chicago's Palette & Chisel Academy, with an equally interested and skilled group. 

Beginning with Jan van Eyck, painters of northern Europe mastered rendering the figure in linseed and walnut oils, then a new technology. They combined this novel medium with superb analytical skills applied in a systematically. Because of the objectivity of their approach, we believe it can be taught effectively. Examples of their ideas:

1. careful observation of nature reveals that light has color, e.g. north light is slightly blue and its shadow is faintly golden;
2. oil paint is effective in both opaque and transparent modes;
3. rendering in oil paint is best when applied in layers from dark to light;
4. dark transparent areas and light opaque areas visually correlate to the way we see things in terms of both color and form; i.e., under daylight, light on objects appear cool and solid, shadows on object appear warm and indistinct.
5. Color, form and space are related, and a painter can predict how the correlate based on information.

The value of the course is to share the achievement, in both process and aesthetics, of the Flemish and Dutch painters. They perfected painting the figure in oil, and created a systematic approach that captures the qualities of skin under natural light with great fidelity. Their way is truly 'oil painting as it was meant to be.'

What makes this approach so successful? First, its simplicity: natural light's cool color creates shadows that contrast by value and opposing warmth. Second, its systemic approach: These painters sought to preserve this dichotomy by beginning with a warm tone over a luminous white ground. The subsequent layers were intended to build cool light and form in illuminated areas, while keeping the shadows as thin, and warm, as possible. The transitional area between light and shadow—the half tone—was painted in a neutral color made by placing thick opaque paint over transparent warm color. This visual 'estuary' creates the illusion of form 'turning', (going around) so that the viewer believes it has weight, and an unseen opposite side. Third, this school of painters worked directly from observation, the traditional way figurative artists are trained, and one still valuable for building observational skills.

In both workshops, students worked under a cool light, much as the Flemish and Dutch painters did. Once a careful drawing on paper (sized to match the canvas) was made of the model, and a warm golden tone was placed over the canvas.  Students then attempted to discover the subtle alterations in temperature within both the lights and shadows prior to painting.  In this we were aided by the scholarship found in the book Art in the Making: Rembrandt by David Bomford, et al., (Yale University Press, 2006).

The drawing was transferred to canvas, and students began a three-layer painting.
Layer 1: Dead color with a limited palette of 4 colors: white, black, earth red and earth yellow. The aim was to lay in warm, transparent shadows, cool half tones, and slightly warm local lights.

Layer 2: the palette was expanded to include a greater range of hues, though primarily earth colors preferred by Flemish and Dutch figure painters like Jan Steen, De Gelder and Rembrandt. The shadows and halftones were reinforced, and the lights refined by painting more colorful local lights and finally, cool highlights.

Layer 3: Reflected lights carefully placed in the shadows and scumbles (opaque over transparent paint) and glazes (transparent over opaque paint) added to complete the painting.

Below are my demo images from both NYC and Chicago workshops, plus some examples of student work.


Drawing over panel. My demo in Chicago





















Dead coloring. My demo in Chicago




















After Second coloring. Chicago




















Final. My demo in Chicago 20" x 13"





















Detail

















Drawing transferred to panel. My demo at NYAA





















Dead coloring. My demo at NYAA





















After Second coloring. My demo at NYAA




















Student's completed work, Chicago
















A student's complete painting at NYAA



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