Mid Modern Era: Why Oil on Canvas?

 Why Oil on Canvas? 

Oil paints were first used in the 7th century but were not commonly used until the 15th century. Before this, artists often used tempera paint made of pigments with egg yolk or other water-based paints. Tempura paint dried very quickly, so it was hard to get the fine details before it dried up. It also faded and lost its color when dried. Oil-based paint changed everything. 

The reason why oil-based paint is superior to other types of paints is that instead of evaporation, the oil oxidates. Just pigments are left when all the water evaporates. Oil-based paint has a chemical reaction that turns the paint into a gel, and then it hardens to how the artist left it. 

Oil-based paint is the easiest to shape the desired texture. Because of oil-based paints highlighting and contrasting a work of art was possible, which resulted in vibrant, realistic paintings. It gives the artist time to work with the paint and the freedom to come back the next day and pick up where they left off. Not only can they contain shape to maintain the texture they can easily be blended with other oil paints to make a more realistic look.

Here are prime examples of why Oil on Canvas is better for making the perfect painted art pieces.  

Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Banjo Lesson, 1893, oil on canvas, 49 × 35.5 inches
/ 124.5 × 90.2 cm (Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA)

"Banjo Lesson"

History 

Henry Ossawa Tanner was the first African American famous artist that was acknowledged. He lived most of his art education in France and was well known for his biblical painting. Banjo Lesson was his most famous painting. His mother was born in slavery and escaped to the North through the underground railroad. His father was a minister who chose Henry's middle name, Osswa. He is named after Osawatomie, Kansas, where racist southerners bloodily beat abolitionist John Brown. After he contracted an illness, his doctor gave him a prescription to breathe the mountain air. So he went to North Carolina, where he experienced racism up close. After this influence, he painted such a moving painting. 

Tone

The painting has a dark tone overall. The setting seems to be a run-down building where many poor people may have lived. This building seems to have no electricity, but it is kindled by a candle or lamp light. There are two different sources of light. One is natural sunlight, and the other is artificial light. The tone of the shades of color makes it clear. There is a pale sunlight tone highlighting the banjo teacher and the banjo student.

Color

He used excellent highlighting skills with a mix of choices of color. He used a lighter shade of the wall color to make the illusion of pale sunlight coming through someplace out of view. On the other side, a warmer light seems like some sort of flame from a candle or oil lamp. His choice of color shows how he can make the illusion of shadows on the wall. His choice of color is so perfect that he uses yellow and orange on the tablecloth, reflecting the warm flame light. 

Texture

The painting is not significant in texture because it looks like the artist used strap techniques. Everything is hazy, and it is hard to see texture within the painting. An essential part of the painting is where the fuzzy texture has to be just right. The hair of the banjo teacher is the perfect texture. It depicts what the natural hair of an African American might look and feel. He has afro-type hair that shows a distinct receding hairline. The banjo student also has the same type of hair. It is much shorter and fuller, so his hair is much closer together, so not much texture can be visible.

Sir William Orpen, “Sergeant Murphy & Things,” circa 1923,
oil on canvas, 29 1/2 x 40 in. (c) The Sporting Art Auction 2016

"Sergeant Murphy & Things"

History
This painting was Sir William Orpen's first horse portrait. He was a war artist till after WWI. Now that the war was over, he had time to paint something else other than war art pieces. Most of his paintings are portraits of war heroes or scenes of war. Orpen’s full name is Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen. He was born in Ireland, and he died in London, England. 
Texture
This portrait has many texture features. The grass looks very dry yet still green. They are sharp and edgy compared to the soft flat green grass the horse in the background is trotting on. The horse is shiny and well groomed. The clouds are rolling and fluffy in the sky. It looks like a perfect game for an auction or race. The clothing of the people standing in front of the horse is very detailed. I can almost see every fiber crisscrossing to make the cloth. Their leather boots are shiny and look like they were just polished. 
Color 
All the colors are standard, and it is what would expect of a portrait. The colors of the jockey and the auctioneer's clothes are everyday clothes. Most jockeys had white pants with their sporting jacket. The color of the sky seems like a typical cloudy day with a mix of yellows and silver linings. The color of the horse is not just one color. 
Value 
Even though he is a brown horse, the artist uses different shades of dark and black to show the muscles of the horse. Then uses bright tan to highlight the parts where the fur of the horse shines in the sun. The brightness of the value makes the horse look glossy. The value of the colors shows plenty of shadows where would expect them. The shadow under the horse, even the shadow under the madman's hat where half his face is hidden is well constructed. Being oil on canvas painting gave the artist the tools it needed to build value, pigmented color, and texture within the painting.

‘Job’ by William Orpen (1905).Oil on canvas. 22 x 27 inches.
 Provenance with Pyms Gallery, London.

"Job"

History

Sir William Orpen’s earlier paintings were mainly portraits of war and other heroic figures. His portraits included judges, generals, landowners, politicians, and theatre people. In his later painting, he painted gypsies and spirituals that lost their way, and we are looking for an escape from darkness. The man in this painting is of humble origins. Orpen risked his reputation by painting this man because painting other than a hero seemed lesser than painting common folk. Texture The texture of this painting is incredible. The weathered hands of the poor man and his white curly hair are very detailed. His skin is rough and dirty as if he had a rough life. The tone muscles on his body, even though aged, he still is in great shape. You can see every muscle and wrinkle on his naked body. He must have been working all his life to make a living. Tone He has a dark background to show that it is a sad, dark, twisty story. However, the man in the center of attention is bright as if a spotlight is on him. Also, the houses in the background are bright as well. It may as well be that Orpen wanted to draw the attention of the view to the man and the houses and keep their focus there. With oil paint, the artist can keep quality pigment to remain that desired darkness. The town’s folk that seem to be mocking the naked man are not as bright, but they are still bright enough to make out their faces and appearance. The choice of having dark or light tones focuses the viewer's attention and is very skilled of Orpen. Color The painting has all neutral colors. The only other color in the painting is the sliver of blue sky, the red shingles on the rooftops, and the red comb of the chickens. Artists can use neutral colors to give the illusion of a highlighting effect and make an object seem more realistic. Light hits different areas of surfaces when there is texture or depth to the object. Neutral colors are safer to use than other colors because they are everywhere. However, if used too often, it can lose individuality, so I believe that is why Orpen put flashes of color to counteract the neutral colors. Even though it was not much, it still made the painting more balanced. 

"The Pacific Club", Georgina Klitgaard

1893-1976

Provenance: Fletcher Gallery

"The Pacific Club"

History

The Pacific club is not only a painting but a place where a sailor kept his office and warehouses. It is the only 18th-century building left standing in Nantucket. Nantucket is a tiny island 30 miles off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The island and the building has a long history of Whaling. 

Texture

The texture of the painting is mainly smooth seeing that the painting is oil on canvas. Usually, old building have cracks and the paint peels off. We don’t see this in the painting. The artist chooses to give it a smoothed-out feel. The path and dirt seem to have rocks paved over. The lines in the dirt made it look like there were flat rocks that were bricked together. Leaves on the tree were fluffy and not much textures but they were makeable to be leaves that had pointy sharp edges. 

Line 

Lines in the painting are straight forward. The poles in the background are pointing up in the harbor. The branches of the tree doesn’t completely match the picture of the actual tree in front of the building. The tree branches actually look more symistric than the real life tree. The artist choose to keep the painting smooth. Oil on canvas can have a lot of texture but in this painting it seems like a water color painting with bold colors.

Color

The coloring in the painting has a lot of shadows. The tree casts a beautiful shadow on the side of the building. The painter uses a perfect shade of the building to make it see like a perfect shadow. The artist gives the illusion of having a sun casting its rays down. The artist is also spot on where the shadows should be based on the estimated position of the sun. The sky is gloomy because of the choice of color for the sky and surrounding clouds. 

"Spring Migration"
Georgina Kiltgaard, Nantucket Island
oil on canvas, 22 x 30 inches

History Georgina Klitgaard did many paintings of Nantucket Island. This painting depicts many migrating seabirds, and Nantucket island is one of the stops they make. Georgina Kilgraard is an American artist born in New York, graduated from Barnard College, and studied at the National Academy of Design. She was very pronoun for painting view from above scenes of New York. She specialized in landscape painting, and the semi-wilds of Nantucket attracted her eye. Color Kiltgaard has chosen beautiful colors to show how fantastic landscape painting can be. Her oil pigmented paints are bold for the lush surrounding of the pond. The buses have a lovely red which are probably small flowers in bloom. The pond is a beautiful blue with the sparkling reflection of the blue sky. The birds are pure white and gray, making them look like they have an above-white coat with a gray undercoat to match their real-life appearance. The sky has a hint of gray that indicates that the sky is cloudy after a downpour of rain, and the rains have finally cleared. The ocean is in view, and white mist is like light fog.

References

-, U. (2016). Oil painting techniques. William Orpen painter. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.oil-painting-techniques.com/analysis-william-orpen.html

-, U. (2016, September 22). The Pacific Club - A Look Back. Yesterdays Island, Todays Nantucket. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://yesterdaysisland.com/pacific-club-look-back/

-, U. (2021). | fichera fine art. Susanna J. Fichera Fine Art. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from http://ficherafineart.com/artists/georgina-klitgaard/

-, U. (2022). Georgina Klitgaard American (1893-1976) "The Pacific Club," nantucket oil on canvas, signed lower right "G. Klitgaard," signed, numbered, titled and inscribed on the stretcher "87, Bearsville, NY" 22 x 28 inches provenance: Fletcher Gallery, Woodstock, New York; Private Collection, Connecticut. other notes: The Pacific Club was housesd in the only surviving 18th century structure in Nantucket. originally a warehouse for ship captains, then a U.S. Customs office and eventually a gathering place for mariners for local mariners. for more information on the Pacific Club, see "the pacific club-a look back" framed dimensions - 27 x 32 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches tags: Nantucket, oil painting, listed artist, Woodstock Art Colony, 20th Century. Lot - GEORGINA KLITGAARD, American (1893-1976), "The Pacific Club," Nantucket, oil on canvas, signed lower right "G. Klitgaard," signed, n... Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.shannons.com/auction-lot/georgina-klitgaard-american-1893-1976-the-pa_81F45F4867

Jalli, A. (2021, September 29). Neutral colors: What are they? why use them? Medium. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/neutral-colors-1fc82ea81c71

Khalid, F. (2016, September 9). Henry Ossawa Tanner, the banjo lesson. Smarthistory. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://smarthistory.org/tanner-banjo/

Lee, D. (2019, May 28). 'job' by William Orpen - Christie's | sir William Orpen blog. www.sirwilliamorpen.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from http://www.sirwilliamorpen.com/job-by-william-orpen-at-christies-london-auction-18th-june-2019/

Oil painting. Oil Painting: History, Famous Paintings in Oils. (2022). Retrieved July 25, 2022, from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/oil-painting.htm#:~:text=The%20main%20advantages%20of%20oil,than%20other%20types%20of%20paint. https://moa.byu.edu/why-do-artists-use-oil-paint/

Webster, A. (2016, November 17). Featured lot: Sir William Orpen, "sergeant murphy & things". Fine Art Connoisseur. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://fineartconnoisseur.com/2016/11/featured-lot-sir-william-orpen-sergeant-murphy-things/

Impressionism VS Realism: Romantic Era

Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889. Oil on canvas.

History

Vincent Van Gogh is a renowned artist from the 19th century. When he was alive, his works were not as celebrated. He sold a handful of his art in his entire artistic career before Vicent spent the last years of his life in an asylum. Van Gogh painted the starry night from the inspiration of his bedside window while living in the asylum. They had a strict policy about him not painting in his room, so he had to paint through memory. Though Van Gogh is well known for his works, he was only an artist for a decade. He died at the age of 37 from committing suicide. After his death, his brother Theo wanted to promote his work, but he sadly died six months after Van Gogh. Theo's wife inherited the art and loaned Gogh's art to museums making his works more widespread. 

Color

Every stroke is connected with bold colors. Dark blue makes up most of the painting, and it can make you feel sad or depressed. In today's day in age, the color blue represents freedom. When you look up at the blue starry sky, you feel free to let your mind wander. There are quite a few yellow patches in the mix that are stars. Yellow gives you a sunshine feeling of hope. Yellow mean happiness and positivity. Putting the two colors together creates a sense of joy in freedom. Such as the feeling of one's self when one break free of troublesome life problems. They feel the rush of happiness and hope in their newfound freedom. Something was bothering Van Gogh, and painting seemed like a way of putting his emotions onto canvas. His troubles were too much that even art couldn't prevent his tragic death. I interpret all these feelings from the colors of this painting. 

Form & Lines

Lines form shapes, and lines can create forms. Stars before dawn are not as bright because the sun is coming up, yet he decides to blow up the star's brightness to make them the center of attention in his painting. He applied paint to the canvas directly from the tubes to create thick lines. "The result was the dream-like image, which features wavy cypress trees in the foreground and glowing stars, a bright crescent moon, a swirling sky, rolling hills, and a village in the background." Goph used one long bold line across the painting to outline the mountains from the sky. The wavy lines of the sky were forming the brightness of the starlight. Since there were no brush strokes, the lines were not buffered out or blended to make a more realistic view of the sky. The lines made it more unique. 

Van Gogh's goal was to capture the emotion and feel at that moment. He wanted to express his emotion and paint it from his perspective of how he saw the night sky. He didn't try to make the picture look more realistic but was more impressed with his feelings about the artwork. 

John Modesitt, The Water Lily Pond, 1899 Oil on Canvas

History

John Modesitt rented a house where it was perfect for his family in Giverny, France. Over time they improved the land after his success as an artist. John Modesitt wanted to build a garden pleasing to the eye and for him to paint. They were then able to buy the land to achieve their dream garden. He was finally able to begin to build in 1893. After the garden was finished, he painted 12 views of the garden.

"His famous home and garden with its waterlily pond were bequeathed by his heirs to the French Academy of Fine Arts (part of the Institut de France) in 1966. Through the Fondation Claude Monet, the home and gardens were opened for visit in 1980, following refurbishment. In addition to souvenirs of Monet and other objects of his life, the home contains his collection of Japanese woodcut prints. The home is one of the two main attractions of Giverny, which hosts tourists from all over the world."

Line & Form

This piece of art is impressionism because it is not a clear picture of something you can see. It's not the exact picture. Many colors intertwine in a network forming a hazy view of the water lily pond. The form of this painting is free, and the artist just put their feelings on canvas. It's the artist's way of mushing their emotion together and placing them on the canvas.

Texture

The texture of the painting has many dabs of paint individually placed to make up the picture. It's like a 2-dimensional picture of blown-up pixels on the TV that are easy to make out. You can see the individual pixels but also the image Monet painted. You can see lilies in the water, but if you look closely, you wouldn't know they are lilies without the hints of the whole painting. The texture is rough, but the smoothest part of the piece is the Japanese bridge overlooking the pond.

The Old Musician, 1862 by Edouard Manet

History

Edouard Manet painted heroism in the modern life of that time. Most of the characters were real people. In this painting, there is a musician, a gypsy girl, an infant, an acrobat, an urchin, a drunkard, and a ragpicker. These were probably people he might have seen from his studio. The musician was Jean Lagrène, leader of a local gypsy band. He stationed his studio in the slums of Paris. He was around many ordinary folks considered low in ranks, but that did not bother him. The man in the top hat’s name was Colardet; he was the rag picker, a person who collects rags and then sells them. 

Color

His style of painting was more modern at the time. Instead of blending pigments, he placed those pigments next to each other. It makes the painting more direct with solid pigments. The painting was like the artist turned up the contrast on a picture. You can see individual colors not blended out as you would see in other paintings. Most of the pigments are very solid and very life-like. The skin of the people is ashen. Manet’s style was all about not blending colors, so, understandably, that is why they are so pale. 

Texture

Since there were no blended pigments in the painting, most of the texture is not visible. Most areas of the painting have smoothed out slippery looking. Something more textured then is the spikey and curly hair of the musician. The clouds are soft because the color is buffered to make the illusion of fluffy clouds over a blue sky. The skirt of the gypsy girl is smooth and almost silky despite its worn cloth feel. The leaves of the tree are very crisp. The painting does not have much texture only if you study the painting. 

The Stone Breakers, Gustave Courbet

History

Courbet, the maker of this piece, painted two peasants breaking stones that will be used to build a road. The event is something that people did during that time. They built roads with human resources because they did not yet invent the modern power tool era. Courbet was expressing the exhaustion they faced from their hard work to earn enough money for food and a way of life. As beautiful as the painting is, it didn't survive the bombing of Dresden in 1945. For Courbet, it was just a memory he painted. 

"It is not often that one encounters so complete an expression of poverty and so, right then and there, I got the idea for a painting. I told them to come to my studio the next morning."- Gustave Courbet.

Color

The color of this painting puzzles me. I don't know why Courbet put a black background but left the face of the cliff in the top right corner. It looked like a shadow covered the scene to pay more attention to the two road makers. All the colors in the painting are found in everyday things at that point in time. Clothes were simple back then, yet people of lower social status wore plain clothes, so they couldn't afford lavish, colorful clothes. The dirt in the clothing you can make out gives the more emotion of sweat and blood they put into their work. 

Texture

Every inch of the painting is very detailed. The clothing is textured as if the workers are wearing actual pants. I can see the very fibers of every stitch and thread in their painting. The grass of the desert is very brittle. You can see every small blade of grass. The rocks are jaggy and edged because they were smashed open with hammers. The basket has every fiber woven in an elegant pattern to form a basket.

Impressionism Vs. Realism

As the four examples of the two styles that I have chosen, I will now compare the two. My favorite of the two styles is realism. I enjoy looking at something detailed and texture of real life. It amazes me how real they seem when it's just a painting an artist may have painted out of memory. Impressionism, on the other hand, is not a clear picture of something you can see. It is not the exact picture. It's the artist's way of mushing their emotion together and placing them on the canvas. I see their sentiment, but I don't enjoy seeing them often because it reminds me of my messy emotions. Sometimes I'm all emotional and not thinking clearly. Impressionism has too many feelings to show that trigger my deep thoughts. I know some people may enjoy that, but I don't so much. I enjoy seeing a piece that looks like the artist took a long time perfecting the little detailed things like the single blades of grass I saw in The Stone Breakers by Gustave Courbet.