ART, COMPARING THE STROKES OF THE MASTERS
The BBC recently put out a programme on art explaining the use of and comparison between paint application, composition and brush techniques employed by renown Old Masters on a specifically chosen paintings.
The programme aimed to draw the viewers eyes to the details and movement of the artist’s brush on a subject matter and how, if noted from a distance, the overall impression is that of perfect realism, whereas if zoomed closer for detailed inspection, the genius of strokes and movement, and the mix of colour to obtain just the right blend and colour match to a particular object shows much thought and labour-intensive movements.
The painters highlighted in the programme were Diego Velàsquez, Rembrandt Harmensz van Rinj, Vincent Willem Van Gogh, and Claude Monet, from different art periods, and I’ve placed here the photographs of the paintings that were examined and duplicated by the museum conservationist to explain how the paint and brush strokes were managed by the artists themselves. If you click on the pictures and it opens to a zoomed image, you’ll be able to see the different paint layers and thickness as well as the movement and strokes of the artist’s brush.
“Philip IV in Brown and Silver” Diego Velázquez, c. 1631/32Oil on canvas
National Gallery, London
“The Feast of Belshazzar” Rembrandt Harmensz van Rinj, c. 1635Oil on canvas, 167 x 209 cm
National Gallery, London
“Fifteen Sunflowers in a Vase” Vincent Willem Van Gogh, c. 1888Oil on canvas, 93 x 73 cm
National Gallery, London
“Saint-Lazare Station” Claude Monet, c. 187754.3 x 73.6 cm, Oil on canvas
National Gallery, London
