Painting Methods of the Impressionists

by Bernard Dunstan

In this new, revised edition of Painting Methods of the Impressionists, leading British artist Bernard Dunstan's authoritative text is now supplemented by 135 excellent, full-color reproductions of the works of 16 Impressionist masters. In addition, there are over 40 color details taken from various works that scrutinize the Impressionist painting surface and provide a closeup look at such aspects of Impressionist painting as the kinds of brushwork used, the effects of glazing and scraping down the surface, the use of the palette knife, stippling and impasto techniques, the effect of light, and the application of opaque and transparent veils of color. Also included are compositional sketches and color plan diagrams.The author begins with a detailed survey of 19th-century painting materials and equipment, then shows how the "revolutionary" painters of the period were, in reality, deeply rooted in traditional teachings and techniques. A separate section is devoted to each of the 16 painters, describing their materials and listing their palettes when these are known; explaining how they painted significant pictures, and reproducing these paintings in full, glorious color. Quoting extensively from their writings and the writings of their contemporaries, examining their paintings with the eye of a professional artist, and drawing upon his own vast knowledge of the craft of painting, the author reconstructs the techniques of the Impressionist masters: Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Degas; their forerunners: Constable, Turner, Manet, and Courbet; the Postimpressionists: Cezanne and Seurat; the Americans who were then working in Europe: Cassatt, Sargent, and Whistler; and the heirs of Impressionism: Vuillard, Bonnard, and Sickert.The text illustrations and enlarged details reveal an amazing diversity of techniques: the small, spontaneous oil sketches that Constable converted into large-scale canvases in the studio, working with great sweeps of the palette knife; Turner's improvised, unpredictable oil and watercolor methods; the realism of Courbet and the radical simplification of Manet; the "comma brushstrokes" of Monet and Pissarro; the "modeling" of Cezanne's brushstrokes, and a new and surprising view of Seurat's Pointillist brushwork; the luminous color of Renoir; Degas restless experimentation with old master techniques and his revolutionary combinations of pastel with monotype and other mixed media; Sargent's virtuoso brushwork; Whistler's obsessive painting, scraping, and repainting to create mysterious veils of color; Cassatt's experiments with pastels and printmaking; Vuillard's mastery of the neglected medium of distemper, a mixture of dry pigment and glue size; Bonnard's improvised buildup of color over color; and Sickert's modern interpretation of the old master technique of underpainting and overpainting.The author is a renowned British painter who has experimented with many of the methods described. For every painter who is inspired by the great artists of the past - and for everyone who admires the painters of the Impressionist era - Painting Methods of the Impressionists brings new insight and creative ideas into a fascinating and turbulent chapter in art history.

Genres: Art

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. Far less helpful than I had expected. The primary focus is on the more painterly topics of (e.g.) how to mix and apply paint — rather than on the paintings themselves (i.e., technique, composition, brushwork, etc.).

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellence read. Flagged several pages for future reference. Interesting coverage of artist techniques of pre-impressionists, select impressionists, American artists connected to the movement, and artists that were influenced by the impressionists.