I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. -–Vincent Van Gogh
The reason you don't see many painters painting thickly in the style of Van Gogh is because it is extremely difficult. The fact that he perfected his technique at such a young age is astonishing. Here are a few reasons I feel Van Gogh was successful painting with thick strokes:
HIS USE OF CLOISSONISM
Van Gogh's habit of surrounding his shapes with a bold outline–which he borrowed from Japanese woodcut–helped to simplify some of the frenetic nature of the thick strokes. The outlines gave a linear boundary that helps the viewer deal with form that otherwise might have succumbed to chromatic chaos.
DESIGNING LARGE MASSES
Imposing order on chaos is the challenge of thick paint. Van Gogh designed his compositions so that each component of the painting became a well connected series of shapes. He gave each mass a simplified yet highly designed silhouette.
STROKES OF COLOR THAT GUIDE EYE MOVEMENT
If paint gets too thick it can be difficult for the eye to navigate through the picture plane. Van Gogh solved this problem by using long dash-like strokes to give a very prominent direction to each area of the painting. Such strokes give the composition an additional unity that counteracts the potentially overwhelming activity of the thick strokes.
Below is a short video about field effects and why they are important. To read about field effects go here. To watch a video on how to achieve this effect go here.
Brad Teare–December 2014
The reason you don't see many painters painting thickly in the style of Van Gogh is because it is extremely difficult. The fact that he perfected his technique at such a young age is astonishing. Here are a few reasons I feel Van Gogh was successful painting with thick strokes:
HIS USE OF CLOISSONISM
Van Gogh's habit of surrounding his shapes with a bold outline–which he borrowed from Japanese woodcut–helped to simplify some of the frenetic nature of the thick strokes. The outlines gave a linear boundary that helps the viewer deal with form that otherwise might have succumbed to chromatic chaos.
DESIGNING LARGE MASSES
Imposing order on chaos is the challenge of thick paint. Van Gogh designed his compositions so that each component of the painting became a well connected series of shapes. He gave each mass a simplified yet highly designed silhouette.
STROKES OF COLOR THAT GUIDE EYE MOVEMENT
If paint gets too thick it can be difficult for the eye to navigate through the picture plane. Van Gogh solved this problem by using long dash-like strokes to give a very prominent direction to each area of the painting. Such strokes give the composition an additional unity that counteracts the potentially overwhelming activity of the thick strokes.
Below is a short video about field effects and why they are important. To read about field effects go here. To watch a video on how to achieve this effect go here.
Brad Teare–December 2014
It was a learning time for me, thank you so much for sharing the closeups in the video. Beautiful work once again!
ReplyDeleteThanks Padmaja! I think the close-ups help too. It is great to see those multi-hued strokes.
DeleteMerry Christmas, Brad. May God's peace be with you and your family this Holiday Season.
ReplyDelete(Wonderful painting, BTW...love the introduction of the rails. Lots of energy and vitality going on here! Just wonderful!)
Many thanks Bob! We had a great Christmas. Hope you and your family did too. Have a great New Year!
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