Tempera dominated painting of the Pre Renaissance. Pigment mixed with animal (skin glue) or vegetable base (cellulose) binder, egg (whole or yolk) or gum arabic (cherry tree).
A painting would begin with a wood panel covered with a mixture of plaster, whiting and glue. There are several recipes for this traditional gesso: chalk and oil alike.
A painting would begin with a wood panel covered with a mixture of plaster, whiting and glue. There are several recipes for this traditional gesso: chalk and oil alike.
A drawing would be executed on a piece of paper, the lines would be pierced. This “cartoon” would be placed on the panel and a small bag containing charcoal powder would then be pounced over the drawing, lifted to then reveal a series of dots. Thus far is also the process for fresco.
The artist would redraw the composition with a brown ink.
The artist would redraw the composition with a brown ink.
Van Eyck
Because of the difficulty in creating shadows with this technique, hatching and cross-hatching would be used to begin creating a sense of dimension. The ink under-drawing was not intended to be visible. However, bleeding through layers of paint over time was sometimes unavoidable since the top layers would fade.
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| Carlo Crivelli c. 1470 |
Jan Van Eyck trained and worked primarily as a Tempera Painter. Van Eyck would seal his completed painting by applying a top coat of oil to and lay the panels out to dry in the sun. As the story goes, Jan went out into the yard to check on his work, and found his panels cracked and his work destroyed due to the heat of the sun.
Van Eyck then decided to create a varnish that would dry indoors rather than risk further damage to any more work outside. In his experiments he boiled oil at high temperatures, adding ingredients such as pulverized glass and bone meal, then mixing with gum turpentine. This mixture became the consistency of a paste which he then used to varnish his panels. The oil varnish was then able to dry indoors.
He decided to take it a step further by mixing his varnish with his pigments.
He took this formula to his deathbed, only revealing it to one student, who continued its’ use in secret.
Van Eyck’s formula:
equal parts egg yolk and varnish (turp and boiled linseed or walnut oil with pulverized glass and bone)
add, one part of that mixture, and one part water - shake vigorously before use.
The medium darkened the pigments, and over time changing their true colors. However, during his lifetime, his technique was highly regarded, and he lived a wealthy life.
Van Eyck was able to render details such as hairs on fur and reflections. His new medium gave him the ability to blend layers, creating more believable forms. The sudden luminosity of color was well-noticed by the painting community.
See:
Van Eyck was able to render details such as hairs on fur and reflections. His new medium gave him the ability to blend layers, creating more believable forms. The sudden luminosity of color was well-noticed by the painting community.
See:
The Madonna with Canon van der Peale
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