Kirby, J. (2011) Techniques of Painting. London. National Gallery.

I'm very fond of this book and stick it in my bag to read on the tube. It's an always fascinating behind the scenes look at paintings, the collection of the National Gallery, and brings trails of other thoughts in its wake.

28th August 2014

...................................................................................................................................................................

It’s quite an insight to remember that painters once painted according to their cloth or canvas. Until the relatively recent availability of ready-made art materials, the art of painting required mastery in the art of preparing boards, canvases, and the paints themselves. This fascinating book unpeels the layers of art history to the facts of what was available to artists and when. Before the 16th century, paintings were usually made directly upon wooden boards, carefully prepared to prevent warping. Ruben’s A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning, 1636, is painted upon 19 joined planks. The advent of canvas allowed a freer use of the brush, leading to more naturalistic imagery and the dawn of expressionism.

Using examples from the National Gallery collection, hidden secrets are revealed in excellent illustrations. Van Dycke painted on striped ticking, used then as now, for mattresses; Michelangelo’s painting shows signs of bubbling caused by overheated materials, and Cézanne favoured flat brushes. Whether you visit galleries, study art history, or paint, the Closer Look series shows the mechanics behind inspiration.

I took this book along to an art class with a student I was tutoring for the Independent Art School to encourage her to have an experimental approach to using materials. http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/independent-art-school-tutoring.html

Like many adult returns, my student wanted to learn how to do things "properly" and the correct methods for using materials, Although it's certainly helpful to know how to get the best out of certain materials, it's important to appreciate that artists have always been resourceful and inventive and stepped outside the boundaries of available media. 

I love to see behind the scenes of art. It seems like a revelation to understand how artists construct work.

11th November 2014