plate no. 0820
Abandoned House
Alfred Sisley, 1886
recreation guide
Alfred Sisley’s 'Abandoned House' (1886) is a quintessential example of his dedication to landscape painting en plein air, a practice he maintained more consistently than any other Impressionist (Source 6). The work likely exhibits the 'tranquillity in pale shades of green, pink, purple, dusty blue, and cream' that characterizes his landscapes of the Seine and its suburbs (Source 6). While Sisley’s early works were sombre, his later period, including 1886, shows an increased power of expression and color intensity, though his effects remain more subdued than Monet’s (Source 5). The painting reflects his 'generic character' of perfect Impressionist landscape, focusing on atmosphere and impressive skies rather than narrative detail (Source 5).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
4 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion/Red) | Primary palette for underpainting and glazing | — |
| Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil/linseed oil) | Medium for the first and second paintings, as cited in Reynolds' method referenced in Source 1 | Stand oil or refined linseed oil |
| Canvas | Support for oil painting | — |
| Varnish | Mixed with oil for glazing once mastery is gained, per Source 1 | Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish |
preparation
surface prep
Prepare a standard oil-primed canvas. While specific priming for this exact work is not detailed, Sisley’s plein air practice required durable supports. The sources suggest a method involving a monochrome preparation (grisaille) which must be quite dry before proceeding (Source 1).
underdrawing
Sisley’s preparatory methods are not explicitly detailed in the provided sources. However, Impressionists often worked directly from life with minimal preliminary drawing. It is likely that any underdrawing was light and non-intrusive, allowing for the spontaneous capture of light effects.
underpainting
The sources describe a technique of creating a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia (Source 1). This step involves 'mentally extracting the red and yellow colours' to establish the tonal structure before adding color (Source 1). This aligns with the 'old masters' method referenced, which Sisley’s contemporaries and predecessors utilized.
color palette
Ultramarine
Pure Ultramarine
Underpainting and sky tones; creates blue/green verges when juxtaposed with red/orange (Source 3)
White
Lead White or Zinc White
Underpainting and highlighting; essential for the 'pale shades' characteristic of Sisley (Source 6)
Black
Ivory Black or Lamp Black
Underpainting to establish shadows and depth (Source 1)
Yellow/Red Tones
Yellow Ochre, Vermilion, Cadmium Yellow
Glazing and scumbling over the dry grisaille to introduce warmth and local color (Source 1)
Pale Greens/Purples/Creams
Mixed from primaries
General landscape tones, consistent with Sisley’s 'tranquillity in pale shades' (Source 6)
composition
Sisley characteristically concentrated on landscape more consistently than other Impressionists, with impressive skies and atmospheric effects (Source 5). The composition likely avoids strong narrative elements, focusing instead on the 'impersonal textbook idea of a perfect Impressionist painting' (Source 5). Specific compositional details of 'Abandoned House' are not described in the sources, but the general habit is to capture transient sunlight effects realistically (Source 6).
step by step
underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underpainting
step 01
Create a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Mentally extract red and yellow colors to establish the tonal values as they would appear in nature without those hues.
Tip — Ensure the grisaille is quite dry before proceeding to glazing.
Grisaille Underpainting
first pass
step 02
Apply transparent glazes of yellow and red tones over the dry grisaille. Use oil initially, then mix varnish and oil as mastery increases. Treat this like tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color that allows the underlying painting to show through.
Glazing
refining
step 03
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms. This technique allows the underlying painting to make itself felt.
Tip — Scumbling tends to coldness when employed over a darker ground.
Scumbling
step 04
Juxtapose colors to enhance their appearance. For example, place red beside blue to make the red verge on orange and the blue verge on green, increasing brilliance through complementary contrast.
Tip — Surrounding a color with its complement increases its intensity; surrounding it with the same color softens it.
Simultaneous Contrast
finishing
step 05
Refine the atmospheric effects, ensuring the sky is impressive and the overall tone reflects the 'pale shades of green, pink, purple, dusty blue, and cream' typical of Sisley’s later work.
Tip — Aim for a subdued effect compared to Monet, focusing on tranquility.
Atmospheric Perspective
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Used to build up color and texture over a dry monochrome underpainting. Glazing adds transparent color, while scumbling adds semi-opaque layers that interact with the underpainting.
Simultaneous Contrast
Juxtaposing colors to alter their perceived hue and intensity. For instance, red beside blue makes red appear more orange and blue more green.
Plein Air Painting
Painting outdoors to capture transient effects of sunlight realistically, a core tenet of Sisley’s practice.
common pitfalls
- →Failing to let the grisaille underpainting dry completely before glazing, which can muddy the colors.
- →Over-mixing colors on the palette instead of allowing optical mixing through juxtaposition and glazing.
- →Ignoring the law of simultaneous contrast, leading to flat or dull color interactions.
- →Using too much red and yellow in the underpainting, which should be mentally extracted to establish tone.
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·Specific visual details of 'Abandoned House' (e.g., exact layout of the house, surrounding vegetation) are not described in the sources.
- ·Sisley’s specific brushwork style for this particular painting is not detailed, though general Impressionist habits are noted.
- ·The exact pigments used by Sisley in 1886 are not listed, though general Impressionist palettes are inferred.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to Color juxtaposition and simultaneous contrast
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia bio — Alfred Sisley↗
- part 3 — applied to Artist’s style, influences, and general characteristics
- part 6 — applied to Plein air practice and color palette description
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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