plate no. 4888
Administering Justice in Kievan Rus
Ivan Bilibin, 1907
recreation guide
Ivan Bilibin’s 'Administering Justice in Kievan Rus' (1907) is a seminal work of Russian Art Nouveau (Modern) history painting. As a history painting, it depicts a narrative moment rather than a static portrait or landscape, likely drawing on the tradition of illustrating literary or historical stories (Source 2). Bilibin is renowned for his stylized, graphic approach to oil painting, often characterized by strong outlines and flat areas of color that recall his work in book illustration. While the specific visual details of this painting are not described in the provided sources, the technique for recreating such a work relies on the old master methods of glazing and scumbling over a monochrome underpainting, a practice Bilibin would have studied or adapted from traditional oil painting techniques (Source 1). The composition likely employs principles of simultaneous contrast to harmonize the inherent colors of the figures and draperies with the chosen background elements (Source 7).
estimated time
40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions
materials
5 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Red Ochre, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion) | For creating the grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazes | Standard artist-grade oil paints |
| Oil of Copavia or Linseed Oil | Medium for the first and second paintings as per Reynolds' method | Stand oil or refined linseed oil |
| Varnish | Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to gain mastery | Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish |
| Canvas or Panel | Support for the oil painting | Primed linen canvas or wood panel |
| Charcoal or Graphite | For underdrawing | Vine charcoal or graphite pencil |
preparation
surface prep
Prepare a rigid support, likely a panel or tightly stretched canvas, primed with a white or light-toned ground. Bilibin’s graphic style benefits from a smooth surface that allows for precise line work and even glazing. The preparation should ensure the surface is absorbent enough to take the initial underpainting but sealed enough to prevent oil sinking in unevenly.
underdrawing
Create a detailed underdrawing using charcoal or graphite. Bilibin’s style is characterized by strong, decorative lines; therefore, the drawing should be precise and expressive, capturing the narrative gesture and stylized forms of the figures. This aligns with the general practice of history painting where the narrative moment is key (Source 2).
underpainting
Execute a grisaille (monochrome) underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white, mixed with oil of copavia or a similar medium (Source 1). This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow tones to establish the value structure of the painting. The grisaille should be allowed to dry completely before proceeding to color glazes (Source 1).
color palette
Ultramarine
Pure pigment
Grisaille underpainting and cool shadows/glazes
White
Lead white or Titanium white
Grisaille highlights and mixing tints
Black
Ivory black or Lamp black
Grisaille shadows and deepening tones
Red Ochre/Vermilion
Transparent red glazes
Glazing over the grisaille to introduce warmth and flesh tones
Yellow Ochre
Transparent yellow glazes
Glazing over the grisaille to introduce warmth and highlights
composition
As a history painting, the composition likely features multiple figures arranged to depict a specific narrative moment (Source 2). Bilibin’s Art Nouveau style suggests a stylized, perhaps flattened spatial arrangement with decorative borders or patterns. The placement of figures and draperies would be chosen to harmonize the composition, utilizing the law of simultaneous contrast to ensure that adjacent colors enhance each other’s intensity (Source 7). The artist has the freedom to choose the colors of draperies and accessories to suit the emotional idea of the work (Source 7).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the composition with charcoal, focusing on the narrative gesture and stylized forms characteristic of Bilibin’s Art Nouveau style.
Tip — Ensure lines are confident and expressive, as they will influence the final graphic quality.
Underdrawing
underpainting
step 02
Mix black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia to create a grisaille. Paint the full value structure of the image, excluding red and yellow tones.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors to translate what would be left in nature without them (Source 1).
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Begin glazing with transparent red and yellow tones using oil as a medium.
Tip — Apply thin, transparent coats of color, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors (Source 1).
Glazing
refining
step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms, if desired. Mix varnish and oil for greater mastery and transparency.
Tip — Be aware that scumbling over darker grounds tends to coldness (Source 1).
Scumbling
finishing
step 05
Refine details and adjust colors based on simultaneous contrast. Ensure that adjacent colors harmonize and that the lightest tones are not lowered and darkest tones heightened unintentionally.
Tip — Watch for hue shifts when darkening or lightening colors; use complements to neutralize without shifting hue (Source 4).
Simultaneous Contrast
varnishing
step 06
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the glazes.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Grisaille and Glazing
Creating a monochrome underpainting with black, ultramarine, and white, then glazing with red and yellow tones. This method was practiced by old masters and is recommended for achieving depth and luminosity (Source 1).
Simultaneous Contrast
Using the law of simultaneous contrast to harmonize colors in the composition. This helps in perceiving and imitating the modifications of light and color on the model (Source 5).
Color Mixing
Avoiding hue shifts by using complementary colors to darken or lighten tones, rather than just adding black or white (Source 4).
common pitfalls
- →Adding black to darken colors can cause hue shifts towards greenish or bluish tones, especially in yellows, oranges, and reds (Source 4).
- →Adding white to lighten colors can cause a shift towards blue when mixed with reds and oranges (Source 4).
- →Over-modeling or being too tied down to the outline can result in a stiff appearance; copying works like Reynolds’ portraits can help check this tendency (Source 8).
- →Ignoring the drying time of the grisaille can lead to muddying the glazes (Source 1).
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 'Administering Justice in Kievan Rus' such as exact clothing patterns, facial expressions, and room layout are not described in the sources.
- ·Bilibin’s specific palette choices for this particular painting are not detailed; the guide assumes a general old master palette.
- ·The exact medium Bilibin used for this oil painting is not specified; the guide recommends oil of copavia based on Reynolds’ method (Source 1).
- ·The specific compositional scheme of this painting is not described; the guide relies on general history painting conventions (Source 2).
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 Grisaille and glazing technique
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on avoiding over-modeling and improving finish
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315. As to the advantages the painter will find in it — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color harmony
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: History painting↗
- History painting — part 1 — applied to Genre characteristics and narrative focus
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Color mixing and hue shifts
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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