plate no. 6737
An improviser. A fisherman from Ischia is improvising for the young girls on his lute
Wilhelm Marstrand, 1853
recreation guide
Wilhelm Marstrand’s 1853 work, *An improviser. A fisherman from Ischia is improvising for the young girls on his lute*, is a genre painting rooted in the Romantic tradition and the Golden Age of Danish Painting. Marstrand was known for his inclination toward depicting the simple life, crowds, and the humor found in daily scenes, rather than solely pursuing grand history painting (Source 5). The artwork captures a moment of quotidian interaction, consistent with the genre painting tradition which focuses on snapshots of everyday life rather than specific historical or portrait identities (Source 6). The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a medium that Marstrand, like his contemporaries, would have approached with an understanding of its capacity for illusion while maintaining the integrity of the painted surface (Source 1). The technique likely involves the use of pre-prepared tube paints, which became standard in the 19th century, allowing for the mixing of shades during the process (Source 3). The composition relies on the artist’s academic training under Eckersberg, which emphasized careful construction of figures and complex group scenes (Source 5).
estimated time
40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions
materials
7 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (pre-prepared in tubes) | Primary medium for color application | Professional grade oil paints (e.g., Winsor & Newton, Gamblin) |
| Linseed oil | Medium to mix with pigments for consistency and drying time | Refined linseed oil |
| Canvas | Support surface | Linen or cotton canvas, primed |
| Hog bristle brushes | For bolder strokes and impasto textures, particularly for backgrounds or rougher surfaces | Synthetic or natural hog bristle flats and filberts |
| Sable or Fitch hair brushes | For fine detail work, such as facial features and instrument details | Kolinsky sable rounds |
| Palette knife | For mixing paints and potentially applying or removing paint | Standard metal palette knives |
| Wooden palette | For holding and mixing paints | Wooden or glass palette |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be primed with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific priming recipes for Marstrand are not detailed in the sources, the general practice of the period involved preparing a canvas or panel to receive oil paint (Source 4). The artist should ensure the ground is stable and capable of supporting the layering of oil colors without cracking.
underdrawing
Marstrand likely employed a sketched outline of the subject before applying paint, as was common practice for artists working with oil paint over a preparatory drawing (Source 3). Given his academic training and skill in handling complex group scenes, the underdrawing would have been precise, focusing on the construction of the human figures and their interactions (Source 5, Source 7).
underpainting
An underpainting layer may have been used to establish tonal values and composition. While not explicitly detailed for this specific work, the general technique of oil painting involves building up layers. The artist should avoid attempting more than the medium is capable of doing, ensuring that the underpainting supports the final illusion without becoming a mere deception (Source 1).
color palette
Earth tones (ochres, umbers)
Natural mineral pigments
General use in this artist's palette for clothing and backgrounds, consistent with genre painting conventions
Blues (ultramarine, cobalt)
Cobalt salts or lapis lazuli
Likely used for sky or clothing accents; Marstrand’s palette would have included standard 19th-century pigments (Source 3)
Reds (vermilion, red lake)
Mercury sulfide or organic dyes
Accents in clothing or skin tones; used to create contrast with complementary colors (Source 2)
Whites (lead white or zinc white)
Lead carbonate or zinc oxide
Highlights and mixing to adjust value
composition
The composition features a fisherman playing a lute for young girls, a scene of daily life. Marstrand characteristically depicted crowds and the humor of city or village life, often focusing on the interaction between figures rather than static poses (Source 5). The arrangement likely balances the figures within the setting, avoiding a purely realistic depiction in favor of a 'reality effect' that conveys the narrative of the moment (Source 6). The artist’s training under Eckersberg suggests a careful attention to the scale of figures relative to their setting (Source 5).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the outlines of the fisherman, the girls, and the lute on the primed canvas using a charcoal or thin wash. Focus on the construction of the human figures, ensuring accurate proportions and gestures.
Tip — Ensure the sketch captures the dynamic interaction between the figures, as Marstrand was skilled in group scenes (Source 5).
Preparatory drawing
underpainting
step 02
Apply a thin layer of oil paint to establish the basic tonal values and color masses. Use a limited palette to block in the main shapes.
Tip — Avoid overworking the underpainting; it serves as a foundation for subsequent layers (Source 1).
Blocking in
first pass
step 03
Begin applying color in layers, starting with the background and moving to the figures. Use hog bristle brushes for broader areas and sable brushes for details.
Tip — Be mindful of the drying times of different oils; linseed oil dries slowly, allowing for blending (Source 3).
Layering
refining
step 04
Refine the details of the faces, hands, and the lute. Use complementary colors to enhance the intensity of specific hues, such as placing blue tones near orange drapery to make it appear more vibrant (Source 2).
Tip — Use the law of simultaneous contrast to adjust colors; for example, if a red tone is too pronounced, surround it with green tones to soften it (Source 2).
Simultaneous contrast
finishing
step 05
Add final highlights and shadows. Ensure that the painting retains the quality of being a painted surface, not merely a deceptive illusion of nature (Source 1).
Tip — Check the overall harmony of the composition, ensuring that the colors work together to express the emotional idea of the scene (Source 1).
Glazing and scumbling
varnishing
step 06
Allow the painting to dry completely before applying a varnish to protect the surface and enhance the colors.
Tip — Use a traditional damar varnish or a modern equivalent suitable for oil paintings.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Simultaneous Contrast of Colors
Used to enhance the vibrancy of colors by placing complementary colors adjacent to each other. For example, blue tones next to orange drapery make the orange appear more intense (Source 2).
Layering Oil Paint
Building up the image through multiple layers of paint, allowing for depth and richness. The artist must understand the drying properties of the oil medium (Source 3).
Expressive Symbolism
The painting is not just a realistic depiction but an expression of feeling, using painted symbols that are true to nature but also convey the emotional idea of the scene (Source 1).
common pitfalls
- →Attempting to create a mere illusion of nature rather than expressing the emotional idea through the medium (Source 1).
- →Over-mixing colors on the palette, which can dull their intensity; instead, use complementary colors on the canvas to enhance brilliance (Source 2).
- →Ignoring the drying times of different oils, leading to cracking or uneven surfaces (Source 3).
- →Failing to capture the dynamic interaction between figures, resulting in a static composition (Source 5).
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 pigments used by Marstrand for this particular painting are not detailed in the sources.
- ·The exact priming recipe for the canvas is not specified.
- ·The specific brush sizes and types used for different parts of the painting are not documented.
- ·The varnishing process and materials are not covered in the provided sources.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- Simultaneous Contrast — applied to Techniques for enhancing color vibrancy through complementary colors (Source 2)
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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