plate no. 8550

At Balcic

George Stefanescu, 1936

oil, cardboardPost-Impressionismcityscapecityscapebuildingstreesstreetsky

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in impasto application and color mixing to create textured surfaces and atmospheric perspective. Students will also practice simplifying complex scenes into basic shapes and color blocks.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the buildings, trees, and street, focusing on composition.
step 02
Apply a thin wash of burnt sienna or raw umber to tone the canvas.
step 03
Block in the main color areas for the sky, buildings, trees, and street using simplified color shapes.
step 04
Build up texture and detail using thick impasto strokes, layering colors to create depth and variation.
step 05
Focus on capturing the light and shadow patterns on the buildings and street.
step 06
Add details to the trees, using short, broken strokes to represent leaves.
step 07
Refine the edges and shapes of the buildings and trees, paying attention to the overall balance of the composition.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the sense of depth and realism.

color palette

primary · titanium white · sap green · cadmium yellow · burnt sienna

secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red · violet · raw umber

Mix greens by combining sap green and cadmium yellow. Create various shades of brown by mixing burnt sienna, raw umber, and ultramarine blue. Achieve the off-white tones by mixing titanium white with small amounts of burnt sienna and yellow.

techniques