plate no. 2166
At the sketches (At the foothills)
recreation guide
Boris Kustodiev’s 'At the sketches (At the foothills)' is a genre painting executed in oil, reflecting the artist’s commitment to Realism. As a genre work, it likely depicts ordinary people engaged in common activities or aspects of everyday life, potentially romanticized or realistic in its portrayal (Source 5). The artwork is distinctive for its adherence to traditional oil painting techniques, where the artist utilizes the medium’s capacity for expressive brushwork and layering rather than merely attempting photographic deception (Source 2). Kustodiev’s practice involves a deep understanding of the material’s vitality, using oil paint to express feeling through painted symbols that remain true to nature while acknowledging the medium's physical properties (Source 2). The painting likely employs the 'fat over lean' principle to ensure structural integrity, with layers of paint containing increasing amounts of oil to prevent cracking (Source 1).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions, allowing for proper drying times between layers as oil paint dries by oxidation (Source 1).
materials
6 items
steps
7 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (artist grade) | Primary medium for color application and texture. | — |
| Linseed oil | Medium to thin paint and increase oil content in upper layers ('fat over lean'). | Refined linseed oil |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | Solvent to thin paint for initial layers and clean brushes. | Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | For sketching the subject onto the canvas. | Vine charcoal or diluted oil paint |
| Canvas | Support surface for the oil painting. | Linen or cotton canvas, primed |
| Paintbrushes, palette knives, and rags | Tools for transferring paint, scraping, and adjusting texture. | — |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific priming details for this exact work are not in the sources, traditional practice involves a stable ground to support the oil layers. The artist likely ensured the surface was ready to receive the initial sketch, which is traditionally done with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1).
underdrawing
The artist likely began by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1). This initial drawing establishes the composition and forms before paint application. Given the genre nature, the drawing would focus on the figures and their activities, ensuring the 'mass drawing' approach where complicated appearances are reduced to simple masses (Source 8).
underpainting
A monochrome underpainting (grisaille) may have been used, as traditional methods often involve establishing tones before adding color. This preparation allows the artist to mentally extract specific colors and translate the remaining tones, facilitating later glazing and scumbling (Source 6). If a grisaille was used, it would be allowed to dry completely before applying color layers (Source 6).
color palette
Earth tones and natural hues
Ochres, umbers, and natural pigments mixed with linseed oil.
General use in this artist's palette for realistic depiction of everyday life and landscapes.
Complementary accents
Colors chosen to enhance brilliance through juxtaposition, e.g., reds next to greens.
Enhancing visual impact and color intensity, leveraging simultaneous contrast principles (Source 4).
composition
As a genre painting, the composition likely focuses on ordinary people in common activities, without specific identifiable identities (Source 5). The artist characteristically reduces complicated appearances to simple masses, focusing on the flat appearances on the retina rather than just outline drawing (Source 8). The arrangement of figures and background elements would be designed to create a harmonious whole, using color contrast to enhance visual interest (Source 7).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the composition onto the prepared canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the masses and forms are correctly placed before applying paint.
Initial sketching
underpainting
step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish tones and values, if following traditional methods.
Tip — Allow this layer to dry completely before proceeding.
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Begin applying color layers, starting with leaner mixtures (more solvent, less oil) for the first layers.
Tip — Adhere to the rule that each subsequent layer should contain more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking.
Fat over lean
refining
step 04
Use glazing and scumbling techniques to adjust translucency, sheen, and density of the paint.
Tip — Glazing involves transparent coats of color; scumbling is semi-opaque painting over darker grounds.
Glazing and Scumbling
step 05
Adjust colors based on simultaneous contrast principles, placing complementary colors next to each other to enhance brilliance.
Tip — Surround a color with its complement to make it appear more intense.
Simultaneous Contrast
finishing
step 06
Finalize details and textures, using brushes, palette knives, or rags as needed to achieve the desired expressive effect.
Tip — Oil paint remains wet longer, allowing for changes in color, texture, or form.
Mixed media application
varnishing
step 07
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks or more) before applying varnish if desired.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation.
Drying and Varnishing
critical techniques
Fat over Lean
Each additional layer of paint contains more oil than the layer below to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking.
Glazing and Scumbling
Used to adjust translucency, sheen, and density, allowing the underlying painting to show through in scumbling.
Simultaneous Contrast
Juxtaposing complementary colors to enhance the brilliance and intensity of hues.
Mass Drawing
Reducing complicated appearances to simple masses, focusing on flat visual appearances rather than just outlines.
common pitfalls
- →Violating the 'fat over lean' rule, leading to cracking and peeling of the paint film (Source 1).
- →Attempting to deceive the eye with photographic realism rather than expressing feeling through the medium's vitality (Source 2).
- →Ignoring the drying time of oil paint, which dries by oxidation and can take up to two weeks to be dry to the touch (Source 1).
- →Over-modeling or being too tied down to outlines, failing to capture the mass and essence of the subject (Source 3).
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 color palette used in 'At the sketches (At the foothills)' is not detailed in the sources.
- ·Exact compositional layout and specific figures depicted are not described in the sources.
- ·Kustodiev's specific personal habits regarding brush types or canvas preparation are not explicitly stated in the provided passages.
- ·The year of creation is not available, limiting period-specific material analysis.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint for expression rather than deception.
- V MASS DRAWING — applied to Mass drawing technique and composition approach.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques.
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on avoiding over-modeling and smallness.
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color intensity enhancement.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints of different tones of the same — applied to Color contrast and harmony principles.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Underdrawing, fat over lean rule, drying time, and tools.
Wikipedia: Genre painting↗
- Genre painting — part 1 — applied to Definition and characteristics of genre painting.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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