plate no. 1116
Avenue of Schloss Kammer Park
Gustav Klimt, 1912
recreation guide
Gustav Klimt’s 'Avenue of Schloss Kammer Park' (1912) is a landscape painting that reflects his mature style within the Art Nouveau movement. While Klimt is often associated with his 'golden phase' and figurative works, he produced numerous landscapes later in his career, often characterized by a flattened, decorative approach to natural scenery. This work likely employs oil on canvas, utilizing the medium’s capacity for rich color and layering. The painting belongs to the tradition of landscape art, which depicts natural scenery such as trees and paths, arranged into a coherent composition. Klimt’s approach to landscape was influenced by his broader artistic development, including his interest in Japanese art methods, which may inform the compositional structure and decorative handling of the foliage and path.
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
7 items
steps
7 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (various pigments) | Primary medium for painting | — |
| Linseed oil or poppy seed oil | Binder for pigments; provides flexibility and drying properties | — |
| Turpentine | Thinner for oil paints | — |
| Canvas | Support surface | — |
| Sizing (e.g., cheese paste or rabbit skin glue) | To prepare the canvas surface | — |
| Painting varnish | For underpainting protection or final finish | — |
| White palette | To ensure correct judgment of color transparency and tone | — |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be sized with an excellent size, such as cheese paste, to create a stable ground. The sizing should be white to ensure that tones have the same effect on the canvas as they do on the palette, allowing for accurate color judgment (Source 5). The surface must be impervious to oil to preserve the quantity of oil or varnish added to the colors (Source 5).
underdrawing
The outline may be done in oil or water colors. If water colors are used on a sized canvas, one very even coat of painting varnish should be laid over the sketch before continuing with oil painting, a process attributed to Paul Veronese (Source 5). Klimt’s specific preparatory methods for this landscape are not detailed in the sources, but general practice suggests a careful outline to establish the composition of the avenue and trees.
underpainting
A monochrome underpainting or grisaille may be employed to establish values and composition before applying color. This technique helps in selecting the vital qualities of the medium and avoiding the mere deception of natural appearances, focusing instead on the expression of feeling through painted symbols (Source 8). The underpainting should be allowed to dry sufficiently before proceeding.
color palette
White
Chalk white or white lead
Highlights and mixing; ancient artists used chalk white (Source 1)
Yellow Ochre
Natural ochre
Earth tones, foliage, and path; one of the four ancient colors (Source 1)
Red Ochre
Natural or burnt ochre
Shadows and earth tones; one of the four ancient colors (Source 1)
Black
Ivory black or grapestone black
Shadows and depth; prepared from combustion of different bodies (Source 1)
Green
Verdigris or mixed from blue and yellow
Foliage; Verdigris is listed as a coloring substance (Source 1)
Blue
Indigo or blue pulverised enamels
Sky and shadows; Indigo is listed as a coloring substance (Source 1)
Red
Cinnabar (native vermilion) or red lac
Accents and shadows; Cinnabar is listed as a coloring substance (Source 1)
composition
The composition likely features a wide view of the avenue with trees arranged into a coherent composition, typical of landscape painting (Source 3). Klimt’s landscapes often exhibit a flattened perspective and decorative patterning, consistent with his Art Nouveau style and influence from Japanese art (Source 6). The sky is almost always included in landscape views, and weather may be an element of the composition (Source 3). Specific details of the tree arrangement or path curvature are not described in the sources, so the artist should rely on general landscape conventions and Klimt’s characteristic decorative approach.
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing→surfaceprep
underdrawing
step 02
Sketch the outline of the avenue, trees, and sky in water colors or thin oil.
Tip — If using water colors, apply a coat of painting varnish over the sketch before oil painting.
Outline
underpainting
step 03
Apply a monochrome underpainting to establish values and composition.
Tip — Focus on the expression of feeling rather than mere naturalistic deception.
Grisaille
first pass
step 04
Begin applying color using a white palette to judge transparency and tone accurately.
Tip — Use earths, ochres, and marls for broken tones, as they are substantial and cover well.
Color Application
refining
step 05
Refine the colors, considering simultaneous contrast to harmonize the composition.
Tip — Be aware that contiguous colors affect each other’s appearance; adjust tones accordingly.
Simultaneous Contrast
finishing
step 06
Add final details and glazes to enhance depth and richness.
Tip — Use layers to achieve richer and denser color, a key advantage of oil painting.
Glazing
varnishing
step 07
Apply a final varnish for protection and texture.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing
surfaceprep
step 01
Size the canvas with cheese paste or similar sizing to create a white, impervious ground.
Tip — Ensure the sizing is even and dry to prevent oil penetration.
Canvas Sizing
critical techniques
Simultaneous Contrast
Used to harmonize colors in the composition by considering how contiguous colors affect each other’s appearance. The painter must appreciate modifications of tone and color received from neighboring hues.
Layering
Oil painting allows for the use of layers to achieve richer and denser color, which is essential for Klimt’s decorative style.
Use of Earths and Ochres
Earths, ochres, and marls are used for broken tones, providing fixedness and good covering qualities.
common pitfalls
- →Ignoring simultaneous contrast, leading to disharmonious colors that do not reflect the true appearance of the model.
- →Using a non-white palette, which can distort the judgment of color transparency and tone.
- →Applying oil paint over an unsized or improperly sized canvas, leading to poor adhesion and color shift.
- →Attempting to deceive the eye with mere naturalism rather than expressing feeling through painted symbols.
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 'Avenue of Schloss Kammer Park' such as the exact arrangement of trees, path curvature, and sky conditions are not described in the sources.
- ·Klimt’s specific palette choices for this particular painting are not detailed; the guide relies on general historical pigments and his known use of earth tones.
- ·The extent of gold leaf or metallic pigments in this specific landscape is not confirmed by the sources, though Klimt is known for their use in other works.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Science of Painting↗
- CHAPTER V. COLOURING SUBSTANCES — applied to Color palette and use of earths/ochres
- CHAPTER IX. OUTLINE AND EXECUTION OF A PICTURE IN OILS — applied to Surface preparation and underdrawing
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color harmony
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Underpainting and artistic expression
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- part 1 — applied to Landscape composition and conventions
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- part 1 — applied to Oil painting techniques and materials
Wikipedia bio — Gustav Klimt↗
- part 1 — applied to Artist’s style and influences
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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