plate no. 6477
Boris and Gleb
recreation guide
Ivan Bilibin is a Russian illustrator and stage designer known for his work with the Mir iskusstva ('World of Art') and his illustrations of Russian folk tales and Slavic folklore, drawing inspiration from medieval Russian art and culture (Source 3). While the specific artwork 'Boris and Gleb' is a religious painting in oil, Bilibin’s general practice is rooted in illustration and stage design rather than traditional easel painting. The recreation of this work should therefore approach the medium of oil painting through the lens of a designer who values line, composition, and decorative color harmony, consistent with the Art Nouveau style mentioned in the artwork metadata. The process relies on traditional oil painting techniques such as glazing and scumbling to achieve depth and luminosity, methods historically used by old masters and applicable to achieving the rich, layered look characteristic of religious iconography and Bilibin’s illustrative precision (Source 1, Source 2).
estimated time
40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions
materials
8 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas or wood panel | Support for the painting | Primed linen canvas or gessoed wood panel |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | Initial sketching of the subject | Vine charcoal or diluted oil paint |
| Linseed oil | Medium to mix with oil paint for consistency and drying time | Refined linseed oil |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | Solvent to thin paint and clean brushes | Odorless mineral spirits |
| Oil paints (Black, Ultramarine, White, Red, Yellow) | Core palette for grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazing | Artist-grade oil paints |
| Oil of Copavia (or similar resinous medium) | Historical medium for glazing and varnishing, as noted by Reynolds | Dammar varnish or modern glazing medium |
| Paintbrushes | Application of paint | Hog bristle and sable brushes |
| Palette knives and rags | Alternative application methods and paint removal | Standard palette knives and lint-free cloths |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared to accept oil paint. While Bilibin’s specific surface preparation for oil works is not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting involves priming the support. The artist should ensure the surface is stable to prevent cracking, adhering to the principle that the quality of the oil and preparation leads to a strong paint film (Source 2).
underdrawing
Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint, as is traditional in oil painting (Source 2). Bilibin, being an illustrator, likely employed precise line work; thus, the underdrawing should be careful and deliberate, establishing the composition’s structure before applying paint.
underpainting
Create a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white, mixed with oil of copavia or a similar medium (Source 1). This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish the tonal values and forms without color interference (Source 1). This grisaille serves as the foundation for subsequent glazing.
color palette
Black
Bone black or ivory black
Grisaille underpainting and shadows
Ultramarine
Ultramarine blue
Grisaille underpainting and cool tones
White
Titanium white or lead white (historical)
Grisaille underpainting and highlights
Red
Vermilion or cadmium red
Glazing and scumbling to add warmth and flesh tones
Yellow
Yellow ochre or cadmium yellow
Glazing and scumbling to add warmth and highlights
composition
The composition should reflect the organizational principles of visual arts, where elements like line, shape, and value relate to the whole (Source 5). Bilibin’s work is characterized by its connection to medieval Russian art, suggesting a structured, possibly hierarchical arrangement of figures typical of religious iconography. The artist should focus on harmonizing colors inherent to the objects, such as flesh tones and draperies, while choosing background colors to enhance the composition (Source 7).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the figures of Boris and Gleb onto the prepared surface using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the proportions and poses are accurate, as Bilibin’s illustrative background demands precision.
Initial sketching
underpainting
step 02
Apply a grisaille layer using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Focus on establishing light and shadow without color.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow tones to focus on value structure (Source 1).
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Then, begin glazing with transparent coats of red and yellow tones using oil.
Tip — Glazing involves applying transparent color over the dry underpainting to build depth (Source 1).
Glazing
refining
step 04
Use scumbling, a semi-opaque technique, to adjust tones and add texture, particularly over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms if desired.
Tip — Scumbling allows the underlying painting to show through, adding complexity (Source 1).
Scumbling
finishing
step 05
Continue layering glazes and scumbles, adhering to the 'fat over lean' rule to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking.
Tip — Each layer should contain more oil than the previous one (Source 2).
Fat over lean
varnishing
step 06
Once the painting is fully dry, apply a varnish mixed with oil to protect and enhance the colors, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — This final step unifies the surface and deepens the colors (Source 1).
Varnishing
critical techniques
Glazing
Applying transparent coats of color over a dry underpainting to build luminosity and depth, a method used by old masters and recommended for religious paintings (Source 1).
Scumbling
Using semi-opaque paint to modify tones and textures, allowing the underpainting to influence the final appearance (Source 1).
Fat over Lean
Ensuring each successive layer of paint contains more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking and ensure stability (Source 2).
Simultaneous Contrast
Considering how adjacent colors affect each other’s perception, ensuring harmonious color relationships in the composition (Source 4, Source 7).
common pitfalls
- →Applying layers with less oil than the previous layer, leading to cracking and peeling (Source 2).
- →Ignoring the drying time of the grisaille before glazing, which can muddy the colors (Source 1).
- →Over-modeling or becoming too tied to the outline, which can result in a stiff appearance; copying works like Reynolds’s portraits can help correct this (Source 8).
- →Failing to account for simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception and disharmony (Source 4, Source 7).
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 'Boris and Gleb' such as clothing patterns, jewelry, or exact facial expressions are not described in the sources and must be inferred from general knowledge of Bilibin’s style or other depictions of these saints.
- ·The exact year of creation is not available, limiting precise contextual analysis of Bilibin’s technique at that specific time.
- ·Bilibin’s specific oil painting habits are not detailed in the sources; the guide relies on general oil painting techniques and his illustrative background.
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 underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on correcting tendencies like over-modeling
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-324 — applied to Color harmony and simultaneous contrast 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 General oil painting techniques, fat over lean rule, and materials
Wikipedia bio — Ivan Bilibin↗
- Ivan Bilibin — part 1 — applied to Artist’s background and stylistic influences
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 1 — applied to General compositional elements
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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