plate no. 3980

Bouquet of Flowers in a Blue Vase

oil, canvasRealismflower paintingflowersvasestill lifewildflowersdecorative potterybotanical

recreation guide

This recreation guide addresses the painting of a floral still life in the style of Odilon Redon, specifically focusing on the medium of oil on canvas. While the provided sources do not contain a visual description of the specific artwork 'Bouquet of Flowers in a Blue Vase,' they provide rigorous technical frameworks for oil painting relevant to this genre. The process emphasizes the separation of tonal structure from color application, utilizing a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish form before applying transparent glazes. This method aligns with historical practices described in the sources, where the artist mentally extracts red and yellow tones to create a neutral ground, subsequently layering color to achieve depth and luminosity without muddying the hues.

estimated time

20-30 hours over 6-8 sessions (allowing significant drying time between glaze layers)

materials

5 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White Lead/Titanium White, Black/Ivory Black, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre/Vermilion)	Primary palette for grisaille and initial glazing	Titanium White is a modern substitute for White Lead; Ivory Black or Lamp Black for historical blacks
Oil of Copavia or Linseed Oil	Medium for the first and second paintings to ensure fluidity and drying	Stand Oil or refined Linseed Oil
Varnish	Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to increase transparency and flow	Dammar Varnish or Synthetic Resin Varnish
Canvas	Support for the oil painting	Linen or Cotton Canvas, primed
Brushes (Flat and Filbert)	For applying broad masses in grisaille and delicate glazes	Hog bristle for underpainting, Sable/Synthetic for glazing

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground that allows for the visibility of the underpainting. While the sources do not specify the exact ground for Redon, the technique of glazing requires a stable, non-absorbent surface. Historically, a white or light-toned ground is preferred to allow the transparent glazes to retain their luminosity. The sources note that ancient artists used chalk white, suggesting a white lead or chalk-based ground is appropriate for this traditional method (Source 6).

underdrawing

The sources advise against becoming 'too much tied down to your outline' (Source 8). Therefore, the underdrawing should be loose and suggestive, focusing on the 'broad masses' rather than precise botanical detail. The goal is to establish the composition and form without creating hard edges that will interfere with the subsequent glazing process. The drawing should be executed in a medium that will not bleed into the oil layers, such as charcoal or a thin wash of raw umber.

underpainting

A grisaille (monochrome underpainting) is essential. The artist must mentally extract red and yellow colors, painting only what would remain in nature if these colors were absent (Source 1). This involves using black, ultramarine, and white to create a full tonal range from dark to light. This layer establishes the value structure of the flowers and vase. It must be allowed to dry completely before any color is applied (Source 1).

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure Ultramarine

Part of the grisaille underpainting and potentially for the blue vase glaze

White

White Lead or Titanium White

Highlights in grisaille and mixing tints

Black

Ivory Black or Lamp Black

Shadows in grisaille

Yellow Ochre

Natural Ochre

Earthy tones and potential glaze base for warm flowers

Red Ochre/Vermilion

Red Ochre or Cinnabar

Warm accents and glazes for red/orange flowers

composition

The composition should avoid exact bisections of the picture space and ensure the prominent subject (the bouquet) is off-center to create balance with smaller satellite elements (Source 7). The arrangement of flowers should form an 'irregular pattern of lines and spaces' rather than a mere botanical record, focusing on the 'line-scheme' and the relationship between positive and negative space (Source 5). The viewer's eye should be led around all elements before exiting the picture, preventing the work from becoming a static pattern (Source 7).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the arrangement of the flowers and vase loosely, focusing on the overall shape and balance rather than individual petals. Avoid hard outlines.
Tip — Ensure the drawing does not dominate the final image; it should serve only as a guide for mass placement.
Loose Underdrawing

underpainting

step 02
Mix black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia. Paint the entire composition in monochrome, establishing all light and shadow values. Mentally exclude red and yellow hues.
Tip — Ensure the grisaille is fully dry before proceeding. This layer defines the form.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Apply transparent glazes of yellow and red tones over the dry grisaille. Use oil as the medium initially. Apply color much like tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color. Do not mix colors on the palette for this step; let the underlying grisaille interact with the transparent layer.
Glazing

refining

step 04
As mastery is gained, mix varnish with oil to apply subsequent glazes. This increases transparency and flow. Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) over darker grounds if a cold, grey bloom effect is desired.
Tip — Scumbling tends to coldness when employed over a darker ground. Use this to adjust the temperature of shadows or highlights.
Glazing and Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Adjust hues by mixing complementary colors to neutralize shifts. If darkening a color, use its complement rather than black to avoid hue shifts toward green or blue.
Tip — Adding black to yellows/oranges/red shifts them toward green/blue. Use complements to darken without shifting hue.
Color Correction

critical techniques

Glazing

Applying a transparent coat of color over a dry underpainting to build up luminosity and depth. This allows the underlying tonal structure to influence the final color appearance.

Scumbling

Applying a semi-opaque layer of paint over a darker ground. This technique allows the underlying painting to show through, often creating a cold, grey bloom effect.

Complementary Darkening

Using a color's complement to darken it rather than adding black. This prevents the hue from shifting toward the opposite side of the spectrum (e.g., red shifting to blue when darkened with black).

common pitfalls

→Adding black to warm colors (yellows, oranges, reds) to darken them, which causes an undesirable hue shift toward green or blue (Source 3).
→Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can lift the underlying paint and muddy the colors (Source 1).
→Focusing too much on botanical correctness rather than the composition of lines and spaces, resulting in a static or uninteresting arrangement (Source 5).
→Creating exact bisections in the composition, which can make the image appear static and unbalanced (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.

·The specific color palette of the 'Blue Vase' is not described in the sources; the guide assumes a traditional palette based on the artist's general practice and the sources' recommendations.
·The exact species of flowers in the bouquet are not specified, so the guide focuses on general floral forms and composition principles.
·Redon's specific brushwork style (e.g., impasto vs. smooth finish) is not detailed in the provided sources, so the guide relies on the glazing/scumbling techniques described.

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 and glazing techniques
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on avoiding tight outlines and focusing on broad masses
Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 7 — applied to Compositional balance and avoiding bisections
Composition — FLOWER COMPOSITIONS TWO VALUES↗
- FLOWER COMPOSITIONS TWO VALUES — applied to Arranging floral lines and spaces