plate no. 1594

Chinese Landscape

Fujishima Takeji, 1938

oilPost-Impressionismlandscapelandscapebuildingstreesskywaterarchitecture

suitable for beginners

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve muted tones and layering paint to create depth in a landscape. It also provides practice in simplifying complex forms into basic shapes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes: the buildings, the tower, the trees, and the water.
step 02
Block in the sky with a thin wash of pale blue-gray.
step 03
Establish the main areas of green in the landscape, varying the shades slightly.
step 04
Paint the buildings with a light ochre or beige, adding shadows to define their forms.
step 05
Add the darker greens of the trees, using broken brushstrokes to suggest foliage.
step 06
Paint the water with a mix of blues, greens, and grays, reflecting the sky and surrounding landscape.
step 07
Add the orange-brown wall detail, varying the tone to create depth.
step 08
Refine the details and adjust the values to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.

color palette

primary · pale blue · green · ochre · gray

secondary · burnt sienna · dark green

Achieve the muted tones by mixing complementary colors (e.g., a little orange into the green) and adding white or gray to desaturate the colors. Use thin washes for the sky and build up layers for the landscape.

techniques