plate no. 5415
Don Juan Tenorio. Seville Street
Carlos Saenz de Tejada, 1946
recreation guide
This recreation guide addresses Carlos Saenz de Tejada’s 1946 oil painting 'Don Juan Tenorio. Seville Street,' classified as an illustration in the Art Nouveau (Modern) style. While specific visual details of the street scene are not described in the provided sources, the technical approach is grounded in traditional oil painting practices relevant to the period and medium. The process emphasizes the separation of tonal structure from color application, a method historically associated with old masters but applicable to modern illustrative work. The artist’s practice likely involves a disciplined approach to composition, ensuring that the viewer’s eye is guided through the scene without being distracted by symmetrical bisections or static patterns.
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing for drying times between glazing layers)
materials
5 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, Black, White, Yellow ochre/red earth, Vermilion/Cadmium Red) | Ultramarine, black, and white for the initial grisaille underpainting; red and yellow tones for subsequent glazing. | — |
| Linseed oil or Oil of Copavia | Medium for the initial underpainting layers to ensure proper flow and drying characteristics. | Stand oil or refined linseed oil |
| Varnish (Dammar or similar) | Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to increase transparency and depth, as per traditional methods. | Modern artist varnish |
| Canvas or Panel | Support for the oil painting. | — |
| Brushes (Flat and Filbert) | For applying broad masses in the underpainting and fine glazes in the finishing stages. | — |
preparation
surface prep
Prepare a standard oil ground on canvas or panel. While the sources do not specify Saenz de Tejada’s exact ground, traditional oil painting practice requires a stable, slightly absorbent surface to accept the initial oil layers. Ensure the surface is dry and free of dust before beginning the underdrawing.
underdrawing
Create a precise underdrawing using charcoal or thinned oil paint. Given the illustrative nature of the work, the drawing should establish the architectural lines of the Seville street and the figures of Don Juan Tenorio. The drawing should serve as the 'alphabet' of the art, ensuring that the structural integrity of the composition is sound before color is applied (Source 3).
underpainting
Execute a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using only black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or linseed oil. This step establishes the light and shadow structure of the scene. The artist must mentally extract red and yellow colors, focusing solely on the tonal values that would remain if those hues were absent from nature (Source 1). This layer must be allowed to dry completely before proceeding.
color palette
Ultramarine/Black/White
Ultramarine, Ivory Black, Titanium White
Initial grisaille underpainting to establish form and value.
Yellow Tones
Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow, or Lead-Tin Yellow (historical)
Glazing over the dried grisaille to introduce warmth and light, particularly in sunlit areas of the street.
Red Tones
Vermilion, Cadmium Red, or Red Earth
Glazing to add depth and richness to shadows and colored elements, such as clothing or architectural details.
composition
Apply general compositional principles suitable for illustrative genre scenes. Avoid exact bisections of the picture space and ensure the prominent subject (likely Don Juan or a key architectural feature) is off-center to create dynamic balance (Source 2). Use detailed areas to draw the eye and 'rest' areas to provide visual relief, preventing the image from becoming a mere pattern (Source 2). Ensure the viewer’s gaze is led around all elements before exiting the picture, maintaining a rhythmic flow consistent with Art Nouveau sensibilities (Source 8).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the composition lightly, focusing on the arrangement of lines and masses. Ensure the design relates to the rectangular shape of the canvas, using vertical and horizontal lines to establish structure.
Tip — Avoid placing the main subject in the exact center; use off-center placement for balance.
Linear Composition
underpainting
step 02
Mix black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia. Paint the entire scene in monochrome, focusing on accurate tonal values. Mentally exclude red and yellow hues to isolate the structural light and shadow.
Tip — Ensure this layer is completely dry before adding color to prevent muddiness.
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Begin glazing with transparent oil colors. Apply yellow and red tones over the dried grisaille, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors. Use thin, transparent layers to allow the underlying monochrome structure to show through.
Tip — Start with oil-only mediums for better control before introducing varnish mixes.
Glazing
refining
step 04
Introduce scumbling techniques where needed. Apply semi-opaque paint over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms, particularly in shadowed areas of the street or clothing.
Tip — Scumbling tends to cool down the tone; use it to adjust the temperature of shadows.
Scumbling
finishing
step 05
Refine details and adjust contrasts. Ensure that small, high-contrast elements are balanced against larger, duller areas to maintain visual interest. Check that no spaces between objects are identical, creating a more engaging image.
Tip — Use detail to guide the eye, but leave some areas less detailed to provide visual rest.
Detailing and Contrast
varnishing
step 06
Once the painting is fully dry, apply a final varnish to unify the surface and enhance the depth of the glazes.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry to avoid trapping solvents.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Glazing
Applying transparent coats of color over a dried monochrome underpainting to build up luminosity and depth. This method allows the underlying structure to influence the final color appearance.
Scumbling
Using semi-opaque paint over darker grounds to create cool, greyish tones. This technique is useful for adjusting the temperature of shadows and adding texture.
Monochrome Underpainting
Establishing the full tonal range of the painting using only black, ultramarine, and white before introducing color. This separates the problem of value from the problem of hue.
common pitfalls
- →Applying color before the grisaille is completely dry, which can lead to muddying the underpainting and losing the clarity of the tonal structure.
- →Over-modeling or becoming too tied to the outline, which can result in a stiff, lifeless appearance. Use broad masses first and refine later.
- →Creating exact bisections in the composition, which can make the image feel static and unbalanced.
- →Ignoring the rhythmic flow of lines, causing the viewer’s eye to get stuck in corners or dead ends rather than moving through the composition.
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 'Don Juan Tenorio. Seville Street' (e.g., exact clothing patterns, architectural features, facial expressions) are not described in the sources, so the guide relies on general illustrative and Art Nouveau conventions.
- ·Carlos Saenz de Tejada’s specific personal palette preferences are not detailed in the provided sources; the guide uses standard historical oil painting pigments.
- ·The exact proportion of varnish to oil in the glazing medium is not specified, requiring the artist to experiment based on desired transparency and drying time.
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 Underpainting, Glazing, Scumbling, and Color Palette selection.
- ON COPYING — applied to Underdrawing and the importance of craftsmanship.
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- ILLUSTRATING SOME OF THE LINES... — applied to Compositional rhythm and line direction.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Composition Notes and Step 1/5 instructions regarding balance and detail.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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