plate no. 4564

Elizabeth van Rysselberghe in a Cane Chair

Theo van Rysselberghe, 1916

oil, canvasPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfiguregardenchairclothingfoliage

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing, pointillism, and capturing light and shadow with small brushstrokes. It also provides practice in portraiture and rendering textures like fabric and wicker.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, chair, and background.
step 02
Establish the main light source and map out areas of light and shadow.
step 03
Begin applying small dots of color to build up the background foliage, focusing on variations in green, yellow, and blue.
step 04
Mix skin tones and apply dots of color to the face and hands, paying attention to subtle shifts in hue and value.
step 05
Render the clothing with dots of white, cream, and pale yellows, capturing the folds and highlights.
step 06
Paint the wicker chair using a mix of browns, oranges, and yellows, varying the dot size to create texture.
step 07
Refine the details of the face and clothing, adding highlights and shadows to create depth.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the overall composition and color balance.

color palette

primary · titanium white · viridian green · yellow ochre · cadmium red

secondary · ultramarine blue · burnt sienna · cadmium yellow

Achieve the greens by mixing viridian green with yellow ochre and a touch of blue. Skin tones require mixing red, yellow, white, and a touch of blue for shadows. The white clothing is achieved with various shades of white mixed with yellow and blue.

techniques

·pointillism
·color mixing
·layering
·scumbling
·broken color

common pitfalls

→Over-blending the colors, which will lose the pointillist effect.
→Using too much paint, which will create a muddy texture.
→Neglecting the subtle color variations in the shadows.
→Getting lost in the details and losing sight of the overall composition.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·oil paints (titanium white, viridian green, yellow ochre, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, cadmium yellow)
·round brushes (sizes 0, 2, 4)
·palette
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·palette knife
·rags