plate no. 2326

Enchantment of the Sun

Martiros Sarian, 1905

cardboard, temperaExpressionismcityscapecityscapefigurestreesbuildingsskyMiddle East

what to study here

It shows how a few clear value groups, temperature shifts and unblended strokes can build sunlight and form without detail.

Look at how the picture is organized by three value groups: light (the sun-struck building and pale sky), mid-tone (foreground wall and lit tree edges), and shadow (tree masses and figures). The separation between them is clear, so the sunlit plane reads at once. The terracotta building is handled in flat, single-color strokes with no blending between light and shadow, and the shift from lit to shaded is mostly temperature: warmer ochre on the lit plane, cooler sienna in shade. The trees are thick, directional strokes that follow their rounded form and suggest mass rather than leaves. The small figures on the roofline are dark silhouettes, a few strokes each with no internal modeling, set against the bright facade. The sky moves from blue-violet on the left to golden orange on the right, which pushes the heat of the scene. Study how much is decided by value and temperature alone, and how visible strokes carry the energy. The medium is tempera on cardboard, which the input lists but does not describe further.

key decision

The painter kept the building's lit and shaded planes as flat, unblended strokes, separating them by color temperature (warm ochre versus cooler sienna) and value. This gives a solid sunlit mass against the dark tree shadows.

recreation guide

Martiros Sarian’s 'Enchantment of the Sun' (1905) is an early work that predates his mature, high-saturation Armenian landscapes but aligns with the Expressionist style noted in its classification. As a member of the art association ‘The Four Arts’ and a founder of the modern Armenian national school of painting, Sarian’s practice was deeply influenced by his travels and a desire to capture the spiritual and emotional essence of his subjects rather than strict topographical accuracy (Source 5). While this specific cityscape is executed in tempera on cardboard—a medium characterized by fast-drying, water-soluble binders like egg yolk or casein—the work reflects Sarian’s broader inclination toward vibrant color and expressive form (Source 8). The piece likely utilizes the principles of simultaneous contrast to heighten the emotional impact of the urban scene, a technique Sarian would later refine in his more famous landscapes.

estimated time

10-15 hours over 3-4 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Cardboard	Support surface, as specified in the artwork metadata.	Heavyweight illustration board or mounted cardboard
Tempera paint	Primary medium. Traditional tempera uses egg yolk as a binder, though casein or synthetic PVA temperas are also classified under this term.	Egg tempera kits or high-quality acrylic tempera
Charcoal	For initial underdrawing and shading, allowing for easy correction before paint application.	Vine charcoal or compressed charcoal
Raw Umber	For setting the palette and initial tonal values, as advised in traditional painting practices.	Raw Umber oil or tempera pigment
White pigment	For lightening colors and creating tints, though care must be taken to avoid hue shifts.	Titanium White or Zinc White

preparation

surface prep

Since the artwork is on cardboard, the surface should be rigid and stable. Traditional tempera requires a smooth, absorbent ground. While Sarian’s specific preparation for this 1905 piece is not detailed in the sources, tempera generally adheres best to a gessoed or sized surface to prevent the cardboard from warping due to the water content in the binder (Source 8). If using egg tempera, a traditional gesso ground is recommended; for modern synthetic tempera, a standard acrylic gesso may suffice.

underdrawing

Begin with a charcoal underdrawing to establish the composition and proportions. As advised in traditional painting instruction, make all corrections in the charcoal stage, as charcoal offers little resistance to erasure (bread or kneaded eraser) and prevents fatal errors in the paint layer (Source 1). Use contour drawing techniques to emphasize the mass and volume of the cityscape elements rather than getting lost in minor details, focusing on the outlined shapes that convey three-dimensional perspective (Source 2).

underpainting

Set the palette with raw umber and a softer white to establish initial tonal values. This monochromatic or limited-color underpainting helps in judging the lighting and position of the cityscape elements before introducing full color (Source 1). This step is crucial for avoiding the 'perplexities' that arise when trying to correct construction errors in paint.

color palette

Raw Umber

Pure pigment

Establishing shadows and mid-tones in the underpainting phase.

White

Pure pigment

Lightening colors to create tints. Note: Adding white can shift hues (e.g., reds toward blue), so adjacent colors may need to be added to correct the hue (Source 3).

Complementary Colors

Pairs such as red/green or blue/orange

Darkening colors without shifting hue, or neutralizing tones. Using complements is preferred over adding black to maintain chroma integrity (Source 3).

Earth Tones (Ochres, Marls)

Natural earth pigments

Broken tones and general modeling, as these are substantial, cover well, and dry easily (Source 7).

composition

While specific compositional details of 'Enchantment of the Sun' are not described in the sources, Sarian’s general practice involved arranging elements into a coherent composition that emphasized the spiritual or emotional element of the scene (Source 5, Source 6). In cityscapes, the sky is almost always included, and weather or lighting conditions often play a key role in the composition (Source 6). The artist likely used contour lines to define the mass and volume of buildings, ensuring that the outlined shapes conveyed depth and distance (Source 2).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the cityscape using charcoal, focusing on contour lines to define the mass and volume of buildings and streets.
Tip — Do not look at the paper constantly; rely on sensation and instinct to capture the form (Source 2).
Contour Drawing
step 02
Check proportions by holding the drawing alongside a reference or using a mirror to compare with nature, ensuring the scale is slightly smaller than life if applicable.
Tip — Make all corrections now, as charcoal is easily erased (Source 1).
Proportional Checking

underpainting

step 03
Apply a thin wash of raw umber and white to establish light and shadow values.
Tip — Avoid putting down paint with obvious errors in construction (Source 1).
Monochromatic Underpainting

first pass

step 04
Begin applying tempera colors. Use complementary colors to darken tones rather than black, to avoid hue shifts.
Tip — If lightening a color with white causes a hue shift (e.g., red to pink/blue), add a small amount of an adjacent color to correct it (Source 3).
Color Mixing

refining

step 05
Refine the colors by considering simultaneous contrast. Ensure that adjacent colors enhance each other’s intensity.
Tip — Be aware that the eye may perceive colors inaccurately due to fatigue or previous color exposure (Source 4).
Simultaneous Contrast

finishing

step 06
Complete the painting with final details, ensuring the mass and volume of the cityscape are clear.
Tip — Tempera dries fast, so work in sections (Source 8).
Final Glazing/Detailing

critical techniques

Contour Drawing

Used to emphasize mass and volume over minor details, creating a strong foundation for the painting (Source 2).

Simultaneous Contrast

Understanding that adjacent colors affect each other’s appearance, allowing the artist to harmonize the composition and imitate light modifications accurately (Source 4).

Color Correction with Adjacent Hues

When lightening colors with white causes a hue shift, adding a small amount of an adjacent color corrects the mixture (Source 3).

common pitfalls

→Adding black to darken colors, which can cause undesirable hue shifts (e.g., yellows shifting toward green) (Source 3).
→Making corrections in paint rather than charcoal, which can lead to a loss of lucidity and muddy results (Source 1).
→Ignoring simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception and disharmonious compositions (Source 4).
→Over-detailing minor elements instead of focusing on the mass and volume of the subject (Source 2).

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 'Enchantment of the Sun' (e.g., exact buildings, color scheme, lighting direction) are not described in the sources.
·Sarian’s specific tempera technique for this 1905 work is not detailed; general tempera practices are inferred.
·The exact binder used (egg, casein, or synthetic) is not specified, though 'tempera' is the listed medium.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Underdrawing and underpainting techniques, correction in charcoal, and palette setting.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color perception.
The Science of Painting↗
- CHAPTER V. COLOURING SUBSTANCES — applied to Use of earth tones and pigments.

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Contour drawing — applied to Underdrawing approach, emphasizing mass and volume.
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — applied to Color mixing, avoiding black, and correcting hue shifts.
Wikipedia bio — Martiros Sarian↗
- Martiros Sarian — applied to Artist context, style, and general practice.
Wikipedia: Tempera↗
- Tempera — applied to Medium characteristics and drying time.

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

This Mediterranean courtyard glows with warm afternoon light that pours across the central terracotta-orange building and suffuses the entire scene. The composition is strongly horizontal: a low wall or terrace dominates the foreground, the building mass occupies the center-right, and dense rounded trees frame both sides. Your eye travels from the bright building facade to the cluster of small figures in robes silhouetted on the roofline above, which provides the narrative anchor. The sky above transitions from pale blue-violet on the left to warm golden orange on the right, amplifying the heat of the scene.

value structure

The value structure is bold and graphic: the brightest lights are concentrated on the building's sun-facing plane and in the pale sky, while the darkest darks are the deep navy-blue shadows within the tree foliage and the black silhouetted figures. The green tree masses sit in a distinct mid-dark value range that reads as shadow. Squint and you see three primary value groups—light (building and sky), mid-tone (foreground wall and lit tree edges), and shadow (trees and figures)—with clear separation between them.

observed palette and mixes

#e3b978
yellow ochre + titanium white + touch of cadmium red
bright sky and sun-struck building highlights, some tree foliage highlights
#d89f68
yellow ochre + burnt sienna + cadmium red
the lit terracotta building plane, transition tones in foreground
#976850
burnt sienna + ultramarine blue + alizarin
darker orange-red passages on the building, deep tree foliage
#b18c6c
yellow ochre + burnt sienna + ultramarine blue + white
mid-tone building areas and warm tree shadow transitions
#83544a
burnt sienna + ultramarine blue
deepest tree shadows and darkest foliage passages
#2f3d4c
ultramarine blue + burnt sienna (nearly black)
black silhouetted figures and the deepest navy tree shadows

edges and brushwork

Brushwork is gestural and expressionist—edges are bold, not soft. The trees are built with thick, directional strokes that follow the rounded form, suggesting mass rather than botanical detail. The building's planar surfaces are rendered with confident flat strokes in single colors; no blending softens the transitions between light and shadow. Figures are pure silhouettes—just a few dark strokes for their shapes, no internal modeling. This is visible, confident handling: every stroke reads as a decision, not a blended passage.

a working sequence

01
Establish the value foundation
Block in the major value masses with thin washes: pale cream for the light-struck building and sky, dark blue-navy for the tree foliage shadows, and mid-tone tan for the foreground. Don't worry about color nuance yet; just establish which areas are light, which are dark, and which are middle value.
02
Paint the sky gradient
Work from left to right. Begin with a violet-blue at the top left, then gradually warm it toward the center, moving to pale golden orange as you approach the right edge and horizon. Keep the stroke direction loose and horizontal—let the transition feel atmospheric, not blended-smooth.
03
Block the large tree masses
Paint the rounded tree forms using a sap green mixed with ultramarine blue for the shadow side, and sap green with yellow ochre for the lit edges. Use broad, curved strokes that follow the bulbous shape. Don't attempt foliage texture; treat each tree as a single simplified form with a light side and shadow side.
04
Establish the building
Cover the central orange building with burnt sienna + cadmium red + yellow ochre, adjusting the mix warmer (more yellow) on the light-struck plane and cooler (more sienna, less yellow) on the shadowed passages. Keep edges sharp and planar—the building should read as a solid, geometric mass, not soft or atmospheric.
05
Paint foreground and wall elements
Lay in the tan-brown wall and terrace using yellow ochre and burnt sienna mixes. Add the cooler blue-green passages where tree shadows fall. Define the small figures as black silhouettes—just solid shapes with no internal detail. Place them on the roofline where they read against the lighter building.
06
Deepen and refine values
Return to the darkest areas—push the tree shadows even darker with navy blue and burnt sienna. Strengthen the contrast on the building by adding cooler shadows on its shaded side. The sky may need a touch of warmer yellow-orange where it meets the horizon to enhance the heat.
07
Add expressive brushwork and details
Now work expressively: use gestural strokes to suggest tree foliage texture with darker blue-green over the base, add striations to the building to suggest weathered stucco, and refine the silhouettes. Let the brushstrokes show—this isn't about smooth finish, it's about capturing the scene's energy.
08
Final adjustments and focal emphasis
Step back and assess the whole composition. Ensure the figures on the roofline read clearly as dark against the bright building. Verify that the warm building dominates visually and that the cool shadows in the trees recede. Make any final adjustments to ensure the light direction feels consistent and the color temperature shifts from cool (upper left) to warm (lower right and sky).

where studies of this painting go wrong

Treating trees as botanical details: resist the urge to paint individual branches or leaves. These are simplified, rounded masses defined by value and bold color.
Overblending the sky: the gradient should feel painted, not airbrushed. Keep directional brushstrokes visible and let edges have character.
Misunderstanding the building's color: it's not a flat red; it's terracotta warmed by sunlight. The difference between light and shadow on the building is about temperature (warm ochre vs. cooler sienna), not just value.
Adding detail to the figures: they work as pure black silhouettes. Any internal modeling will destroy their graphic punch.
Muddying the values: this composition depends on clear separation between light and shadow planes. If values converge, the sense of light and depth collapses.
Smoothing out the brushwork: embrace the visible stroke. Overblending defeats the expressionist energy of the piece.

measured difficulty