plate no. 1673
Entrance to the Radićeva Street ("City Guard", "Turkish Tower")
Alfred Freddy Krupa, 1997
recreation guide
Alfred Freddy Krupa’s 'Entrance to the Radićeva Street' (1997) is a watercolor cityscape executed in the style of Contemporary Realism. The work depicts an urban hardscape, focusing on architectural elements such as the 'City Guard' or 'Turkish Tower' within a street scene. As a watercolor piece, it relies on the medium’s capacity for transparencies and washes, where the paper itself often serves as the light source, a technique rooted in the tradition of watercolor painting described in historical texts (Source 1). The composition likely adheres to principles of visual ordering, using line, shape, and value to organize the urban environment without necessarily depicting a narrative moment, but rather the spatial reality of the city (Source 2, Source 3).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
5 items
steps
4 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Watercolor paper | Primary surface for the painting | High-quality cotton rag watercolor paper, cold-pressed or rough, to allow for washes and detail |
| Professional grade watercolors | Pigment for the painting | Pan or tube watercolors with gum arabic binder |
| Watercolor brushes | Application of paint | Synthetic or natural hair brushes (rounds and flats) for varying wash sizes and details |
| Pencil (HB or 2B) | Underdrawing and contour sketching | Standard graphite pencil |
| Water container and rags | Cleaning brushes and controlling water flow | Standard studio supplies |
preparation
surface prep
The paper should be of high quality, ideally made from linen rags or high-grade cotton, and properly sized to prevent excessive absorbency which can cause stains (Source 1). The paper must be dry and free from dampness to ensure the sizing has not fermented or decomposed (Source 1). For a cityscape requiring architectural precision, a cold-pressed surface is likely preferred to balance wash application with detail retention.
underdrawing
The artist likely employs contour drawing techniques to establish the architectural forms. Contour drawing emphasizes the mass and volume of the subject through outlines, which is essential for capturing the structural integrity of buildings like the 'Turkish Tower' (Source 4). The drawing should focus on the outlined shape and perspective lines rather than minor decorative details initially, using line weight to suggest depth and distance (Source 4).
underpainting
In watercolor, the 'underpainting' is often the first wash. The technique involves applying transparent washes while reserving the white of the paper for the lightest areas (Source 1). This aligns with the traditional watercolor method where lights are preserved rather than painted with opaque white (Source 1).
color palette
Neutral Tints / Earth Tones
Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Paynes Grey
General use in this artist's palette for architectural structures and shadows. Historical watercolor sketches often confined themselves to neutral tints for initial studies (Source 1).
Sky Blues / Atmospheric Greys
Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine, mixed with neutral tints
Sky and atmospheric perspective in the cityscape. Cityscapes often depict atmospheric conditions and weatherforms (Source 3).
Warm Highlights
Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow (transparent variants)
Sunlit areas of the buildings. The artist likely uses the paper's white for the brightest highlights, reserving pale washes for mid-tones (Source 1).
composition
The composition should avoid exact bisections of the picture space and ensure the horizon line does not divide the artwork into two equal parts, instead emphasizing either the sky or the ground to create a more engaging visual experience (Source 5). As a cityscape, it falls under the genre of hardscapes, depicting paved areas and buildings (Source 3). The arrangement should guide the viewer's eye around the elements, such as the street leading to the tower, before leading out of the picture, preventing the work from becoming a mere pattern (Source 5). Detail should be concentrated in areas of interest, such as the architectural features of the tower, while 'rest' areas with less detail help direct the gaze (Source 5).
step by step
underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the architectural outlines using contour drawing techniques. Focus on the mass and volume of the buildings and the perspective lines of the street.
Tip — Use lighter lines for distant objects and darker lines for foreground elements to suggest depth (Source 4).
Contour Drawing
first pass
step 02
Apply initial transparent washes to establish the general values and colors. Reserve the white of the paper for the brightest highlights, as is traditional in watercolor (Source 1).
Tip — Ensure the paper is properly sized to prevent uneven absorption and staining (Source 1).
Wash Technique
refining
step 03
Build up layers of color to deepen shadows and define architectural details. Use the principle of simultaneous contrast to ensure colors harmonize and modify each other appropriately (Source 6).
Tip — Be aware that adjacent colors will influence each other's appearance; adjust tones to maintain harmony (Source 6).
Layering / Glazing
finishing
step 04
Add final details and adjust the balance of the composition. Ensure there is a clear center of interest and that the viewer's eye is led through the scene (Source 5).
Tip — Check that no spaces between objects are identical, creating a more dynamic image (Source 5).
Compositional Balancing
critical techniques
Contour Drawing
Used to establish the structural forms of the cityscape, emphasizing mass and volume over minor details initially (Source 4).
Watercolor Washes
The primary method of applying color, relying on transparency and the reservation of paper for lights (Source 1).
Compositional Balance
Arranging elements to guide the viewer's eye and avoid static or bisected compositions (Source 5).
common pitfalls
- →Using paper that has suffered from dampness, which can cause the sizing to ferment and lead to stains (Source 1).
- →Applying surface sizing that wears off during prolonged work, revealing an irregularly spongy interior (Source 1).
- →Placing the horizon line exactly in the middle, which can make the composition static and less engaging (Source 5).
- →Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, leading to colors that appear inaccurate or disharmonious (Source 6).
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 color choices for the 'Turkish Tower' or 'City Guard' are not described in the sources; the palette is inferred from general watercolor practice and the artist's style.
- ·The exact perspective angle and viewpoint of the street are not detailed in the sources; the artist must rely on reference images or personal interpretation of the location.
- ·Krupa's specific brushwork habits (e.g., dry brush vs. wet-on-wet) are not explicitly detailed in the provided sources, though general watercolor techniques are applicable.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Science of Painting↗
- CHAPTER XIII. WATER COLOURS — applied to Paper preparation, sizing, and the technique of reserving paper for lights (Source 1).
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color theory and simultaneous contrast in mixing and applying colors (Source 6).
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- part 1 — applied to General principles of composition, including line, shape, and value (Source 2).
- part 6 — applied to Specific compositional rules such as avoiding bisection and guiding the eye (Source 5).
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- part 13 — applied to Classification of the artwork as a cityscape/hardscape (Source 3).
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- part 1 — applied to Technique for underdrawing architectural forms (Source 4).
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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