plate no. 2135
Flowers in white vase
David Burliuk, 1956
recreation guide
David Burliuk’s 'Flowers in white vase' (1956) is a post-Impressionist oil painting that likely reflects his mature period’s engagement with color theory and compositional structure. While specific visual details of this particular 1956 work are not described in the provided sources, Burliuk’s general practice as a Post-Impressionist suggests a focus on expressive color harmony and structural composition rather than strict naturalism. The artwork likely employs the principles of visual ordering, where elements like line, shape, and color relate to create a unified whole (Source 2). The painting’s title suggests a still-life genre, which traditionally allows for controlled experimentation with light, shadow, and color contrast.
estimated time
15-25 hours over 4-6 sessions
materials
5 items
steps
7 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (primary set: Ultramarine, White, Black, plus reds and yellows) | For creating the grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazes/scumbles | — |
| Canvas | Support for the oil painting | — |
| Oil of Copavia (or modern linseed/stand oil) | Medium for the first and second paintings, as per historical methods cited | Stand oil or walnut oil |
| Varnish | For mixing with oil in later glazing stages to gain mastery over transparency | Dammar varnish |
| Brushes (various sizes) | For applying underpainting, glazes, and scumbles | — |
preparation
surface prep
Prepare the canvas with a standard gesso ground. While the sources do not specify Burliuk’s exact ground preparation for this 1956 work, traditional oil painting practice involves ensuring the surface is smooth and sealed to accept the oil medium. The sources emphasize the importance of the medium’s vitality, suggesting the ground should not be overly absorbent to allow for the manipulation of glazes and scumbles (Source 3).
underdrawing
The sources do not provide specific information on Burliuk’s underdrawing techniques for this period. However, general composition principles suggest establishing a center of interest and avoiding exact bisections of the picture space (Source 7). A light charcoal or thinned oil sketch would likely be used to map the vase and flowers, ensuring the prominent subject is off-center to balance the composition (Source 7).
underpainting
Create a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia (Source 1). This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish the value structure of the painting (Source 1). This grisaille serves as the foundation for subsequent color layers, allowing the artist to focus on form and light before introducing hue.
color palette
Ultramarine
Pure pigment
Underpainting and cool shadows, consistent with the method described by Sir Joshua Reynolds (Source 1)
White
Pure pigment
Highlights and mixing with other colors to create tints; note that adding white can shift hues toward blue, requiring correction with adjacent colors (Source 5)
Black
Pure pigment
Underpainting and darkening values; however, adding black can shift hues toward greenish or bluish tones, so use with caution or prefer complementary mixing for darkening (Source 5)
Reds and Yellows
Various red and yellow pigments
Glazing and scumbling over the dry grisaille to introduce color, mimicking the tinting of an engraving (Source 1)
composition
The composition should avoid exact bisections and ensure the subject (the vase and flowers) is off-center unless a symmetrical formal composition is intended (Source 7). Use detailed areas and 'rest' areas to guide the viewer’s eye, creating a contrast between detail and lack of detail (Source 7). The arrangement should prevent the work from becoming a mere pattern by establishing a clear center of interest (Source 7). Spaces between objects should vary to create visual interest (Source 7).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the composition lightly, ensuring the vase is off-center and the eye is led around the elements before exiting the picture.
Tip — Avoid exact bisections and ensure varied spacing between objects.
Compositional planning
underpainting
step 02
Apply a grisaille using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Focus on values, mentally excluding red and yellow tones.
Tip — Ensure the grisaille is completely dry before proceeding to avoid muddying the subsequent glazes.
Monochrome underpainting
first pass
step 03
Begin glazing and scumbling with oil. Apply transparent coats of red and yellow tones over the grisaille, similar to tinting an engraving.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; ensure the underlying painting remains visible.
Glazing
refining
step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones, particularly over darker grounds to achieve coldness or grey blooms.
Tip — Scumbling allows the underlying painting to show through; use it to modify color temperature and value.
Scumbling
step 05
Adjust color harmony by considering simultaneous contrast. Be aware that adjacent colors will influence each other’s appearance.
Tip — The eye may perceive colors differently due to the influence of neighboring hues; adjust accordingly.
Simultaneous contrast
finishing
step 06
Correct any hue shifts caused by adding white or black. If lightening a color causes a blue shift, add a small amount of an adjacent color to correct it.
Tip — Adding white to reds/oranges can shift them blue; add orange to correct. Adding black can shift yellows/oranges green/blue; use complements to darken instead.
Color correction
varnishing
step 07
Once the painting is dry, apply a varnish if desired, or mix varnish with oil for final glazes to gain mastery over transparency.
Tip — Varnish can enhance depth and protect the painting; ensure the paint is fully dry.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Glazing involves applying transparent coats of color, while scumbling uses semi-opaque paint to allow the underpainting to show through. These techniques were used by old masters and are recommended for achieving depth and color harmony (Source 1).
Simultaneous Contrast
Understanding that adjacent colors influence each other’s appearance helps in achieving accurate color perception and harmony. This is crucial for avoiding inaccuracies in color representation (Source 4).
Color Mixing and Correction
When mixing colors, be aware that adding white or black can shift hues. Use complementary colors to darken without shifting hue, and adjacent colors to correct hue shifts when lightening (Source 5).
common pitfalls
- →Adding black to darken colors can cause unwanted hue shifts toward green or blue (Source 5).
- →Adding white to lighten colors can cause hue shifts toward blue, especially with reds and oranges (Source 5).
- →Failing to let the grisaille dry completely before glazing can result in muddy colors (Source 1).
- →Ignoring simultaneous contrast can lead to inaccurate color perception and disharmony (Source 4).
- →Creating a composition with exact bisections or uniform spacing can result in a static, pattern-like appearance (Source 7).
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 the flowers and vase in this 1956 painting are not described in the sources.
- ·Burliuk’s specific palette preferences for this period are not detailed; the guide relies on general oil painting practices and the cited sources.
- ·The exact medium Burliuk used in 1956 is not specified; the guide assumes traditional oil painting methods as described in the sources.
- ·Information on Burliuk’s specific brushwork or stroke style is not available in the provided sources.
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 varnishing techniques
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Importance of medium and avoiding mere illusion
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color perception
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- part 1 and part 6 — applied to Compositional principles, center of interest, and spacing
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- part 6 — applied to Color mixing, hue shifts, and correction techniques
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
related guides
