plate no. 8189

Friedrich Nietzsche

Edvard Munch, 1906

oil, canvasExpressionismportraitportraitfigurelandscapeskymountainsbuilding

recreation guide

Edvard Munch’s 1906 portrait of Friedrich Nietzsche is a seminal work of Expressionism, characterized by its psychological intensity rather than strict naturalistic fidelity. The artwork likely employs Munch’s signature approach to portraiture, where the medium serves as an expression of feeling rather than a mere substitute for nature (Source 5). The painting is distinguished by its use of color to evoke mood, potentially leveraging the principles of complementary colors to create visual tension and emotional resonance, a technique consistent with the scientific color theories of the period (Source 2, Source 3). Munch’s practice often involved a layered approach, possibly utilizing glazing and scumbling to achieve depth and atmospheric effects, methods that were common among old masters but retained by Munch for their expressive capacity (Source 4).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Red, Yellow)	Primary pigments for underpainting and glazing as suggested by Reynolds' method cited in sources	—
Oil of Copavia or Linseed Oil	Medium for mixing paints to ensure proper flow and drying time	Stand oil or walnut oil
Canvas	Support for the oil painting	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Varnish	For final glazing layers if following the old master technique described	Dammar varnish
Pencil or Charcoal	For initial sketching of the general form and likeness	Graphite pencil or vine charcoal

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific details of Munch’s ground preparation for this piece are not explicitly detailed in the sources, the general practice of the time involved priming the canvas to accept oil paints. The sources suggest that the artist must be a sound craftsman who understands the capacities of their medium (Source 1).

underdrawing

A rough likeness should be sketched out on the canvas in pencil, charcoal, or thin oil to establish the general form (Source 6). Munch likely focused on capturing the psychological essence rather than precise anatomical details in this stage.

underpainting

A monochrome underpainting (grisaille) may be employed, using black, ultramarine, and white to establish values and forms. This technique, attributed to Sir Joshua Reynolds in the sources, involves painting the first and second layers with oil of copavia, extracting red and yellow colors to focus on structure (Source 4). This allows for the subsequent application of transparent glazes.

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure ultramarine pigment

Underpainting and creating cool tones, particularly in shadows and background elements

White

Lead white or titanium white

Highlighting and mixing with ultramarine for the grisaille underpainting

Black

Ivory black or lamp black

Deepening shadows and defining forms in the underpainting

Red

Vermilion or cadmium red

Glazing to introduce warmth and intensity, particularly in flesh tones or clothing

Yellow

Yellow ochre or cadmium yellow

Glazing to enhance brightness and create complementary contrasts with blue tones

composition

The composition likely focuses on the head and hands, as was common in portrait studios where the master would complete these areas while apprentices handled clothing and background (Source 6). The background may be simplified or abstracted to emphasize the sitter’s psychological state, consistent with Munch’s expressionist style. The use of complementary colors, such as red and green or blue and orange, may be employed to create visual tension and enhance the emotional impact of the portrait (Source 2, Source 3).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the general form and rough likeness of Nietzsche on the canvas using pencil or charcoal.
Tip — Focus on capturing the psychological essence rather than precise details.
Initial sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia to establish values and forms.
Tip — Ensure the underpainting is dry before proceeding to glazing.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Begin glazing with transparent coats of red and yellow tones over the dry underpainting, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Use thin layers to build up color intensity without obscuring the underlying forms.
Glazing

refining

step 04
Apply scumbling techniques with semi-opaque paint to adjust tones and create atmospheric effects, particularly in darker areas.
Tip — Scumbling over darker grounds tends to create coldness, which can be used to enhance mood.
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Enhance color brilliance by surrounding intense colors with their complements, such as placing blue tones next to orange to make the orange appear more vibrant.
Tip — Be cautious of hue shifts when lightening colors with white; correct with adjacent colors if necessary.
Complementary color juxtaposition

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the surface, if following the old master technique.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing

Applying transparent coats of color over a dry underpainting to build up intensity and depth, as practiced by old masters and referenced in Reynolds' method.

Scumbling

Using semi-opaque paint to create atmospheric effects and adjust tones, particularly over darker grounds to introduce coldness.

Complementary Color Juxtaposition

Placing complementary colors next to each other to enhance their brilliance and create visual tension, a principle from color theory.

common pitfalls

→Over-modeling or being too tied down to outlines, which can result in a stiff and lifeless appearance (Source 1).
→Darkening colors by adding black, which can cause undesirable hue shifts, particularly in reds and yellows (Source 7).
→Lightening colors with white without correcting for hue shifts, which can lead to a bluish tint in reds and oranges (Source 7).
→Ignoring the emotional expression of the medium, resulting in a painting that is merely a deceptive imitation of nature rather than an expression of feeling (Source 5).

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 details of Nietzsche’s pose, clothing, and facial expression in this particular painting are not described in the sources.
·The exact proportions and dimensions of the canvas are not provided.
·Munch’s specific palette choices for this painting, beyond general expressionist tendencies, are not detailed.
·The lighting conditions and setting of the portrait are not described.

grounded in

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

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on craftsmanship and avoiding over-modeling
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Glazing and scumbling techniques, grisaille underpainting
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to Color theory and complementary color juxtaposition
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Importance of medium and expression over mere imitation

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Complementary colors — part 1 — applied to Understanding complementary color pairs and their effects
Wikipedia: Portrait painting↗
- Portrait painting — part 5 — applied to Portrait composition and sketching techniques
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Mixing pigments and avoiding hue shifts
Wikipedia: Harmony (color)↗
- Harmony (color) — part 1 — applied to Color harmony and complementary colors