plate no. 1289
Going Home
Ralph Hedley, 1888
recreation guide
Ralph Hedley’s 'Going Home' (1888) is a genre painting that depicts aspects of everyday life, portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities without attaching specific individual identities to the figures, consistent with the definition of genre art (Source 4). As a realist work, it likely employs traditional oil painting techniques common to the late 19th century, where the artist sketches the subject onto the canvas before applying paint (Source 2). The work reflects the artist’s practice of capturing a 'reality effect' rather than strict photographic realism, a characteristic of genre painting that balances depiction with emotional or moral resonance (Source 8).
estimated time
40-60 hours over 6-8 weeks (allowing for drying times between layers)
materials
9 items
steps
7 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas | Support for the painting | Linen or cotton duck canvas, primed |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | Initial sketching of the subject | Vine charcoal or raw umber thinned with solvent |
| Linseed oil | Medium to mix with oil paint for consistency and drying control | Refined linseed oil |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | Solvent to thin paint for underpainting and cleaning brushes | Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) or turpentine |
| Oil paints (Black, Ultramarine, White, Red, Yellow) | Primary pigments for grisaille and glazing | Artist-grade oil paints |
| Oil of Copavia (or modern resin substitute) | Historical medium mentioned by Reynolds for initial layers; aids in flow and drying | Gum mastic or damar resin in turpentine, or simply linseed oil for modern safety |
| Varnish | Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to increase transparency and depth | Artists' varnish (e.g., damar or synthetic resin) |
| Paintbrushes | Application of paint | Hog bristle and sable brushes |
| Palette knives and rags | Scraping wet paint or applying texture | Flexible palette knives and lint-free cloths |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be primed with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific priming recipes for Hedley are not detailed in the sources, traditional practice involves a stable ground to prevent oil absorption. The artist likely used a standard white or neutral ground to allow for the 'fat over lean' rule to be applied effectively (Source 2).
underdrawing
Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint. This initial step establishes the composition and figures before any opaque paint is applied (Source 2). Given the genre nature of the work, focus on the placement of ordinary figures engaged in common activities, ensuring no specific identity is overly emphasized (Source 4).
underpainting
Create a monochrome underpainting (grisaille). Mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would remain in nature if these colors were absent. This layer should be painted with oil of copavia (or a modern equivalent like linseed oil) using black, ultramarine, and white to establish values and forms (Source 1). This step is crucial for building the structural foundation of the realism style.
color palette
Black
Ivory Black or Lamp Black
Grisaille underpainting and shadows
Ultramarine
Ultramarine Blue
Grisaille underpainting and cool shadows
White
Titanium White or Lead White (historical)
Grisaille highlights and mixing
Red
Vermilion or Cadmium Red
Glazing and scumbling to reintroduce warmth and flesh tones
Yellow
Yellow Ochre or Cadmium Yellow
Glazing and scumbling to reintroduce warmth and light
composition
The composition organizes visual elements such as line, shape, and value to guide the viewer's eye through the scene of everyday life (Source 5). As a genre painting, it likely features figures without specific identities, focusing on the activity rather than portraiture (Source 4). The arrangement should reflect the 'reality effect' typical of the period, balancing realistic depiction with the emotional idea of the scene (Source 7).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→drying→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the figures and setting onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the figures are positioned to convey the narrative of 'Going Home' without specific identity markers.
Initial Sketch
underpainting
step 02
Paint a grisaille layer using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia (or linseed oil).
Tip — Mentally exclude red and yellow tones to focus on value structure.
Grisaille
first pass
step 04
Apply transparent glazes of red and yellow tones over the dry grisaille.
Tip — Use oil at first; this transparent coat allows the underlying painting to show through.
Glazing
drying
step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation; this may take up to two weeks.
Oxidation Drying
refining
step 05
Use scumbling to apply semi-opaque paint, particularly for cooler tones or highlights.
Tip — Scumbling over a darker ground tends to coldness, useful for creating grey blooms or atmospheric effects.
Scumbling
finishing
step 06
Continue layering, ensuring each layer contains more oil than the one below ('fat over lean').
Tip — Prevent cracking by adhering to this rule; use varnish mixed with oil for later glazes if mastery is achieved.
Fat over Lean
varnishing
step 07
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the sheen.
Tip — Wait until the painting is fully dry to the touch.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Glazing
Applying a transparent coat of color over a dry underpainting to build depth and luminosity, as practiced by old masters and described by Reynolds.
Scumbling
Applying semi-opaque paint to allow the underlying layer to show through, useful for creating cool tones and texture.
Fat over Lean
Ensuring each successive layer of paint has a higher oil content than the previous one to prevent cracking.
Grisaille
Creating a monochrome underpainting to establish values before adding color, extracting red and yellow from the initial mental image.
common pitfalls
- →Applying lean layers over fat layers, which can cause the painting to crack and peel (Source 2).
- →Attempting to achieve a deceptive illusion of nature rather than expressing the emotional idea through the medium's vitality (Source 7).
- →Over-modeling or being too tied to the outline, which can make the work appear small or timid; copying works like Reynolds' can help correct this (Source 6).
- →Using glazing and scumbling incorrectly, leading to muddy colors instead of the intended transparent or semi-opaque effects (Source 1).
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 'Going Home' (e.g., exact clothing patterns, facial expressions, room layout) are not described in the sources and must be inferred from the artist's general style or external references not provided here.
- ·Ralph Hedley's specific palette preferences beyond general realism are not detailed in the sources.
- ·The exact dimensions and canvas preparation method used by Hedley for this specific work are not provided.
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 Grisaille underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint to express feeling rather than just deceive the eye
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Materials, fat over lean rule, drying times, and initial sketching
Wikipedia: Genre painting↗
- Genre painting — part 1 — applied to Definition of genre art and depiction of ordinary people
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 1 — applied to General composition principles
Wikipedia: Dutch Golden Age painting↗
- Dutch Golden Age painting — part 11 — applied to Context of genre painting and reality effect
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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