plate no. 7962

Gorge near Amalfi

oil, canvasRomanticismlandscapemountainstreesriverbridgebuildingfigures

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and layering techniques to create depth. It also provides practice in rendering realistic textures for foliage, water, and stone.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the mountains, bridge, and river.
step 02
Establish the sky and distant mountain values with thin washes of color.
step 03
Block in the large shapes of the trees and foliage, paying attention to the overall value structure.
step 04
Begin layering details in the trees, using darker greens and browns to create depth and texture.
step 05
Paint the bridge, focusing on the light and shadow patterns to give it form.
step 06
Render the river, using white and light blues to create the effect of flowing water.
step 07
Add the figures and building in the background, keeping them relatively small and indistinct.
step 08
Refine the details and adjust the values to create a sense of atmospheric perspective.

color palette

primary · viridian green · burnt umber · titanium white · cerulean blue

secondary · yellow ochre · raw sienna · ivory black

Mix greens by blending viridian green with yellow ochre or burnt umber. Create atmospheric perspective by adding white to colors for distant elements.

techniques

·glazing
·scumbling
·atmospheric perspective
·layering
·wet-on-dry blending

common pitfalls

→Failing to establish a strong value structure early on.
→Overworking the details and losing the overall sense of atmosphere.
→Making the colors too saturated and unrealistic.
→Not creating enough contrast between light and shadow.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 18x24
·oil paints (viridian green, burnt umber, titanium white, cerulean blue, yellow ochre, raw sienna, ivory black)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·#2 round brush
·#6 flat brush
·#10 filbert brush
·palette