plate no. 9773
Houses at Vaugirard
Paul Gauguin, 1880
recreation guide
Houses at Vaugirard (1880) represents Paul Gauguin’s work during his Impressionist period, prior to his later evolution toward Cloisonnism and Synthetism. At this stage, Gauguin was engaged in the rigorous study of light and color relationships characteristic of the Impressionist movement, focusing on landscape and topographical views. The artwork likely employs oil on canvas, utilizing the medium’s capacity for rich, dense color and layering to capture the atmospheric effects of the Parisian suburb. While the specific visual details of the houses are not described in the provided sources, the painting is grounded in the tradition of depicting natural scenery and built environments with a focus on coherent composition and the accurate representation of light modifications.
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
5 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (various pigments) | Primary medium for creating rich, dense color and allowing for layering techniques. | — |
| Canvas | Support surface for the oil painting. | — |
| Linseed oil or poppy seed oil | Binder for the pigments; linseed provides faster drying and yellowing, while poppy is slower and clearer. | — |
| Turpentine | Thinner for the paint to adjust consistency and create glazes or washes. | — |
| Brushes (various sizes) | Application of paint in layers and textures. | — |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be primed with a traditional ground suitable for oil painting, likely a white or off-white gesso or oil ground, to provide a stable surface for the layers of paint. While specific preparation for this 1880 work is not detailed in the sources, standard 19th-century practice involved preparing the canvas to accept oil binders without degradation (Source 3).
underdrawing
Gauguin’s preparatory methods for this specific period are not explicitly detailed in the provided sources. However, consistent with Impressionist practices of the time, an underdrawing may have been minimal or executed in charcoal or thinned oil to establish the composition of the houses and landscape elements before applying color. The sources do not provide evidence of the heavy black outlines characteristic of his later Cloisonnist work (Source 2), suggesting a more traditional approach to form at this stage.
underpainting
An underpainting (imprimatura) may have been applied to establish the tonal values and initial color relationships. This layer helps in judging the modifications of light and color on the model, allowing the artist to perceive the peculiar color of each part and the modifications received from contiguous colors (Source 6).
color palette
Complementary pairs (e.g., Red/Green, Blue/Orange)
Standard oil pigments such as cadmium red, emerald green, ultramarine blue, and yellow ochre.
Creating contrast and intensity. Placing complementary colors next to each other increases their brilliancy and creates strong contrast (Source 1, Source 4).
Neutral tones (Grays/Browns)
Mixing complements or adding black/white carefully to avoid hue shifts.
Establishing shadows and atmospheric depth without dulling the chroma excessively, though mixing pigments generally lowers chroma (Source 7).
composition
As a landscape painting, the composition likely arranges the houses and natural scenery into a coherent view, possibly including the sky and weather elements as part of the composition (Source 5). The arrangement aims to depict a specific place (topographical view) with a focus on the interaction between the built environment and the natural surroundings. The artist likely considered the spatial relationships and the way light modifies the appearance of objects within the scene.
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the houses and landscape elements on the primed canvas using charcoal or thinned oil.
Tip — Keep lines light to allow for adjustments as color layers are applied.
Traditional underdrawing
underpainting
step 02
Apply a thin layer of paint to establish the general tonal values and color temperature of the scene.
Tip — Focus on the large masses of light and shadow rather than details.
Imprimatura
first pass
step 03
Begin applying color in blocks, paying attention to the simultaneous contrast of colors. Place complementary colors adjacent to each other to enhance their intensity.
Tip — Observe how a red next to green will appear redder, and vice versa (Source 1).
Simultaneous contrast
refining
step 04
Refine the color relationships by adjusting hues based on their surroundings. If a color appears too pronounced, soften it by surrounding it with objects of the same color but more intense, or use complements to increase brilliancy.
Tip — Be aware that the eye may see colors inaccurately due to mixed contrast; take breaks to reset visual perception (Source 6).
Color modification via juxtaposition
finishing
step 05
Add final details and adjustments to the houses and landscape, ensuring the light modifications are accurately represented.
Tip — Use layers to achieve depth and richness, taking advantage of oil paint’s flexibility (Source 3).
Glazing and scumbling
critical techniques
Simultaneous Contrast
Using the law of simultaneous contrast to perceive and imitate the modifications of light on the model. When two colored objects are viewed together, each appears modified by the complementary of the other. This technique helps in harmonizing colors and accurately representing the effects of light (Source 6).
Complementary Juxtaposition
Placing complementary colors next to each other to increase their brilliancy and create strong contrast. This is a key principle in Impressionist color theory, allowing the artist to exaggerate natural phenomena to achieve vivid results (Source 1, Source 4).
Layering
Utilizing the properties of oil paint to build up layers, which allows for greater flexibility, richer color, and a wider range from light to dark. This technique is essential for achieving the depth and texture characteristic of oil paintings (Source 3).
common pitfalls
- →Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, leading to colors that appear dull or inaccurate in relation to their surroundings (Source 6).
- →Mixing pigments excessively, which can lower chroma and shift hues unintentionally, especially when darkening colors with black (Source 7).
- →Failing to account for the eye’s susceptibility to fatigue and mixed contrast, resulting in inaccurate color perception during the painting process (Source 6).
- →Overworking the paint, which can muddy the colors and lose the freshness of the Impressionist style.
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 houses and landscape in 'Houses at Vaugirard' are not described in the sources, so the recreation relies on general Impressionist landscape conventions.
- ·Gauguin’s specific palette choices for this 1880 work are not detailed; the guide assumes standard Impressionist pigments.
- ·The exact brushwork and texture techniques used in this specific painting are not covered, though general oil painting techniques are provided.
- ·Preparatory sketches or studies for this specific artwork are not mentioned, so the underdrawing phase is inferred from general practice.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others... — applied to Understanding complementary color juxtaposition and simultaneous contrast.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315. As to the advantages the painter will find in it... — applied to Perceiving and imitating light modifications and color harmony.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia bio — Paul Gauguin — part 6↗
- Gauguin's artistic evolution — applied to Contextualizing the Impressionist style of 1880 before his later Cloisonnist phase.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 1 — applied to Materials and layering techniques.
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Complementary colors — part 1 — applied to Color theory and contrast principles.
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Composition and genre conventions.
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Pigment mixing and hue shift warnings.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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