Landscape

surface prep

The canvas should be primed with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific details of Leitch’s ground preparation are not provided in the sources, traditional oil painting practices of the period involved preparing a stable surface to ensure the paint film adheres properly. The quality of the oil and ground is critical for permanence (Source 3).

underdrawing

Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with the artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 3). For a Romantic landscape, this underdrawing would likely establish the major compositional elements—such as the horizon line, placement of trees or mountains, and the division between sky and earth—ensuring the elements are arranged into a coherent composition (Source 1).

underpainting

A monochrome underpainting (grisaille) may be employed to establish values before applying color. This technique involves painting in a single hue (often neutral) to define light and shadow. Once dry, glazes and scumbles can be applied to introduce color, a method practiced by old masters and useful for achieving depth and luminosity (Source 5). This aligns with the 'fat over lean' rule, where the initial lean layer (high solvent, low oil) dries quickly, allowing subsequent fatty layers to adhere without cracking (Source 3).

Fat over Lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking. This is a basic rule of oil paint application.

Glazing and Scumbling

Glazing involves applying transparent coats of color to deepen hues and create luminosity. Scumbling involves semi-opaque layers that allow the underlying painting to show through, useful for creating atmospheric effects like mist or gray blooms.

Atmospheric Perspective

Using lighter, cooler, and less detailed paint for distant elements to create a sense of depth and space, consistent with landscape painting traditions.