plate no. 1077
Landscape (Sea and Flowers)
Konstantin Makovsky, 1890
recreation guide
Konstantin Makovsky’s 'Landscape (Sea and Flowers)' (1890) is a work of Realism that depicts natural scenery, specifically a seascape with floral elements. As a landscape painting, it likely arranges elements such as the sea, sky, and flowers into a coherent composition, potentially including weather as an atmospheric element (Source 2). The artwork utilizes oil paint, a medium that allows for significant expressive capacity through the adjustment of translucency, sheen, and the density or 'body' of the paint (Source 1). Makovsky’s approach in this period would have relied on traditional oil painting techniques, where the consistency on the canvas depends on the layering of the paint, adhering to the 'fat over lean' rule to ensure the stability of the paint film (Source 1).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 6-8 sessions, allowing for drying time between layers
materials
8 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (artist grade) | Primary medium for the painting | — |
| Linseed oil | To mix with paint to adjust drying time and consistency; essential for 'fat over lean' layering | Stand oil or refined linseed oil |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | To thin paint for initial layers and clean brushes | Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) |
| Canvas | Support surface | Linen or cotton canvas, primed |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | For initial sketching of the subject | Vine charcoal or diluted oil paint |
| Paintbrushes | Traditional tool for transferring paint to the surface | Hog bristle and sable brushes |
| Palette knives | For scraping off paint or applying thick layers if needed | Flexible steel palette knives |
| Rags | For removing wet paint or blending | Lint-free cotton rags |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific priming methods for Makovsky are not detailed in the sources, traditional practice involves a stable ground to support the oil layers. The artist likely ensured the surface was ready to receive the initial sketch, which is traditionally done with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1).
underdrawing
The artist likely began by sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1). This initial step establishes the composition of the sea, flowers, and sky before applying color.
underpainting
It is likely that Makovsky employed a monochrome underpainting, such as a grisaille, to establish values before applying color. Traditional methods involve creating a monochrome base, mentally extracting red and yellow colors, and then glazing and scumbling these tones over the dry underpainting (Source 3). This technique allows for a coherent composition and proper color depth.
color palette
Blue/Grey tones
Ultramarine, black, white
Likely used in the initial monochrome underpainting or for the sea and sky, consistent with traditional oil painting practices (Source 3)
Red and Yellow tones
Vermilion, cadmium yellow, or similar
Glazed and scumbled over the underpainting to create the flowers and atmospheric effects, as these colors are often applied in transparent or semi-opaque layers (Source 3)
White
Lead white or titanium white
Highlighting and mixing, essential for the 'fat over lean' rule and adjusting value (Source 1, Source 3)
composition
The composition likely arranges the sea, flowers, and sky into a coherent view, with the sky almost always included (Source 2). As a landscape, it may depict natural scenery with a wide view, potentially emphasizing the spiritual or aesthetic benefits of contemplating natural beauty, a theme common in 19th-century landscape art (Source 5). The arrangement of elements is designed to create a unified whole, possibly using contrast of tone and color to enhance visual impact (Source 7).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the composition of the sea, flowers, and sky onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the proportions and placement of elements are correct before applying paint.
Initial sketching
underpainting
step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white to establish values and forms.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors, focusing on the underlying structure and light/shadow relationships.
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Once the underpainting is dry, begin glazing and scumbling with oil to introduce red and yellow tones.
Tip — Apply transparent coats of color (glazing) and semi-opaque layers (scumbling) to build up the flowers and atmospheric effects.
Glazing and Scumbling
refining
step 04
Continue layering paint, ensuring each additional layer contains more oil than the one below ('fat over lean').
Tip — This prevents cracking and peeling. Use linseed oil to adjust the consistency of the paint.
Fat over Lean
finishing
step 05
Refine details and adjust colors as needed. Oil paint remains wet longer than other materials, allowing for changes to color, texture, or form.
Tip — If necessary, remove wet paint with a rag and turpentine, or scrape off hardened layers with a palette knife.
Wet-on-wet adjustment
varnishing
step 06
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks) before applying a varnish if desired.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation. Ensure proper drying time to avoid damaging the paint film.
Drying and Varnishing
critical techniques
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 a transparent coat of color, while scumbling is a semi-opaque painting technique. These are used to build up color and texture, particularly for red and yellow tones over a monochrome underpainting.
Monochrome Underpainting
Creating a grisaille (monochrome) base to establish values before applying color. This helps in mentally extracting certain colors and focusing on form and light.
common pitfalls
- →Applying layers with less oil than the previous layer, which can cause the final painting to crack and peel (Source 1).
- →Attempting to apply color before the underpainting is completely dry, which can muddy the colors and disrupt the glazing process (Source 3).
- →Ignoring the 'fat over lean' rule, leading to instability in the paint film (Source 1).
- →Overworking the paint while it is still wet, which can destroy the texture and form. Oil paint remains wet longer, allowing for adjustments, but excessive manipulation can be detrimental (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 pigments used by Makovsky in this particular painting are not detailed in the sources.
- ·The exact composition of the sea and flowers (e.g., type of flowers, specific wave patterns) is not described in the sources, so these must be inferred or left to the artist's interpretation based on the title.
- ·Makovsky's specific brushwork style for this piece is not detailed, though general oil painting techniques are provided.
- ·The specific ground preparation method used by Makovsky is not mentioned.
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
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to General principles of color contrast and composition
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 General oil painting techniques, fat over lean rule, drying time, and tools
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Definition of landscape painting, composition elements (sky, weather)
- Landscape painting — part 8 — applied to Context of 19th-century landscape art and themes
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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