Leaving Church in the Fifteenth Century

surface prep

Prepare a rigid canvas or panel. While specific preparation for this 1864 work is not detailed in the sources, Alma-Tadema’s training in the Royal Academy of Antwerp under Gustaf Wappers and Louis de Taeye suggests adherence to traditional Flemish/Dutch methods, which typically involved a smooth, white or warm-toned gesso ground to facilitate the luminous glazing techniques described in Source 1 (Source 8).

underdrawing

The sources do not explicitly describe Alma-Tadema’s underdrawing method for this specific work. However, given his emphasis on historical accuracy and the 'old master' techniques cited in Source 1, a precise charcoal or thinned oil sketch is likely to establish the composition and figures before the grisaille stage.

underpainting

Execute a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. This step establishes the values and forms. As noted in Source 1, this method was established by Sir Joshua Reynolds and practiced by old masters: 'The first and second paintings are with oil of copavia... the colours being black, ultramarine, and white' (Source 1).

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to color a monochrome grisaille. Glazing applies transparent color, while scumbling applies semi-opaque color. This method was practiced by old masters and involves mentally extracting red and yellow from the initial value study (Source 1).

Simultaneous Contrast

Understanding that adjacent colors affect each other's appearance. The painter must appreciate the color peculiar to each part and the modifications received from contiguous colors to avoid inaccuracies caused by the eye's fatigue or mixed contrast (Source 3).

Chiaro-Oscuro via Juxtaposition

Producing gradation of light by placing flat tints of different tones beside each other. The highest tone is enfeebled and the lowest heightened at the line of juxtaposition (Source 2).