plate no. 2183

Les arbres

Victor Brauner, 1957

oilSurrealismsymbolic paintingtreeslandscapeabstractfoliagesky

suitable for beginners

Recreating this painting will help students practice simplifying complex forms into basic shapes and experimenting with color mixing to achieve a harmonious palette. It also encourages exploration of texture through visible brushstrokes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 6 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the trees and the ground.
step 02
Block in the sky with a light blue wash.
step 03
Fill in the ground with a yellow base color.
step 04
Paint the main shapes of the trees with their respective colors (yellow, green, pink).
step 05
Add details to the trees, such as the dots on the yellow tree and the horizontal lines on the green tree.
step 06
Refine the colors and add subtle variations to the ground and sky.
step 07
Add the thin vertical lines for the tree trunks.
step 08
Add the small black dots at the base of each tree.

color palette

primary · light blue · yellow · green

secondary · pink · orange · white

Mix light blue by adding white to a phthalo blue. Achieve the yellow-green by mixing yellow with a touch of green. Create the pink by mixing white with a small amount of red.

techniques