plate no. 8161
Madame Juliette Pascal
recreation guide
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s *Madame Juliette Pascal* (1871) is an early work that predates his famous Post-Impressionist posters, reflecting a more academic approach consistent with his training at the Académie Colarossi. While the specific visual details of this particular portrait are not described in the provided sources, the recreation must rely on the general principles of oil painting and color theory applicable to the period. The artwork is executed in oil on canvas, a medium chosen for its flexibility, rich color density, and capacity for layering (Source 4). The painting likely employs the laws of simultaneous contrast to harmonize the inherent colors of the model’s flesh and hair with the chosen background and drapery (Source 2).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
6 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (traditional RYB primaries: red, yellow, blue) | To create the full spectrum of colors using the traditional color wheel model common in 19th-century academic training. | Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue |
| Linseed oil or Poppy seed oil | Binder for pigments; linseed for general use, poppy for lighter tones to reduce yellowing. | Refined Linseed Oil, Stand Oil |
| Turpentine or Odorless Mineral Spirits | Thinner for initial layers and cleaning brushes. | Gamsol or Odorless Mineral Spirits |
| Canvas | Support for the oil painting. | Linen or Cotton Duck Canvas |
| White pigment (Lead White or Titanium White) | To create tints and adjust lightness without shifting hue excessively, though care must be taken with hue shifts. | Titanium White (modern) or Flake White (historical) |
| Black pigment | To create shades, though sources warn this may shift hue; complementary darkening is preferred. | Ivory Black or Mars Black |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be primed with a traditional oil ground or gesso to provide a stable surface for the oil paints. While the specific ground for this 1871 work is not detailed in the sources, oil painting on canvas was the standard technique by the height of the Renaissance and continued through the 19th century (Source 4). The surface should be smooth enough to allow for the 'richer and denser color' characteristic of oil painting (Source 4).
underdrawing
The sources do not specify Toulouse-Lautrec’s underdrawing method for this specific work. However, academic training of the period typically involved a charcoal or graphite sketch to establish proportions. The artist should aim to 'perceive and imitate promptly and surely the modifications of the light on the model' (Source 3), suggesting a careful initial layout of light and shadow masses.
underpainting
An underpainting (imprimatura) may be applied to establish the tonal values. This helps in 'harmonizing those colours of a composition which are essentially inherent to the nature of the objects to be produced' (Source 3). A neutral gray or earth tone is often used to avoid the 'hue shift' that can occur when mixing pure colors with black or white later (Source 1).
color palette
Flesh tones
Red, Yellow, White, and small amounts of complementary colors for neutralization
The model's face and hands. Flesh colors are 'fixed by the model' and must be rendered accurately, avoiding the 'unfortunate result' of hue shifts when darkening with black (Source 1, Source 2).
Background/Drapery
Complementary colors to the flesh tones
To create contrast and harmony. The painter has a 'choice of draperies, ornaments, background' to harmonize with the inherent colors of the figure (Source 2).
Shadows
Complementary colors rather than black
Darkening colors without shifting hue. For example, using purplish-red to darken yellowish-green, or avoiding black for reds/oranges to prevent greenish/bluish shifts (Source 1).
Highlights
Tints with white, corrected with adjacent colors
Light areas. If lightening reds/oranges with white causes a blue shift, add a small amount of orange to correct the hue (Source 1).
composition
The composition should focus on the 'great effects' of chiaroscuro, where the juxtaposition of light and dark tones creates a 'true gradation of light' (Source 2). The artist should consider the 'simultaneous contrast' of colors, ensuring that the background colors do not distort the perception of the model's skin tones (Source 3). The arrangement of elements should be chosen to 'harmonize' the inherent colors of the model with the chosen accessories (Source 2).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the basic proportions of the figure on the prepared canvas using charcoal or thin wash.
Tip — Ensure accurate placement of light and shadow masses to facilitate the 'prompt and sure' imitation of light modifications (Source 3).
Academic Underdrawing
underpainting
step 02
Apply a thin layer of neutral tone to establish the overall value structure.
Tip — This helps in perceiving the 'modifications of tone and of colour which they receive from contiguous colours' (Source 3).
Imprimatura
first pass
step 03
Block in the major color areas, focusing on the inherent colors of the flesh, hair, and eyes.
Tip — Remember that 'the colour of the flesh, the eyes, and the hair, are fixed by the model' (Source 2). Avoid using black to darken these areas to prevent hue shifts (Source 1).
Color Blocking
refining
step 04
Refine the transitions between light and shadow, using complementary colors to neutralize and darken tones.
Tip — Use the 'opposite, or complementary, color' to darken without shifting hue (Source 1). For example, if darkening a yellowish tone, use a purplish-red.
Complementary Darkening
finishing
step 05
Adjust the highlights and shadows to enhance the 'chiaro-scuro' effect.
Tip — Ensure that the 'tint of the band of the highest tone is insensibly enfeebled' and the 'lowest tone becomes heightened' to create a true gradation of light (Source 2).
Chiaroscuro
varnishing
step 06
Apply a varnish to protect the painting and enhance the depth of color.
Tip — Use a varnish made from oil boiled with resin, such as pine resin or frankincense, to provide protection and texture (Source 4).
Varnishing
critical techniques
Simultaneous Contrast
The artist must account for how adjacent colors affect each other. When two colored objects are viewed together, neither appears of its peculiar color but of a tint resulting from the peculiar color and the complementary of the other (Source 3). This is crucial for harmonizing the model's skin tones with the background.
Complementary Darkening
Instead of adding black to darken colors, which can cause hue shifts (e.g., reds shifting to greenish), use the complementary color to neutralize and darken (Source 1).
Chiaroscuro
The juxtaposition of light and dark tones creates a gradation of light, where the highest tone is enfeebled and the lowest tone is heightened at the boundary (Source 2).
common pitfalls
- →Darkening colors with black, which can cause hues like yellows, oranges, and reds to shift toward greenish or bluish parts of the spectrum (Source 1).
- →Lightening reds and oranges with white, which can cause a shift towards blue. This should be corrected by adding a small amount of an adjacent color (e.g., orange) (Source 1).
- →Ignoring the effect of simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception of the model's features due to the influence of adjacent colors (Source 3).
- →Over-modeling or becoming 'too much tied down to your outline,' which can result in a lack of broad mass and finish (Source 8).
- →Failing to distinguish between colors inherent to the model (flesh, hair) and those chosen by the artist (background, drapery), leading to disharmony (Source 2).
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.
- ·The specific visual details of *Madame Juliette Pascal* (e.g., exact clothing, background elements, facial expression) are not described in the sources, so the recreation must rely on general portrait conventions of the period.
- ·Toulouse-Lautrec’s specific brushwork style for this early work is not detailed; the guide assumes a more academic approach consistent with his training.
- ·The exact pigments used by Toulouse-Lautrec in 1871 are not specified, so modern equivalents are suggested based on traditional RYB models.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Chiaroscuro, harmonizing inherent vs. chosen colors
- 315. As to the advantages the painter will find in it... — applied to Perceiving light modifications, simultaneous contrast
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on avoiding over-modeling and focusing on broad masses
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Color mixing, darkening with complements, correcting hue shifts in tints
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 1 — applied to Medium properties, varnishing, historical context
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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