plate no. 8161

Madame Juliette Pascal

oil, canvasPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfigurewomaninteriorchaircurtains

what to study here

It shows how a near-black figure against a warm, gestural ground can hold a portrait together with soft edges and no true white.

The useful lesson here is how much a portrait can carry with a very restricted value plan. The sitter is a near-black mass, a navy-black dress, set against a band of warm cream and golden-tan curtains. Even the brightest curtain passage is an ochre-cream, so there is no true white anywhere. That keeps the face and hands, which are the lightest elements besides the curtains, reading as the focus without needing extreme highlights. Study the dark dress: it is not a flat void. Warm browns and mauves in the shadows keep the body and the fold across the lap readable. Look at the curtains, where directional strokes follow the drape and neighboring warm tones are left distinct rather than blended. Behind the sitter, a sketchy reflected figure is kept barely separate from the fabric, so it does not compete with her. At the face, the edge against the dark hair is made with warm pink tones, not a hard line. Squint at the image: a dark center mass surrounded by warm light is the whole structure.

key decision

The painter set a single dominant contrast, a near-black dress against warm cream and tan curtains, and kept the whole range warm with no true white. Form inside the dark mass comes from warm browns and mauves rather than black.

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.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A seated woman in dark clothing dominates the foreground, posed three-quarter view, facing slightly left. Light from the left-front illuminates her face and hands, creating a sharp value contrast against her navy-black dress. Behind her, cream and golden-tan curtains with visible, gestural brushstrokes establish a warm interior; a sketchy reflected figure appears in the background, barely distinguishable from the draped fabric. The eye enters at her face, held there by its relative brightness and the converging angles of the figure and curtains.

value structure

The composition rests on a single dominant contrast: very dark (near-black) drapery of the dress against light (cream to golden tan) background. Within the dark figure, subtle mid-tones emerge in the face and hands. The background reads as a band of warm mid-to-light values with no true white—even the brightest curtain area is an ochre-cream. Squinting reduces the image to a dark center mass surrounded by warm light.

observed palette and mixes

#271823
Ultramarine + Ivory Black, possibly with a touch of Alizarin
Deep dress fabric, hair, darkest shadows around the figure
#472f32
Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine + touch of Titanium White
Shadowed areas of the face, dark accents in the clothing folds
#623d38
Burnt Sienna + Alizarin + touch of Ultramarine
Hair, dark warm mid-tones in the face and transitional areas
#805848
Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna + touch of Ultramarine
Mid-value background curtains, warm mid-tones throughout
#a17557
Yellow Ochre + Cadmium Orange + touch of Ultramarine
Lighter background areas, warmer passages in the curtains, skin tones
#c39671
Titanium White + Yellow Ochre + touch of Cadmium Orange
Brightest curtain areas, cream fabric, strongest highlights

edges and brushwork

The brushwork throughout is decidedly visible and gestural—especially in the background curtains, where directional strokes follow fabric drape without attempting smoothness. The figure's clothing shows strong, deliberate strokes that define form through value and direction rather than detail. The face maintains more refined edges than the background but still reads as painted, not rendered; notice how the edge between face and the dark hair uses warm pink tones rather than hard lines. This visible hand throughout is essential to the work's character.

a working sequence

01
Lay the composition and establish proportions
Using thin paint or charcoal, lightly map the seated figure's bounding box, the vertical axis of the curtains, and the position of the head. Pay close attention to where the head sits relative to the shoulders and the chair back. The background elements (curtains, the faint reflected figure) should be roughed in as simple geometric shapes—don't attempt detail yet.
02
Block in the major value masses with thin applications
Establish the dark dress as a unified dark shape using your deep navy-black mix (#271823). Block the background in warm mid-tones, leaving the brightest cream areas for later. The goal is to establish the fundamental contrast—light surround, dark figure—so you can see how they interact. Keep edges soft and brushstrokes loose; refinement comes later.
03
Develop the background with gestural, directional brushwork
Working on the curtains and walls behind the figure, lay in visible, expressive strokes following the implied fabric direction. Use your range of warm tones—#805848, #a17557, #c39671—letting them remain somewhat distinct rather than over-blending. The background should feel alive and painted, not uniform. Include the faint seated figure in the mirror or background; keep it sketchy and integrated with the curtain forms.
04
Model the face with careful value control
Begin blocking in the face using your mid-brown and warm tan mixes (#623d38, #a17557). Work the shadowed side of the face—note how it remains in shadow but warm, not cool. Place the highlights on the cheek and forehead sparingly. The nose and mouth are suggested rather than detailed. Keep the edges between face and hair soft; warm pinks and mauves will help this transition read naturally without hard lines.
05
Render the hands and refine their relationship to the dress
The hands emerge from the dark dress in pale, warm tones. Model them with the same warm palette as the face, ensuring they read as solid form resting on the lap. Notice how the hands catch light—they're among the lightest elements besides the curtains. Define fingers simply, with value and shadow rather than line.
06
Build depth and detail in the dress with internal modeling
The navy-black dress is not a flat shape—it shows the body beneath through fold and shadow. Using darker versions of your mid-tone browns and careful edge work, suggest the cylindrical form of the arm, the fold of fabric across the lap, and the structure of the bodice. Keep the darkest values for the deepest folds; avoid overworking or making it feel stiff.
07
Integrate and adjust edges throughout
Review where the figure meets the background. Some edges should be softer (the profile against the warm curtains), others slightly sharper (where the dark dress meets bright fabric). Use warm mid-tones in the shadows of the background to create transition zones. Soften or sharpen edges by dragging a nearly dry brush along them, or by glazing thin color over the edge.
08
Final refinements and surface finish
Evaluate the overall values by squinting. The dark-light contrast should be obvious and compelling. Add any final highlights to the face and hands if needed. Revisit the background curtains to ensure they remain painterly and don't look blended into submission. The visible, gestural brushwork should be a feature, not something smoothed away. Step back and check proportions one last time.

where studies of this painting go wrong

The background curtains are deceptively complex—they contain multiple warm tones and directional strokes that can easily turn muddy or lifeless if over-blended. Preserve the gestural quality by moving quickly and letting neighboring colors sit rather than chasing perfect transitions.
The dark dress can become a featureless void. Maintain subtle modeling within the navy-black by using warm browns and mauves in the shadows; the form of the body underneath must remain visible even in darkness.
The reflected or background figure is intentionally ambiguous and sketchy. It's tempting to make it clearer or more defined than the artist intended. Keep it loosely painted and integrated with the curtains—not a separate portrait.
The face risks looking heavy or crude if warm tones aren't mixed carefully. The delicate proportions and feature placement demand precision even within an earthy palette. Use thin applications and avoid harsh edges around the features.

measured difficulty