plate no. 7832

Malcesine sur le lac de Garde

Gustav Klimt, 1913

oil, canvasArt Nouveau (Modern)cityscapecityscapebuildingswaterarchitectureboatsreflection

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve muted tones and practice applying short, broken brushstrokes to create texture and detail. It's also a good exercise in understanding aerial perspective and how to represent complex architectural forms.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and composition, focusing on the placement of the buildings and the horizon line.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color, starting with the sky and water, then moving to the buildings and landscape.
step 03
Begin adding details to the buildings, using short, broken brushstrokes to create texture and variation.
step 04
Mix and apply the colors for the roof tiles, paying attention to the subtle variations in hue and value.
step 05
Add the reflections in the water, using similar colors and brushstrokes as the buildings above.
step 06
Refine the details of the boats and other elements in the foreground.
step 07
Adjust the values and colors as needed to create depth and atmosphere.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the overall effect.

color palette

primary · ochre · yellow · white · burnt sienna

secondary · blue · green · pink · purple

Achieve the muted tones by mixing primary colors with white and small amounts of complementary colors. Use ochre and burnt sienna as a base for many of the building colors, adjusting with white, yellow, and small amounts of blue or green.

techniques