plate no. 0916

Market in La Cuesta de San Vicente - Vitoria

oilSocial Realismgenre paintingfiguresanimalsmarketbuildingscityscapehorses

recreation guide

This artwork, 'Market in La Cuesta de San Vicente - Vitoria' by Carlos Saenz de Tejada, belongs to the genre of Social Realism and genre painting. As a genre work, it depicts aspects of everyday life, portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities such as market trading, rather than specific historical narratives or identifiable portraits (Source 4). The distinctive quality of this piece lies in its adherence to the principles of Social Realism, which likely emphasizes the truthful representation of social conditions and the dignity of labor, rendered through the material vitality of oil paint. The artist’s approach avoids mere photographic deception, instead using oil paint as a medium to express feeling and emotional significance associated with the scene (Source 8).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Black, Ultramarine, White, Yellow, Red tones)	Primary pigments for grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazing/scumbling layers.	Standard tube oil paints; Ultramarine Blue, Ivory Black, Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow/Red or Earth tones.
Oil of Copavia (or modern linseed/walnut oil)	Medium for the first and second paintings to ensure proper flow and drying characteristics.	Stand oil or refined linseed oil.
Varnish	Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to increase transparency and depth.	Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish.
Canvas or Panel	Support for the oil painting.	Linen canvas primed with gesso.
Charcoal or Graphite	For initial underdrawing to establish form and composition.	Vine charcoal or soft graphite pencils.

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a rigid or stretched canvas support. While specific preparation for Saenz de Tejada is not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting practice for this period and style involves a white or light-toned ground to facilitate the grisaille technique described in Source 1. Ensure the surface is smooth enough to allow for fine glazing but textured enough to hold the scumbled layers.

underdrawing

Begin with a careful underdrawing. The sources emphasize that drawing must be more than accurate; it must present the form of things in a vivid manner, conveying the emotional significance of the scene (Source 7). For a genre painting depicting a market, the arrangement of figures and objects should be planned to show ordinary people in common activities without attaching specific identities to them (Source 4). The drawing should be highly finished to acquire the habit of minute visual expression, allowing the artist to focus on bigger qualities later (Source 7).

underpainting

Execute a grisaille (monochrome) underpainting. This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors, translating what would be left in nature if these colors were not present (Source 1). Use black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia (or a similar medium) to establish the tonal values and forms. This monochrome layer serves as the structural foundation, allowing the artist to focus on chiaroscuro and form before introducing color (Source 1).

color palette

Black

Ivory Black or Mars Black

Grisaille underpainting and shadows.

Ultramarine

Ultramarine Blue

Grisaille underpainting, providing cool tones for shadows and atmospheric depth.

White

Titanium White or Lead White (historical)

Grisaille underpainting, highlights, and mixing with other colors for scumbling.

Yellow Tones

Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow, or raw sienna

Glazing and scumbling layers to introduce warmth and local color, particularly in sunlight and earth tones.

Red Tones

Vermilion, Alizarin Crimson, or Red Ochre

Glazing and scumbling layers to introduce warmth, flesh tones, and vibrant market goods.

composition

The composition should reflect the principles of genre painting, focusing on the narrative of everyday life. Arrange figures and objects to create a sense of spontaneous activity, typical of market scenes. The composition should utilize the elements of design—line, shape, color, texture, value, form, and space—to organize the visual elements effectively (Source 5). Pay attention to the juxtaposition of colors and tones to produce chiaroscuro and gradation of light, as described in the laws of contrast (Source 2). The arrangement should not be arbitrary but should harmonize the inherent colors of the objects with the chosen background and lighting effects (Source 2).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the composition using charcoal or graphite. Focus on the arrangement of figures and market stalls, ensuring the scene depicts ordinary people in common activities.
Tip — Aim for vivid form and emotional significance rather than mere scientific accuracy (Source 7).
Academic Drawing

underpainting

step 02
Mix black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia. Paint the entire composition in monochrome (grisaille), establishing all tonal values and forms.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors, focusing on what remains in nature without them (Source 1).
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Begin glazing with transparent coats of yellow and red tones using oil as a medium.
Tip — Apply thin, transparent layers to build up color depth without obscuring the underlying form (Source 1).
Glazing

refining

step 04
Use scumbling to apply semi-opaque layers of color, particularly over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms where needed.
Tip — Ensure the underlying painting makes itself felt through the semi-opaque layer (Source 1).
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Continue alternating glazing and scumbling, gradually building up the color intensity. Use varnish mixed with oil for later stages to increase transparency.
Tip — Be mindful of simultaneous contrast; adjacent colors will affect each other's appearance (Source 2).
Layering

varnishing

step 06
Once the painting is fully dry, apply a final varnish to protect the surface and unify the gloss.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry to avoid trapping solvents.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing

Applying transparent coats of color over a dry underpainting to build depth and luminosity. This technique allows the underlying grisaille to influence the final color appearance.

Scumbling

Applying semi-opaque layers of color, often over darker grounds, to create texture and subtle tonal variations. This technique helps in achieving a 'grey bloom' and adding coldness to certain areas.

Simultaneous Contrast

Understanding that adjacent colors affect each other's perception. The artist must account for this when mixing and placing colors to achieve the desired visual effect.

common pitfalls

→Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can lead to muddiness and cracking.
→Ignoring the laws of simultaneous contrast, resulting in colors that appear dull or incorrect due to adjacent influences (Source 2).
→Overworking the surface, losing the vitality of the medium and creating a deceptive illusion rather than an expressive painting (Source 8).
→Failing to establish a strong monochrome foundation, leading to weak form and value structure in the final color layers.

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.

·Specific details about Carlos Saenz de Tejada's personal palette preferences beyond general Social Realism conventions.
·Exact dimensions and aspect ratio of the original artwork.
·Specific lighting conditions or time of day depicted in the market scene.
·Detailed information on the artist's brushwork style (e.g., impasto vs. smooth finish) beyond the general glazing/scumbling technique.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Understanding simultaneous contrast and color interaction.
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- FROM A STUDY BY BOTTICELLI — applied to Underdrawing principles and emotional significance.
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint as an expressive medium.