plate no. 5503

Marrakech. View from the terrace at the Atlas Mountains

Zinaida Serebriakova, 1928

oilExpressionismcityscapecityscapemountainsbuildingsskytreesarchitecture

recreation guide

Zinaida Serebriakova’s 1928 work 'Marrakech. View from the terrace at the Atlas Mountains' is a landscape created during her six-week trip to Morocco, a period in which she produced over 130 'sketches' drawn in haste due to the reluctance of locals to pose (Source 1). Unlike her earlier Russian rural scenes or Parisian portraits, this piece belongs to her later landscapes characterized by an expression of the artist’s 'love of beauty' in nature (Source 1). The work reflects her practice of painting en plein air or from immediate observation, capturing the Atlas Mountains with a focus on atmospheric effect rather than rigid detail, consistent with her description of these works as rapid sketches (Source 1).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints	Primary medium for the landscape	Artist-grade oil paints
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and adjust drying time	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits
Canvas or panel	Support surface	Primed linen or cotton canvas
Paintbrushes	Application of paint	Hog bristle and synthetic brushes
Palette knife	Mixing paint and potentially scraping or applying thick layers	Standard palette knives

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a traditional ground suitable for oil painting. While Serebriakova’s specific ground recipe for this period is not detailed in the sources, standard practice involves sizing and priming to ensure proper adhesion (Source 2). Given her background in the French School tradition, a white or off-white ground is likely to facilitate the light handling characteristic of her landscapes (Source 2).

underdrawing

Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 3). Serebriakova’s 'sketches' were drawn in haste, suggesting a loose, rapid underdrawing rather than a meticulous preliminary study (Source 1). The artist likely transferred the basic composition of the terrace and mountains directly onto the canvas with minimal preparatory detail.

underpainting

An underpainting or 'imprimatura' may be applied using thinned oil paint to establish tonal values. This aligns with traditional methods where the artist sketches with thinned paint (Source 3). For a landscape of the Atlas Mountains, a neutral or warm gray underpainting could help unify the composition before applying local colors.

color palette

Earth tones (ochres, umbers)

Yellow ochre, burnt umber, raw umber

General use in depicting the Moroccan landscape and terrace structures

Blues and violets

Ultramarine, cobalt blue, violet

Depicting the Atlas Mountains and atmospheric perspective

Whites and light tints

Titanium white, lead white (historical)

Highlights on the terrace and distant mountain peaks

Greens

Viridian, sap green

Vegetation in the landscape, if present

composition

The composition likely features a view from a terrace looking out toward the Atlas Mountains, as indicated by the title. Serebriakova’s landscapes from this period are noted for capturing the 'landscapes of northern Africa' with a focus on beauty and atmosphere (Source 1). The artist’s personality and love of beauty are salient features of her later landscapes, suggesting a composition that emphasizes aesthetic harmony over strict realism (Source 1).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the basic composition of the terrace and the Atlas Mountains using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Keep lines loose and rapid, reflecting the 'haste' of Serebriakova’s sketches (Source 1).
Traditional underdrawing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a thin layer of thinned paint to establish general tonal values and color relationships.
Tip — Use lean paint (more solvent than oil) to ensure proper drying and adherence to the 'fat over lean' rule (Source 3).
Imprimatura

first pass

step 03
Block in the major color masses of the terrace and mountains, focusing on large shapes rather than details.
Tip — Serebriakova’s sketches were created quickly, so avoid overworking the paint at this stage (Source 1).
Blocking in

refining

step 04
Add details and refine the atmospheric perspective of the Atlas Mountains, using lighter and cooler tones for distant areas.
Tip — Ensure each additional layer contains more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking (Source 3).
Atmospheric perspective

finishing

step 05
Adjust highlights and shadows, using palette knives or brushes to create texture and depth.
Tip — Serebriakova’s later works emphasize her 'love of beauty,' so focus on harmonious color relationships (Source 1).
Glazing and scumbling

critical techniques

Fat over lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking (Source 3).

Rapid sketching

Serebriakova created her Moroccan landscapes in haste, resulting in loose, expressive brushwork (Source 1).

Atmospheric perspective

Using color and value shifts to depict the distance of the Atlas Mountains, consistent with landscape painting traditions (Source 5).

common pitfalls

→Overworking the paint: Serebriakova’s sketches were drawn in haste, so excessive detail may detract from the expressive quality (Source 1).
→Violating the 'fat over lean' rule: Applying lean layers over fat layers can cause cracking and peeling (Source 3).
→Ignoring atmospheric perspective: Failing to adjust color and value for distance may result in a flat appearance (Source 5).

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 pigment palette used by Serebriakova for this painting is not detailed in the sources.
·Exact dimensions and support material (canvas vs. panel) are not specified.
·Detailed compositional analysis of the terrace and mountain arrangement is not provided in the sources.

grounded in

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

The Practice of Oil Painting — THE FRENCH SCHOOL↗
- General technique — applied to Surface preparation and traditional materials

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Zinaida Serebriakova — part 3↗
- Paris — applied to Context of the Morocco trip, rapid sketching style, and focus on beauty in landscapes
Wikipedia: Oil painting — Oil painting — part 2↗
- Traditional oil painting techniques — applied to Underdrawing, underpainting, and 'fat over lean' rule
Wikipedia: Landscape painting — Landscape painting — part 8↗
- Landscape painting techniques — applied to Atmospheric perspective and landscape composition