plate no. 7898
Monastery in the distance
recreation guide
Pyotr Konchalovsky’s 'Monastery in the distance' is a landscape executed in oil, situated within the Post-Impressionist style. As a landscape, it likely depicts natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, or forests, arranged into a coherent composition where the sky is almost always included and weather may be an element of the view (Source 3). The title suggests a topographical view, where a specific place including buildings is depicted prominently, though such views are sometimes distinguished from fine art landscapes that may be more imaginary (Source 3). Konchalovsky’s Post-Impressionist approach implies a focus on expressive capacity through the density, translucency, and brushstroke concealment or revelation inherent in oil paint (Source 1).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions, allowing for proper drying times between layers to adhere to the 'fat over lean' rule.
materials
7 items
steps
7 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (artist grade) | Primary medium for color application. | — |
| Linseed oil | Medium to mix with paint to adjust drying time and translucency; essential for 'fat over lean' layering. | — |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | Solvent to thin paint for initial layers and to clean brushes; allows for scraping off wet paint if necessary. | — |
| Canvas | Support surface for the oil painting. | — |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | For sketching the subject onto the canvas before painting. | — |
| Paintbrushes, palette knives, and rags | Tools for transferring paint, scraping, and adjusting texture. | — |
| Cold wax or resins (optional) | To adjust translucency, sheen, and body of the paint, aiding expressive capacity. | — |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be prepared to accept oil paint. While specific priming methods for Konchalovsky are not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting techniques often begin with sketching the subject onto the prepared surface (Source 1). Ensure the surface is stable to prevent cracking, as the quality of the oil and proper layering are key to a strong paint film (Source 1).
underdrawing
Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1). For a landscape, this involves outlining the main elements such as the monastery, horizon, and sky. Contour drawing techniques can be used to emphasize the mass and volume of the subject rather than minor details, focusing on the outlined shape to convey three-dimensional perspective (Source 4).
underpainting
Consider using a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values before applying color. This involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to translate what would be left in nature if these colors were not present (Source 2). This layer should be allowed to dry completely before proceeding to glazing and scumbling (Source 2).
color palette
Earth tones (Greys, Browns)
Black, white, and earth pigments
Establishing the monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to define values without color interference (Source 2).
Blues and Greens
Ultramarine, blue, green pigments
Sky and foliage. In Post-Impressionism, colors may be intensified by juxtaposing them with their complements (Source 5). Blue beside red verges on green, enhancing the green appearance (Source 5).
Reds and Yellows
Red and yellow pigments
Glazing and scumbling over the dry grisaille to introduce warmth and color, similar to tinting an engraving (Source 2).
Complementary Colors
Varied based on adjacent hues
Enhancing brilliance. For example, surrounding an orange tone with blue tones makes the orange appear more intense (Source 5).
composition
The composition should arrange elements like the monastery, sky, and landscape into a coherent view (Source 3). The sky is almost always included in landscape views (Source 3). If the monastery is a prominent feature, it serves as a topographical element (Source 3). Use contour lines to suggest distance; lighter value lines can suggest greater distance between objects (Source 4).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the composition of the monastery and landscape onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Focus on the mass and volume of the subject rather than minor details (Source 4).
Contour drawing
underpainting
step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, white, and perhaps ultramarine to establish values. Mentally extract red and yellow colors.
Tip — Ensure this layer is quite dry before proceeding (Source 2).
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Begin applying color using glazing and scumbling techniques. Glaze with transparent coats of color, starting with oil.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; scumbling is semi-opaque, allowing the underlying painting to show through (Source 2).
Glazing
refining
step 04
Apply subsequent layers of paint ensuring each layer contains more oil than the one below ('fat over lean').
Tip — If each additional layer contains less oil, the painting will crack and peel (Source 1).
Fat over lean
step 05
Adjust colors using simultaneous contrast principles. Place complementary colors next to each other to intensify them.
Tip — Red beside blue verges on orange; blue beside red verges on green (Source 5).
Simultaneous contrast
finishing
step 06
Use palette knives or rags to adjust texture and form if needed, as oil paint remains wet longer than other materials.
Tip — Palette knives can scrape off paint or apply it for different textures (Source 1).
Palette knife application
varnishing
step 07
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks) before applying varnish if desired.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation (Source 1).
Drying by oxidation
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 1).
Glazing and Scumbling
Glazing applies transparent color; scumbling applies semi-opaque color over a dry underpainting to allow underlying tones to show through (Source 2).
Simultaneous Contrast
Juxtaposing complementary colors enhances their intensity; e.g., red beside blue makes red appear more orange (Source 5).
Contour Drawing
Using lines to emphasize mass and volume, with lighter lines suggesting distance (Source 4).
common pitfalls
- →Applying lean layers over fat layers, which will cause the painting to crack and peel (Source 1).
- →Ignoring simultaneous contrast, leading to muddy or less vibrant colors (Source 5).
- →Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can ruin the monochrome foundation (Source 2).
- →Focusing too much on minor details rather than the mass and volume of the landscape elements (Source 4).
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 color palette used by Konchalovsky for this particular painting is not detailed in the sources.
- ·Exact compositional layout of the monastery and landscape elements is not described in the sources.
- ·Konchalovsky's specific habitual use of certain pigments or mediums beyond general oil painting practices is not specified.
- ·The specific weather conditions or time of day depicted in the landscape are not described.
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, scumbling (Source 2)
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to Simultaneous contrast, color intensification (Source 5)
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Chiaroscuro, gradation of light (Source 7)
- 315. As to the advantages the painter will find in it... — applied to Simultaneous contrast principles (Source 8)
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Materials, fat over lean rule, drying time, tools (Source 1)
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Definition of landscape, sky inclusion, topographical views (Source 3)
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Contour drawing — part 1 — applied to Underdrawing technique, emphasizing mass/volume, line value for distance (Source 4)
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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