plate no. 5765
Monastery of St. George Hosevita. Palestine
Ivan Bilibin, 1924
recreation guide
This artwork, 'Monastery of St. George Hosevita. Palestine' (1924) by Ivan Bilibin, is a landscape painting executed in oil. As a topographical view, it depicts a specific place with buildings prominently featured, distinguishing it from purely imaginary landscapes (Source 1). While Bilibin is often associated with Art Nouveau and illustration, this work falls within the broader tradition of landscape painting where the sky and weather are integral elements of the composition (Source 1). The painting likely reflects the artist's engagement with the 'vitality' of the oil medium, aiming for an expression of feeling rather than mere photographic deception, consistent with the principles that oil paint should be used to express the artist's consciousness through painted symbols (Source 4).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
6 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (pigments) | Primary medium for color application | — |
| Linseed oil | Drying oil medium for mixing paints and glazing | — |
| Canvas or linen support | Surface for painting; linen is historically consistent with oil painting traditions | — |
| Gesso or ground | Preparation of the surface to receive oil paint | — |
| Varnish | For glazing and final protection, if following traditional old master techniques | — |
| Brushes | Application of paint, glazes, and scumbles | — |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific details of Bilibin's ground for this piece are not in the sources, traditional oil painting practice involves a stable support like linen, which is historically linked to the medium (Source 8). The ground should be neutral or toned to facilitate the assessment of values during the underpainting stage.
underdrawing
The sources do not specify Bilibin's underdrawing method for this landscape. However, as a landscape, the composition likely involves arranging elements into a coherent whole, possibly including a topographical accuracy of the monastery (Source 1). A light underdrawing would establish the placement of the building, sky, and surrounding natural scenery.
underpainting
A grisaille (monochrome underpainting) is recommended, following the traditional method described in the sources. This involves painting the composition in neutral tones, mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish values and forms before introducing color (Source 3). This technique allows the artist to focus on the 'coherent composition' of the landscape elements (Source 1).
color palette
Neutral Grays/Browns
Black, white, and potentially earth tones
Grisaille underpainting to establish values
Red and Yellow tones
Red ochre, yellow ochre, vermilion, etc.
Glazing and scumbling over the dry grisaille to introduce color, as these were 'extracted' in the underpainting (Source 3)
Blue/Ultramarine
Ultramarine or other blue pigments
Sky and atmospheric effects, consistent with landscape traditions (Source 1)
White
Lead white (historically) or Titanium/Zinc white (modern)
Highlights and mixing; historically lead white was dominant for its opacity and fast drying (Source 8)
composition
The composition is a topographical view, meaning it depicts an actual, specific place with buildings prominently included (Source 1). The sky is almost always included in such views, and weather may be an element of the composition (Source 1). The arrangement of elements—monastery, natural scenery, sky—should form a coherent composition (Source 1).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the composition lightly, ensuring the monastery and surrounding landscape are arranged coherently. Include the sky as a significant element.
Tip — Focus on the accurate placement of the building if aiming for topographical fidelity (Source 1).
Topographical layout
underpainting
step 02
Apply a grisaille underpainting using neutral tones (black, white, and perhaps ultramarine). Establish the values of the landscape, sky, and building without using red or yellow pigments.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would be left in nature if these colors were not present (Source 3).
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Once the grisaille is quite dry, begin glazing and scumbling with oil. Apply transparent coats of color (glazing) and semi-opaque layers (scumbling) to introduce red and yellow tones.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; scumbling is semi-opaque painting through which the underlying painting makes itself felt (Source 3).
Glazing and Scumbling
refining
step 04
Refine the colors by considering simultaneous contrast. Ensure that the colors of the sky, building, and landscape harmonize, keeping in mind that adjacent colors affect each other's appearance.
Tip — Be aware that the eye may see colors inaccurately due to mixed contrast; adjust tones to ensure the lightest tone is not lowered and the darkest not heightened unintentionally (Source 6).
Simultaneous Contrast
finishing
step 05
Complete the painting by adjusting details and ensuring the 'vitality' of the medium is expressed. Avoid mere photographic deception; aim for an expression of feeling through painted symbols.
Tip — Remember that art is not a substitute for nature but an expression of feeling inspired by it (Source 4).
Expressive Realism
varnishing
step 06
Apply varnish if desired, potentially mixed with oil for further glazing effects, as practiced by old masters.
Tip — Use varnish and oil mixed for glazing once sufficient mastery is gained (Source 3).
Varnish Glazing
critical techniques
Grisaille Underpainting
A monochrome underpainting that establishes values before color is added. This method was practiced by old masters and involves extracting red and yellow colors from the initial stage (Source 3).
Glazing and Scumbling
Glazing involves transparent coats of color, while scumbling involves semi-opaque layers. These techniques allow for the introduction of color over a dry underpainting, creating depth and luminosity (Source 3).
Simultaneous Contrast
Understanding how adjacent colors affect each other's appearance. This helps in harmonizing the colors of the landscape, sky, and building (Source 6).
common pitfalls
- →Attempting to deceive the eye into thinking it is looking at real nature, which subordinates the enjoyment of the medium and fails to express the artist's feeling (Source 4).
- →Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception and disharmony in the composition (Source 6).
- →Applying glazes before the underpainting is quite dry, which can muddy the colors and disrupt the technique (Source 3).
- →Over-modeling or being too tied down to the outline, which can result in a lack of vitality in the painting (Source 7).
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 of Bilibin's palette for this particular painting are not provided in the sources.
- ·The exact dimensions and aspect ratio of the painting are not specified.
- ·Bilibin's specific brushwork style for this landscape is not detailed in the sources.
- ·The specific weather conditions or time of day depicted are not described in the sources.
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
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on avoiding over-modeling and smallness
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color harmony
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Expression of feeling through medium, avoiding mere deception
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Definition of topographical view, inclusion of sky, and coherent composition
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 4 — applied to Materials and historical context of oil painting
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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