plate no. 7547
Notre-Dame in the Rain
Albert Marquet, 1910
what to study here
It shows how a narrow value range, grayed warm-cool color and simplified edges can carry a rainy, damp atmosphere without detailed rendering.
Study how the value structure holds the picture together. The sky is the lightest zone, a pale lavender-gray, and the cathedral reads as one unified mid-value mass against it when you squint. Darks are saved for roof shadows, window openings and carved recesses, so the structure is close to three notes: light sky, mid stone, dark shadow. Note the color of the stone too. It is a warm cream to soft mauve-gray, not white and not cool gray. Shadows mix blues and browns rather than turning pure purple. Look at the edges. Boundaries where stone meets sky dissolve, and directional strokes in the sky suggest wind and moisture. Gothic details are simplified to essential contours, with shadow placement and edge weight doing the work of individual stones. The few small figures in the street are just dark strokes that give scale. Copy it by judging the big value shapes first, then adding only the darks that define structure.
key decision
Marquet kept the cathedral as one mid-value mass against a lighter sky and placed the darkest darks only in roof shadows, openings and carved recesses. Edges stay soft and detail is implied through shadow placement.
recreation guide
Albert Marquet’s 'Notre-Dame in the Rain' (1910) represents a pivotal moment in his transition from early Fauvism to a more nuanced, atmospheric style. While associated with the Fauve movement, Marquet distinguished himself by using less violent colors than his contemporaries like Matisse or Vlaminck, favoring instead 'grayed yellows, greyed violets or blues' and emphasizing tones made by mixing complementaries rather than pure grays (Source 5). The work is characterized by a 'calligraphic' approach to form, where black is used as a violent contrast to light colors, particularly for structural elements like tree trunks or architectural lines, set against light streets or skies (Source 5). The painting likely employs an approximation of traditional perspective, but the composition is defined by the interplay of these calligraphic lines and the rectangular plane of the canvas (Source 5).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing for drying times between glaze layers)
materials
4 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Linseed oil | Primary drying oil for mixing paints and creating glazes; standard for oil painting (Source 4). | — |
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion/Red Ochre) | Core palette. Marquet used complementaries to create grayed tones; ultramarine and white were key for his blue/gray skies and structures (Source 1, Source 5). | — |
| Varnish (optional, for advanced glazing) | Used in conjunction with oil for glazing once mastery is gained, to create transparent color layers (Source 1). | Dammar varnish or modern painting medium |
| Canvas or linen support | Standard support for oil painting (Source 4). | — |
preparation
surface prep
Prepare a standard oil-primed canvas. While Marquet’s specific ground preparation is not detailed in the sources, the technique described in Source 1 implies a dry, monochromatic underlayer (grisaille) is essential. Ensure the surface is smooth enough to allow for the 'calligraphic' line work characteristic of Marquet’s style (Source 5).
underdrawing
Marquet’s work is noted for its 'fine control of the drawing' and 'calligraphically drawn' elements (Source 5). Begin with a light, loose underdrawing that emphasizes the structural lines of the cathedral and the surrounding environment. Avoid rigid, heavy outlines; instead, use the drawing to establish the 'approximation of traditional perspective' while allowing the composition to be cut by the calligraphic lines (Source 5).
underpainting
Create a grisaille (monochrome) underpainting. According to Source 1, this involves 'mentally extracting the red and yellow colours' and painting what would be left in nature if those colors were absent. Use black, ultramarine, and white (as suggested by Reynolds in Source 1) to establish the values and forms. This layer must be completely dry before proceeding. This step is crucial for Marquet’s method of building color through glazing rather than direct mixing of all hues.
color palette
Grayed Blue/Violet
Ultramarine mixed with White and small amounts of complementary Red/Orange to neutralize without shifting hue drastically (Source 3, Source 5).
Skies and atmospheric shadows; Marquet favored 'greyed violets or blues' (Source 5).
Grayed Yellow
Yellow Ochre or Cadmium Yellow mixed with White and complementary Violet/Blue to create a muted tone (Source 3, Source 5).
Streets, sidewalks, and illuminated areas; Marquet used 'grayed yellows' for light tones (Source 5).
Black
Pure Black or very dark Ultramarine/Black mix.
Violent contrast for structural forms like tree trunks or architectural details (Source 5).
Transparent Red/Yellow Glazes
Vermilion, Cadmium Yellow, or Alizarin Crimson thinned with oil/varnish.
Glazing over the dry grisaille to reintroduce color warmth and depth (Source 1).
composition
Avoid exact bisections of the picture space; position the horizon line to emphasize either the sky or the ground, likely showing more sky if the focus is on the cathedral’s verticality against the rain (Source 7). Marquet’s compositions often refer to the rectangle of the canvas, cutting its plane with calligraphic lines (Source 5). Ensure there is a center of interest (the cathedral) but allow the viewer’s eye to move around the elements via the contrast between detailed areas and 'rest' areas (Source 7). Use small, high-contrast elements (like the black lines) to balance larger, duller areas of grayed color (Source 7).
step by step
underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underpainting
step 01
Paint a grisaille underlayer using black, ultramarine, and white. Focus on values and forms, mentally excluding red and yellow tones as if they were not present in nature (Source 1).
Tip — Ensure this layer is completely dry before proceeding. This is the foundation for the glazing technique.
Grisaille
first pass
step 02
Apply transparent glazes of yellow and red tones over the dry grisaille. Use oil as a medium initially. This mimics tinting an engraving with watercolors (Source 1).
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color. It allows the underlying monochrome to show through, creating depth.
Glazing
refining
step 03
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones, particularly over darker grounds to create a 'grey bloom' or coldness if needed (Source 1). Marquet’s style involves mixing complementaries to create grayed tones rather than using pure grays (Source 5).
Tip — Scumbling allows the underlying painting to make itself felt. Be careful not to muddy the colors; use it to soften transitions.
Scumbling
step 04
Introduce black as a violent contrast for specific forms, such as architectural lines or tree trunks, against the lighter, grayed yellow or orange backgrounds (Source 5).
Tip — Use black sparingly but decisively to create the 'calligraphic' effect characteristic of Marquet’s city views (Source 5).
Contrast
finishing
step 05
Adjust simultaneous contrasts. Ensure that juxtaposed colors enhance each other; for example, a grayed violet next to a grayed yellow will heighten the perception of both tones (Source 2).
Tip — Check that the 'weaker tones' are seen in coloristic terms, not just as values (Source 5).
Simultaneous Contrast
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Marquet’s method, like that of old masters, likely involved glazing transparent colors over a dry monochrome underpainting. Glazing adds transparent color, while scumbling adds semi-opaque layers that interact with the underlayer (Source 1).
Complementary Mixing for Grayed Tones
Instead of using pure grays, Marquet mixed complementaries to create 'grayed yellows, greyed violets or blues' (Source 5). This maintains chromatic interest while reducing intensity.
Calligraphic Line
Use of black lines to define forms and cut the plane of the canvas, creating a rhythmic, calligraphic quality (Source 5).
common pitfalls
- →Using pure black to darken colors, which can cause hue shifts toward green or blue (Source 3). Instead, use complementary colors to neutralize and darken.
- →Adding white to reds/oranges to lighten them, which can cause a shift toward blue (Source 3). Correct this by adding a small amount of an adjacent color (e.g., orange to red-white mix).
- →Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which will muddy the colors and ruin the transparency (Source 1).
- →Using bright, violent colors typical of other Fauves; Marquet’s style is more subdued and atmospheric (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 brush types Marquet used are not mentioned in the sources.
- ·Exact proportions of oil to pigment for his glazes are not specified, though Source 1 suggests starting with oil and moving to varnish/oil mixes.
- ·The specific weather conditions or time of day depicted in 'Notre-Dame in the Rain' are not detailed in the sources, so atmospheric interpretation is left to the artist's discretion based on the title.
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 Underpainting (grisaille), glazing, and scumbling techniques.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color harmony.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia bio — Albert Marquet↗
- Life and work — applied to Palette choices (grayed tones, complementaries), calligraphic style, and contrast usage.
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Mixing tints and shades without hue shift.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 4 — applied to Materials and drying oils.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Compositional balance and focal points.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
read from the painting
observed from the image, not the label6 dominant colors, measured
what the eye sees
Light overcast sky above—soft, diffuse illumination without sharp shadows. Notre-Dame's western façade dominates center-frame, its Gothic towers rising to the composition's peak. The eye enters at the highest spires, then travels down the cathedral's bulk to rest on the weathered stone mass. A thin line of small figures occupies the street foreground, establishing atmospheric depth. The entire scene reads as muted and damp—rainy, gray light flattens the forms but preserves clear separation between pale stone and deep architectural shadow.
value structure
Sky is the lightest zone—a pale lavender-gray that anchors the entire value key. Cathedral stone sits in a narrow middle band: warm cream to soft mauve-gray. Darkest darks cluster in deep roof shadows, window openings, and carved Gothic recesses—a brown-black that feels heavy but not isolated. The value structure is almost tripartite: light sky, mid-stone, dark shadow. When squinted, the cathedral reads as a unified mid-value mass against the lighter sky, with dark accents punctuating the vertical lines of towers and arches.
observed palette and mixes
#e8e1df
Titanium white + touch ultramarine blue + tiny burnt sienna
Brightest stone highlights and sky luminosity
#d2c5c5
Titanium white + ultramarine blue + raw umber
Mid-tone sky and lighter stone wall planes
#b6a0a2
Titanium white + raw umber + ultramarine blue + small burnt sienna
Stone shadow transitions and soft mid-tones on façade
#977775
Raw umber + ultramarine blue + burnt sienna + white
Roof slopes and medium-value architectural recesses
#795e60
Burnt sienna + raw umber + ultramarine blue (less white)
Deep shadows under eaves and within Gothic details
#4e3332
Raw umber + ultramarine blue + burnt sienna, minimal white
Darkest window openings and deepest carved shadows
edges and brushwork
Edges dissolve rather than crisp—the rain-heavy atmosphere softens architectural boundaries, especially where stone meets sky. Visible directional brushstrokes activate the sky, suggesting wind and moisture. Gothic details (finials, moldings, pointed arches) are simplified into essential contours; the painter does not render every stone but implies them through shadow placement and edge weight. Foreground figures are barely suggested, just a few dark strokes indicating human scale without detail.
a working sequence
- 01
Block in the composition
Lightly sketch the cathedral's main vertical axis and tower silhouettes. Divide your canvas into sky (upper 50%) and street/building (lower 50%). Mark the position of the two prominent spires and the lower central mass. The composition is nearly symmetrical and frontal—use this for accurate proportion.
- 02
Establish the sky
Apply a pale lavender-gray wash across the top. The sky should feel overcast and flat, not dramatic—mix titanium white + ultramarine blue + small burnt sienna. Leave it almost monochromatic; variation comes later as the stone establishes context. The sky is your lightest, most luminous zone.
- 03
Block in the main cathedral mass
Use broad, flat strokes to establish the warm cream-gray stone (titanium white + ultramarine + raw umber). Work across the entire facade with a #10 flat, treating it as one unified mid-value shape. Don't worry about details—just get the proportions and value correct relative to the sky. Include the roofline with a richer brown (burnt sienna + raw umber).
- 04
Develop shadow architecture
Now add the dark recessed areas—shadow under the roof eaves, window openings, spaces between towers. Use your darkest mix (raw umber + ultramarine + burnt sienna) to carve out these Gothic forms. The shadows define the cathedral's structure; they transform flat stone into dimensional stone. Keep edges soft; rain diffuses sharp lines.
- 05
Model stone with warm and cool
Introduce subtle mid-tone variation on the façade. Some areas facing light get slightly warmer (more white, touch of burnt sienna added). Shadow-facing areas and recesses stay cooler (more ultramarine blue). On the front-facing stone of the main towers, drag a lighter warm tone down the left edges; keep right edges toward shadow. This establishes the gentle rounded form of the towers.
- 06
Refine architectural detail
With a #2 round, add the pointed arches, window frames, carved moldings, and finial outlines. Don't render every stone—use edge lines to suggest complexity. The details should feel simplified, not fussy. A thin dark line here, a slightly sharper edge there. The Gothic character comes from silhouettes and spacing, not surface rendering.
- 07
Add foreground figures and street
Introduce a few small dark silhouettes at street level—a scumble of dark brown with a #2 round, just enough to suggest human scale. The street itself can remain shadowy and undefined. This foreground grounds the cathedral in space and prevents it from floating.
- 08
Soften edges and unify
Step back. Lightly blend or soften where sky meets stone and where major shadow boundaries sit—not everywhere, just enough to convey damp atmosphere. A dry brush or gentle scumble of the sky color can blur the roofline slightly. Check that the eye still enters at the spires and travels downward. The painting should feel quiet and atmospheric, not sharp.
where studies of this painting go wrong
- Rendering the cathedral stone too white or too cool—it is warm cream with mauve undertones. Without that warmth, it will feel cold and dead, not like aged limestone in soft rain.
- Over-detailing the Gothic architecture. The power lies in simplification and silhouette. Every carved stone does not need rendering; suggestion via shadow placement and edge is stronger.
- Making shadows too muddy or too pure purple. Shadows here contain blues and browns in balance—they should feel atmospheric and translucent, not heavy or opaque.
- Neglecting the subtle value and color shifts across the stone faces. The front plane is slightly lighter and warmer than the side planes. Without this modeling, the mass will read flat.
- Losing the softness of the rainy atmosphere. If edges become too crisp or the light too defined, the painting loses its damp, overcast quality. Resist the urge to sharpen.
measured difficulty
- beginner friendliness
- value contrast
- palette complexity
- compositional simplicity
- brushwork visibility
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