plate no. 4081
Ogasawara
David Burliuk, 1921
recreation guide
David Burliuk’s 1921 oil painting *Ogasawara* is a landscape work created during his transit from Russia to the United States, passing through Japan. While the specific visual details of this particular canvas are not described in the provided sources, the work falls within the genre of landscape painting, which depicts natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, often including the sky and weather as compositional elements (Source 1). Burliuk was a key figure in Russian Futurism and later associated with avant-garde movements that sought to transcend traditional space-time constraints, as evidenced by his 1924 Radio-style manifestos (Source 5). The painting likely reflects a synthesis of his modernist background with the landscape tradition, potentially incorporating the 'spiritual element' or 'quasi-mystical Romanticism' noted in broader landscape art history, though Burliuk’s specific approach is more aligned with modernist innovation than traditional Romanticism (Source 4, Source 6).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
5 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints | Primary medium for the painting | — |
| Canvas or panel | Support surface | — |
| Linseed oil or oil of copavia | Medium for glazing and underpainting, consistent with historical oil painting practices | Stand oil or alkyd medium |
| Solvent (turpentine or odorless mineral spirits) | Thinning paint and cleaning brushes | — |
| Brushes (various sizes) | Application of paint, glazing, and scumbling | — |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific preparation for *Ogasawara* is not detailed, traditional oil painting often involves a gesso or oil ground. Burliuk’s practice, rooted in early 20th-century modernism, likely utilized standard canvas preparation of the era. No specific source describes his unique surface prep, so standard archival preparation is recommended.
underdrawing
Contour drawing techniques, which emphasize mass and volume over minor details, may have been used in the initial stages (Source 8). However, Burliuk’s Futurist and modernist tendencies suggest a less rigid adherence to traditional contour drawing, possibly favoring more gestural or abstracted initial marks. No specific source describes his underdrawing for this piece.
underpainting
A grisaille (monochrome underpainting) may have been employed, as this was a common practice among old masters and can be used to establish values before adding color (Source 2). This technique involves painting in neutral tones, mentally extracting red and yellow, to create a foundation for subsequent glazing and scumbling. Burliuk’s modernist style might have adapted this technique for structural clarity before applying vibrant colors.
color palette
Earth tones (browns, greys)
Burnt umber, raw umber, black, white
Underpainting or grisaille stage, if employed
Vibrant hues (reds, yellows, blues)
Cadmium red, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue
Glazing and scumbling stages to add color and depth, consistent with Post-Impressionist and modernist palettes
Greens
Viridian, sap green, mixed with earth tones
Depicting foliage and natural scenery, as landscapes often include trees and forests (Source 1)
composition
The composition likely organizes natural scenery into a coherent whole, including sky and weather elements, as is typical in landscape painting (Source 1). Burliuk’s modernist approach may have introduced dynamic lines and shapes, reflecting his Futurist background, though specific compositional details for *Ogasawara* are not provided. The artist’s general practice involved seeking to transcend space-time, which might influence the spatial arrangement in the painting (Source 5).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the landscape, focusing on mass and volume rather than fine details.
Tip — Emphasize the overall structure and spatial relationships.
Contour drawing
underpainting
step 02
Apply a grisaille underpainting using neutral tones to establish values and composition.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors to focus on value structure.
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Begin applying color with glazing techniques, using transparent coats of paint to build up hues.
Tip — Use oil as a medium to ensure transparency and depth.
Glazing
refining
step 04
Add semi-opaque layers using scumbling to modify colors and textures, allowing the underpainting to show through.
Tip — Be cautious of coldness when scumbling over darker grounds.
Scumbling
finishing
step 05
Refine details and adjust contrasts, paying attention to the simultaneous contrast of colors to enhance visual impact.
Tip — Ensure that juxtaposed colors enhance each other’s intensity.
Simultaneous contrast
varnishing
step 06
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the surface.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Glazing
Applying transparent coats of color to build depth and luminosity, a technique used by old masters and relevant to oil painting landscapes (Source 2).
Scumbling
Using semi-opaque paint to modify underlying layers, creating texture and color variation (Source 2).
Simultaneous Contrast
Leveraging the interaction of adjacent colors to enhance visual impact, a principle important in color theory (Source 3).
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the glaze layers, which can muddy the colors instead of enhancing transparency.
- →Ignoring the value structure established in the underpainting, leading to a lack of depth.
- →Failing to account for simultaneous contrast, resulting in colors that appear dull or unbalanced.
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 visual details of *Ogasawara* (e.g., exact landscape features, color scheme) are not described in the sources.
- ·Burliuk’s specific preparatory methods for this painting are not documented in the provided passages.
- ·The exact palette used for *Ogasawara* is not specified, so general modernist and landscape painting conventions are inferred.
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, glazing, and scumbling techniques
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Color theory and simultaneous contrast in refining stage
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 Overview and composition notes regarding landscape elements
Wikipedia bio — David Burliuk↗
- David Burliuk — part 3 — applied to Context of Burliuk’s modernist and Futurist background
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Contour drawing — part 1 — applied to Underdrawing technique
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
related guides
