plate no. 3789

Old House Yerevan

Petros Malayan, 1988

oilExpressionismcityscapebuildingstreeshousescityscapestone walldoorway

what to study here

It shows how to build an expressionist cityscape from a narrow earth palette, a simple three-value plan, and deliberately rough edges and linework.

Study how a limited earth palette can carry a whole picture when the handling does the expressive work. The walls sit in burnt reddish-browns and ochres, with the left facade warmer and the right cooler, which gives recession without any strong contrast. The value structure is simple: a dark tree against lighter buildings against a light sky. The only true lights are the sky and the cream doorway at lower left. Look at how the tree is drawn with angular, almost calligraphic dark lines, so the trunk reads as a gnarled pole and not a smooth cylinder. Notice that the navy outlines on windows and doorway frames are the hard edges, while the roofline against the sky and overlapping forms stay broken and rough. The rubble across the lower third is made of choppy, directional marks and stays inside the mid-tone range, adding texture without becoming a separate value plane. Copy the eye path: the saturated tree first, then the white doorway, then back through the rubble to the buildings.

key decision

Keeping the whole scene in a simple dark/mid/light value plan, with the tree as the darkest mass and the doorway and sky as the only lights. Hard edges are reserved for the navy-outlined windows and doorway, and everything else is left broken.

recreation guide

Petros Malayan’s 'Old House Yerevan' (1988) is an expressionist cityscape executed in oil. As an expressionist work, it likely prioritizes emotional experience over physical realism, utilizing bold brushwork and distorted forms to convey the character of the urban environment. The medium of oil paint allows for significant manipulation of texture and color, enabling the artist to adjust the translucency, sheen, and density of the paint to enhance expressive capacity (Source 1). The painting adheres to traditional oil painting principles, where the consistency on the canvas depends on the layering of the paint, governed by the 'fat over lean' rule to ensure structural integrity (Source 3).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions, allowing for drying time between layers

materials

7 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (artist grade)	Primary medium for color application	—
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and increase oil content for upper layers	—
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent to thin paint for initial layers and clean brushes	—
Canvas	Support surface	—
Charcoal or thinned paint	Initial sketching of the composition	—
Palette knives and rags	Application and removal of paint for texture adjustment	—
Paintbrushes	Traditional application of paint	—

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be primed with a traditional ground suitable for oil painting. While specific priming methods for Malayan are not detailed in the sources, standard practice involves preparing a stable surface to receive the oil layers. The 'fat over lean' rule implies that the initial layers must be leaner (more solvent, less oil) than subsequent layers (Source 1).

underdrawing

Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with the artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1). For an expressionist cityscape, this underdrawing likely establishes the basic forms and perspective of the 'Old House' and surrounding structures without excessive detail, allowing for expressive freedom in the paint application.

underpainting

A monochrome underpainting (grisaille) may be employed to establish values before applying color. This technique involves painting in neutral tones, mentally extracting specific colors like red and yellow, to focus on form and light (Source 2). This approach helps in managing the composition and value structure before introducing the full palette.

color palette

Neutral tones (Greys/Browns)

Black, white, earth tones

Underpainting or grisaille to establish values

Warm tones (Reds/Yellows)

Red ochre, cadmium yellow, etc.

Glazing and scumbling to add warmth and depth, consistent with expressionist emphasis on emotional color

Cool tones (Blues/Greens)

Ultramarine, phthalo blue, etc.

Shadows and atmospheric perspective, creating contrast with warm tones

composition

The composition likely avoids exact bisections of the picture space and positions the prominent subject (the old house) off-center to create visual interest (Source 5). The horizon line is probably positioned to emphasize either the sky or the ground, rather than dividing the artwork in two equal parts (Source 5). The arrangement of elements guides the viewer's eye around the work, preventing it from becoming a mere pattern (Source 5).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the old house and surrounding cityscape onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Keep lines loose to allow for expressive adjustments later.
Initial sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values and forms, focusing on light and shadow without color.
Tip — Ensure this layer is dry before proceeding to color layers.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Begin applying color using thin paint mixed with solvents (lean layers). Focus on broad masses of color and value.
Tip — Use brushes or palette knives to apply paint, keeping layers thin to allow proper drying.
Fat over lean

refining

step 04
Build up subsequent layers with more oil content (fat layers). Use glazing (transparent coats) and scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust color and texture.
Tip — Glazing adds depth and luminosity; scumbling can create texture and coldness over darker grounds.
Glazing and Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Refine details and adjust contrasts. Use palette knives to scrape off or add texture if needed, leveraging the long drying time of oil paint.
Tip — Oil paint remains wet longer, allowing for changes in color, texture, or form.
Palette knife application

varnishing

step 06
Once the painting is completely dry (usually within two weeks), apply a varnish to protect the surface and unify the sheen.
Tip — Ensure the painting is fully dry to prevent trapping solvents.
Varnishing

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.

Glazing

Applying transparent coats of color to adjust translucency and depth, often used over a dry underpainting.

Scumbling

Applying semi-opaque paint to create texture and allow the underlying layer to show through, useful for creating atmospheric effects.

Palette Knife Application

Using palette knives to scrape off or apply paint, enabling texture adjustment and expressive brushwork concealment.

common pitfalls

→Applying lean layers over fat layers, which can cause the painting to crack and peel (Source 1).
→Overworking wet paint, which can muddy colors and lose texture; oil paint remains wet longer, allowing for corrections but also risking loss of initial expressive marks (Source 1).
→Ignoring the drying time between layers, which can lead to improper curing and instability of the paint film (Source 1).
→Creating exact bisections in composition, which can make the artwork appear static and uninteresting (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 color palette used by Petros Malayan for this particular painting is not detailed in the sources.
·Exact compositional layout of 'Old House Yerevan' (e.g., position of the house, horizon line) is not described in the sources.
·Malayan's specific preparatory methods or unique material habits beyond general oil painting practices are not covered.
·The specific expressionist techniques (e.g., degree of distortion, brushstroke style) unique to Malayan are not detailed.

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

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 General oil painting techniques, fat over lean rule, materials, and drying time
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Compositional principles for cityscapes, avoiding bisections, and guiding the viewer's eye

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 label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

This painting depicts a decaying stone building complex viewed head-on, with weathered plaster walls in burnt reddish-browns and ochres anchoring the composition. A gnarled, twisted tree with dark-green foliage dominates the center-right, its writhing branches creating strong diagonal movement across the facade. The ground is rendered as a chaotic field of angular rubble and debris—light tan stone blocks and earth tones scattered across the lower third. Light appears diffuse from above and front-left, creating soft shadows that emphasize the decay rather than dramatic contrast. The eye enters at the tree (highest color saturation), then snags on the brilliant white doorway at lower left, finally reading the architectural recession from foreground rubble back to the weathered buildings.

value structure

The painting organizes into three clear value zones: the deep darks (navy window frames, tree shadows, dark green foliage) establish strong focal anchors; a warm, earthy mid-tone band (walls, tree trunk, upper rubble) forms the visual bulk; and the sky and cream doorway provide the only true lights. Squinting reveals the composition as a simple value sandwich—dark tree against light buildings against light sky—with the chaotic rubble creating texture variation within the mid-tone foundation rather than a separate value plane.

observed palette and mixes

#615341
Burnt umber + raw sienna (3:1)
The main building wall, especially the left facade—the warm reddish-brown that gives the painting its earthy foundation
#45463c
Sap green + burnt umber (1:2), heavily darkened
Tree foliage shadows and the darkest outlines defining window frames and the tree trunk; the deepest darks in the composition
#8d7457
Yellow ochre + raw sienna (2:1) with titanium white to lighten
The lighter stone blocks in the rubble and weathered patches on the upper building walls; represents aged, sun-bleached plaster
#7b664b
Raw sienna + yellow ochre (1:1) with a touch of burnt umber
Mid-wall tones throughout the central and right facades; the transition color between the deep reds and the light ochres
#a2886b
Yellow ochre + titanium white (2:1) with a warm gray undertone
The cream-colored door and light plaster areas at top center; the brightest warm tone besides pure white
#1a1a2e
Navy (ultramarine or prussian blue) mixed with burnt sienna for richness
The emphatic outlines around the windows and architectural details—these dark blue strokes structure the composition

edges and brushwork

This painting is built on visible, declarative brushwork—not blended transitions but direct application of color next to color. The tree branches are drawn with dark, angular, almost calligraphic lines that emphasize the artist's hand; the rubble is composed of choppy, directional marks that create visual texture and rhythmic energy. Edges are deliberately broken and rough, especially where the building meets the sky and where forms overlap; a hard edge appears only where the artist wants to emphasize structure (the doorway frame, window openings). The overall handling is loose and expressive, prioritizing the gesture of application over photographic unity.

a working sequence

01
Establish the value foundation and main masses
Thin burnt umber and raw sienna with solvent and lay a full underpainting in one warm tone—this is your base for everything. Block in the left building wall as mid-dark, the center tree mass as the darkest area, the sky as light cream, and the rubble zone as a warm mid-tone band. Don't worry about details; focus on proportions: the doorway should sit roughly one-third of the way up the left edge, the tree trunk occupies the horizontal center, and the rubble extends about one-third of the total height.
02
Define the tree structure and strongest darks
Using sap green darkened with burnt umber, establish the tree foliage mass and the twisted trunk lines. These lines are not smooth—they should wiggle and show energy. The trunk should read as a gnarled pole, not a cylinder. At the same time, place the darkest outlines (navy or deep blue-green) around window frames and architectural details on the buildings; these lines will hold the composition together and prevent it from feeling soft.
03
Build the doorway and create focal contrast
Paint the cream doorway (yellow ochre + white) and its dark opening, making it the brightest warm accent. The doorway should feel like it recedes slightly; add a hint of shadow on the right side. This is your secondary focal point after the tree; don't make it too flat or it will feel disconnected from the weathered surroundings.
04
Develop the building walls with variation and decay
Layer the walls with your warm earth-tone palette—raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre—creating patches of weathering and color shift. The left wall is warmer (more red), the right wall reads slightly cooler (more ochre and gray). Avoid uniform coverage; let underpainting show through in places. The upper right building edge should feel recessive and less detailed than the front facade.
05
Texture the rubble and ground
The rubble is not a flat zone—it's a complex field of angular stone blocks and debris. Use quick, directional strokes in light tan (yellow ochre + white), warm gray (burnt umber + white), and raw sienna to suggest scattered forms. Vary the direction of your marks to create the sense of fractured, accumulated material. Leave dark gaps and shadows between the blocks to read as depth and separation.
06
Refine tree foliage and add lighter green passages
Layer lighter yellow-greens (sap green + yellow ochre + white) into the tree foliage to suggest sunlit leaf masses. These lighter greens should be muted and warm, not bright—they integrate with the earth-tone palette rather than standing apart. The branches should still read clearly through the foliage; don't overpaint them.
07
Add architectural and detail accents
Define the balcony or structure on the right side of the building with dark outlines and subtle modeling. Add small window shapes and architectural marks with decisive dark lines. These details should feel somewhat schematic, not precisely rendered—the expressionist approach means suggesting detail rather than laboriously depicting it.
08
Unify with final expressive marks and atmospheric adjustments
Step back and look for areas that feel too isolated or too polished. Add final dark line-work to reinforce edges and movement—follow the tree branches into the foliage, emphasize the window and doorway frames, create visual rhythms in the rubble. If the painting feels too neutral, warm up shadows with a glaze of burnt sienna; if it feels muddy, add touches of titanium white to activate light areas. The finished work should feel energetic and intentional, not labored.

where studies of this painting go wrong

The tree can collapse into an amorphous dark shape if you don't preserve the twisted, writhing quality of the trunk and major branches. Those lines are structural and expressive—follow them through with dark strokes even as you add foliage.
The rubble field is easy to render as a flat, uniform band. Resist this: vary the value, direction, and scale of your marks. Think of it as a scatter of discrete stones and debris, not a continuous surface. Dark gaps between stones create depth.
The doorway can read as too pristine or disconnected if painted pure white. It must sit within the weathered context—add warm shadows (raw sienna + white) and subtle gray undertones to suggest age and shadow depth. The door should look like it belongs to a decaying building.
Color harmony in an earth-tone palette requires resisting the temptation to warm everything equally. The left wall reads warmer (more burnt sienna); the right wall reads cooler (more raw sienna and ochre). This subtle shift creates spatial recession and prevents monotony.
Overworking edges will soften the expressionistic energy. Bold, broken edges and visible brushstrokes are not accidents—they're essential to the style. Trust the paint and your hand; don't blend everything smooth.

measured difficulty