plate no. 3789
Old House Yerevan
Petros Malayan, 1988
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.
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