plate no. 8984

On the mountain slopes

Martiros Sarian, 1922

oilExpressionismlandscapemountainstreeslandscapefieldsskyfigures

recreation guide

Martiros Sarian’s 'On the mountain slopes' (1922) is a landscape work rooted in his role as a founder of the modern Armenian national school of painting, heavily influenced by his travels to Armenia and the Middle East (Source 6). The artwork likely exhibits the expressive, high-contrast tonal relationships characteristic of Sarian’s style, where dramatic effects are achieved through sudden jumps from dark to light rather than subtle half-tones (Source 7). As an Expressionist landscape, it prioritizes the emotional impact of the scenery—mountains, valleys, and sky—over topographical accuracy, aligning with the tradition of depicting natural scenery with a coherent composition that may include imaginary or exaggerated elements (Source 2).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Red, Yellow)	Primary pigments for monochrome underpainting and color glazing	—
Linseed oil	Medium for thinning paint and creating glazes	Stand oil or refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent for cleaning brushes and thinning initial layers	Odorless mineral spirits
Canvas	Support for the painting	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Charcoal or thinned paint	Initial sketching of the composition	Vine charcoal or diluted oil paint
Palette knives and brushes	Application of paint, scraping, and texturing	—

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be primed to accept oil paint. While Sarian’s specific ground preparation is not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting practices of the period often involved a white or neutral ground to allow for the 'fat over lean' rule, ensuring each subsequent layer contains more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking (Source 5).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint to establish the basic forms of the mountain slopes and sky (Source 5). Focus on the contour and mass of the landscape rather than minor details, emphasizing the outlined shape to convey volume and three-dimensional perspective (Source 1).

underpainting

Create a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white, mixed with oil of copavia or linseed oil (Source 4). This step establishes the tonal values, focusing on the dramatic contrasts between light and dark areas to create intensity (Source 7). Ensure this layer is completely dry before proceeding.

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure ultramarine pigment

Underpainting and cool tones in sky/shadows

White

Lead white or zinc white

Highlights and mixing for lighter tones

Black

Ivory black or lamp black

Deep shadows and underpainting

Red

Vermilion or cadmium red

Warm accents and glazing

Yellow

Yellow ochre or cadmium yellow

Warm accents and glazing

composition

The composition likely features a wide view of natural scenery, such as mountains and sky, arranged into a coherent whole (Source 2). Sarian’s landscapes often draw on the spiritual element of nature, with strong contrasts of tone values coupled with color contrast between warm sunlit land and cold blue skies to create dramatic effect (Source 7). Specific compositional details are not described in the sources, so rely on general principles of landscape painting where the sky is almost always included and weather is an element of the composition (Source 2).

step by step

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

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the mountain slopes and sky using charcoal or thinned paint, focusing on the contour and mass of the forms.
Tip — Emphasize the outlined shape to convey volume rather than minor details.
Contour drawing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white to establish tonal values.
Tip — Focus on dramatic contrasts between light and dark to create intensity.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the underpainting is dry, begin glazing and scumbling with oil, applying yellow and red tones as they occur in the landscape.
Tip — Use transparent coats of color to build up intensity, similar to tinting an engraving.
Glazing and scumbling

refining

step 04
Enhance color brilliance by surrounding colors with their complements; for example, make orange tones appear more orange by surrounding them with blue tones.
Tip — Exaggerate color phenomena to imitate nature’s luminous intensities.
Simultaneous contrast

finishing

step 05
Apply final layers of paint, ensuring each layer contains more oil than the previous one to adhere to the 'fat over lean' rule.
Tip — Avoid cracking by maintaining proper oil content in each layer.
Fat over lean

varnishing

step 06
Allow the painting to dry completely before applying a varnish to protect the surface and enhance color depth.
Tip — Ensure the painting is fully dry to prevent trapping solvents.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Contour drawing

Used to emphasize the mass and volume of the landscape subjects, focusing on outlined shapes rather than minor details.

Glazing and scumbling

Applied over a dry monochrome underpainting to build up color intensity and transparency, a method practiced by old masters.

Simultaneous contrast

Used to enhance color brilliance by juxtaposing complementary colors, such as orange and blue, to make each appear more intense.

Fat over lean

Ensured by applying each additional layer of paint with more oil than the layer below to prevent cracking.

common pitfalls

→Applying layers with less oil than the previous layer, which can lead to cracking and peeling (Source 5).
→Focusing too much on minor details rather than the mass and volume of the landscape, which undermines the expressive impact (Source 1).
→Failing to allow the monochrome underpainting to dry completely before glazing, which can muddy the colors (Source 4).
→Not exaggerating color phenomena enough to imitate nature’s luminous intensities, resulting in a flat appearance (Source 3).

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 'On the mountain slopes' (e.g., exact color distribution, specific mountain shapes) are not described in the sources.
·Sarian’s exact palette for this specific painting is not documented; the palette is inferred from general oil painting practices and color theory.
·The specific texture and brushwork techniques used by Sarian in this painting are not detailed 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 Underpainting and glazing techniques
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to Color theory and simultaneous contrast
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- MONTE SOLARO CAPRI — applied to Tonal relationships and dramatic contrasts

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Contour drawing — part 1 — applied to Underdrawing phase, emphasizing mass and volume
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to General oil painting techniques and 'fat over lean' rule
Wikipedia bio — Martiros Sarian↗
- Martiros Sarian — part 1 — applied to Artist background and inspiration
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Composition principles for landscapes