plate no. 4734

Otzun

Petros Malayan, 1981

oilExpressionismcityscapebuildingchurchfiguresskytreeslandscape

what to study here

It shows how a few concentrated darks and varied edges can hold a simplified, expressionist architectural subject together.

Start with the value structure. The darkest darks sit in only three places: the arched doorway, the two standing figures, and the tree. Everything else stays in mid-tones or lighter. Squint and the church reads as one light, warm mass against a darker sky, with those three darks holding the composition in place. Notice that the building is simplified into broad planes, not individual blocks or windows, so the shadow shapes do the work of describing the stone.

Then study the edges. The building's outline against the sky is soft and broken, while the figures are harder, more defined silhouettes. The doorway shadow is crisply dark even though the light-to-shadow transitions around the arch are softer. The brushwork changes with the subject: horizontal strokes in the clouds, vertical dragging in the walls to suggest weathering, and gestural swirls in the tree. Copy these as separate decisions, not one general handling.

Light comes from the upper left, and the warm ochre walls play against the cool blue-grey sky.

key decision

The painter kept the darkest values to three places (doorway, figures, tree) and treated the church as one simplified warm mass against a cooler sky. Edge control separates the soft, broken building outline from the harder figure silhouettes.

recreation guide

Otzun (1981) by Petros Malayan is an expressionist cityscape executed in oil. As an expressionist work, it likely prioritizes emotional experience and subjective distortion over strict topographical accuracy, utilizing the medium’s capacity for texture and translucency to convey mood (Source 1). The painting belongs to the tradition of landscape art where the sky and weather are integral compositional elements, potentially serving as a backdrop that interacts with the urban forms (Source 6). Given the artist's general practice and the era, the work likely employs traditional oil painting techniques, including the 'fat over lean' rule to ensure structural integrity, and may utilize layering methods such as glazing or scumbling to achieve depth and atmospheric effects characteristic of the style (Source 1, Source 2).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

7 items

steps

7 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (artist grade)	Primary medium for color and texture	—
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and increase oil content for upper layers ('fat over lean')	Stand oil or refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers, cleaning brushes, and removing wet paint if necessary	Odorless mineral spirits (OMS)
Canvas	Support surface	Primed linen or cotton canvas
Charcoal or thinned paint	Initial sketching of the cityscape composition	Vine charcoal or diluted oil paint
Palette knives and rags	Application, scraping, and texturing paint	—
Paintbrushes	Traditional application of paint	—

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be properly primed to accept oil paint. While specific preparation for Malayan is not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting practice involves ensuring the surface is stable to prevent cracking. The 'fat over lean' rule dictates that the initial layers must be leaner (more solvent, less oil) to allow proper drying and adhesion of subsequent layers (Source 1).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the cityscape onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint. This step establishes the composition, including the placement of buildings, sky, and any focal points. Contour drawing techniques can be employed to emphasize the mass and volume of the urban structures rather than fine details, focusing on the outlined shapes and perspective (Source 1, Source 8).

underpainting

Consider creating a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values and composition before applying color. This technique involves painting in neutral tones, mentally extracting specific colors like red and yellow to focus on form and light. Once dry, this layer serves as a foundation for glazing and scumbling, allowing the underlying painting to influence the final color appearance (Source 2).

color palette

Neutral Grays/Browns

Black, white, and earth tones

Grisaille underpainting to establish value structure

Warm Tones (Reds/Yellows)

Cadmium red, yellow ochre, etc.

Glazing and scumbling to add warmth and atmospheric depth, particularly in sky or illuminated areas

Cool Tones (Blues/Greens)

Ultramarine, phthalo blue, etc.

Shadows and distant elements to create depth and contrast with warm tones

High Contrast Accents

Bright whites or saturated hues

Small, high-contrast elements to draw the viewer's eye and create focal points

composition

The composition should avoid exact bisections of the picture space and place the prominent subject off-center to create balance with smaller satellite elements (Source 4). The horizon line should be positioned to emphasize either the sky or the ground, avoiding a 50/50 split. Use detailed areas and 'rest' areas to guide the viewer's eye, ensuring the gaze moves around all elements before exiting the picture. Small, high-contrast elements can have as much impact as larger, duller ones, helping to prevent the work from becoming a mere pattern (Source 4).

step by step

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

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the cityscape composition using charcoal or thinned paint, focusing on the mass and volume of buildings rather than fine details.
Tip — Ensure the horizon line is off-center and the main subject is not facing out of the image.
Contour drawing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a lean monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values. Use black, white, and earth tones to define light and shadow.
Tip — Keep this layer lean (more solvent) to adhere to the 'fat over lean' rule.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the underpainting is dry, begin applying color. Start with broader masses of color, using oil mixed with solvents for thinner applications.
Tip — Avoid adding too much oil in early layers to prevent cracking.
Direct painting

refining

step 04
Use glazing (transparent coats) and scumbling (semi-opaque layers) to build up color and texture. Glaze with red and yellow tones to warm up highlights, and scumble over darker grounds to create coldness or gray blooms.
Tip — Ensure each layer has more oil than the previous one ('fat over lean').
Glazing and Scumbling
step 05
Adjust colors by mixing with complements to neutralize hues without shifting them undesirably. Use palette knives or rags to scrape off paint or adjust texture if needed.
Tip — Oil paint remains wet longer, allowing for changes in color, texture, or form.
Color mixing and scraping

finishing

step 06
Add small, high-contrast elements to create focal points and guide the viewer's eye. Ensure detailed areas are balanced with 'rest' areas.
Tip — Check that no spaces between objects are identical to maintain visual interest.
Compositional balancing

varnishing

step 07
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks) before applying varnish if desired. Varnish can enhance sheen and protect the paint film.
Tip — Ensure the paint is fully dry to avoid 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. This is a basic rule of oil paint application.

Glazing and Scumbling

Glazing involves applying transparent coats of color, while scumbling uses semi-opaque layers. These techniques allow the underlying painting to influence the final appearance, adding depth and atmospheric effects.

Contour Drawing

Used in the underdrawing phase to emphasize the mass and volume of the cityscape elements rather than fine details, focusing on the outlined shapes.

common pitfalls

→Violating the 'fat over lean' rule by applying lean layers over fat layers, which can cause the painting to crack and peel (Source 1).
→Adding black to darken colors, which can cause undesirable hue shifts (e.g., yellows shifting toward green). Instead, use complementary colors to neutralize and darken (Source 7).
→Creating a composition with exact bisections or centered subjects, which can make the work appear static or pattern-like (Source 4).
→Over-modeling or being too tied to outlines, which can result in a timid or small-scale appearance. Use broad masses and avoid excessive detail in all areas (Source 3, Source 4).

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 Otzun (e.g., exact buildings, color scheme, weather conditions) are not described in the sources, so the guide relies on general expressionist and oil painting techniques.
·Petros Malayan's specific personal habits or unique deviations from standard oil painting practice are not detailed in the provided sources.
·The exact medium ratios (oil to solvent) used by the artist are unknown, so general recommendations are provided.

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
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on avoiding over-modeling and focusing on broad masses

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 times
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Compositional principles such as off-center subjects, horizon line placement, and contrast
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Color mixing techniques, avoiding hue shifts when darkening
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Contour drawing — part 1 — applied to Underdrawing technique focusing on mass and volume
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Context of cityscape as a landscape genre with sky and weather elements

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

Light falls from the upper left, casting the stone church structure into warm ochre tones against a dramatic, cloud-filled sky of blue and grey. The eye enters at the domed bell tower with its cross, then travels down the massive arched entrance and outward to the two dark-robed figures standing in the sandy courtyard. The gnarled tree on the right anchors the composition with its twisted, almost sculptural form. Architectural forms are simplified into broad planes—the building reads as one unified stone mass rather than intricate detail.

value structure

The darkest darks are concentrated in three places: the deep shadows of the arched doorway, the silhouettes of the two standing figures, and the tree's trunk and foliage. Mid-tones dominate the stone walls in warm grey-ochre. The sky reads as a series of mid-light to light values with cooler blue greys. Squint: the composition splits into light building mass against darker sky, with the figures and tree creating dark anchors within the sand.

observed palette and mixes

#a1a597
Raw sienna + titanium white + touch of ultramarine
Main sunlit stone walls of the church and courtyard ground
#787c6d
Ultramarine blue + raw sienna + white
Shadow areas on the building's north-facing walls and recessed archway
#8d9386
Cerulean blue + burnt sienna + white
Mid-tone sky passages and atmospheric recession
#373228
Ultramarine + burnt umber + touch of alizarin
Silhouettes of figures, tree trunk, and deepest doorway shadow
#6b6245
Yellow ochre + ultramarine + white
Weathered stone texture, warmer mid-shadows on walls

edges and brushwork

Edges vary dramatically: the building's outline against sky is soft and broken, suggesting age and atmospheric haze, while the figures remain harder and more defined silhouettes. Brushwork is loose and directional—you'll see distinct horizontal strokes in the sky clouds, vertical dragging in the stone walls to suggest weathering, and gestural swirls in the tree foliage. The archway entrance uses softer edges where light and shadow meet, but the doorway shadow itself is crisply dark.

a working sequence

01
Establish the sky wash
Wet your entire sky area with clean water. While damp, drop in cerulean and ultramarine blues in the upper regions, allowing them to pool and bleed softly. Add greyish tones (ultramarine + raw sienna + white premixed) into the mid-sky. Let the clouds form naturally—don't overwork. The sky should read cooler than the building.
02
Lay the main building mass
Mix a warm mid-tone from raw sienna, ultramarine, and white. Apply it as a loose wash across the entire church structure, defining the broad plane of the front-facing wall. Leave the archway opening unpainted for now. Don't fight for precision; the building is a unified warm mass against the cool sky.
03
Model the stone with shadow planes
While the building wash is still damp, drop in a cooler, darker shadow mix (ultramarine + raw sienna + less white) along the left edge of the bell tower and down the left side of the main wall. This establishes form. The shadows should feel soft where applied wet-into-wet, but don't blur them away entirely—weathered stone keeps some edge.
04
Paint the archway entrance
Mix your darkest value (ultramarine + burnt umber + touch of alizarin) and block in the deep shadow of the arched doorway. Keep the arch shape loose but readable. This dark void is crucial—it's where the eye naturally goes. Don't blend it out; let it sit as a strong shape.
05
Define the ground plane
The sandy courtyard is a warm light tone (raw sienna + white with a hint of ultramarine for atmosphere). Apply this as a broad, simple wash. Leave it relatively flat; the ground doesn't need much modulation. This unites the base of the composition.
06
Plant the silhouetted figures
Using your darkest mix again, paint the two robed figures as simple dark shapes standing in the courtyard. They should be almost graphic—dark vertical forms without internal detail. Their solidity against the light ground anchors human scale to the architecture.
07
Build the twisted tree
The tree on the right is gnarled and expressionistic. Start with a warm golden-brown (yellow ochre + ultramarine + touch of sienna) for the foliage mass, applied with dry-brush strokes—thick, directional, broken. Then drag your darkest value through it for the trunk, letting it twist and turn. The tree should feel organic and slightly chaotic compared to the building's geometry.
08
Texture and atmospheric detail
Step back and squint. If the building reads as one warm mass against a cool sky with dark figures and a dark tree anchoring the composition, you have the structure. Now add subtle texture: dry-brush vertical strokes on the stone walls to suggest weathering, a hint of a cross atop the bell tower, perhaps a distant horizon line. These details refine without overworking.
09
Final adjustments and edges
Review your value relationships. The sky should feel atmospheric and recessive; the building should feel solid and present; the figures and tree should read as strong darks. Soften any harsh edges that don't belong (especially where the building meets sky), and sharpen edges that ground the composition (the archway, the figures against the ground).

where studies of this painting go wrong

Over-detailing the stone wall: this is an expressionist work, not architectural documentation. Treat it as one unified warm mass broken only by shadow planes and weathering texture—avoid rendering individual blocks or windows.
Making the sky too opaque or uniform: the sky needs to feel atmospheric and cloud-filled with breathing space between the pigment strokes. Let water do the work; don't overbrush.
Losing the dark silhouettes: the figures and tree are crucial dark anchors that hold the composition. If they're too light or blended away, the whole image loses its ground and weight.
Rendering the tree too realistically: the tree is a gestural, twisted form—expressionistic, not botanical. Its energy comes from broken, directional brushwork and the contrast of warm and dark, not from careful branch structure.

measured difficulty