plate no. 5751

Port of Saint-Tropez, Evening Effect

Francis Picabia, 1909

oil, canvasExpressionismcityscapeboatsbuildingswaterskyfiguresharbor

some experience helpful

This painting provides an opportunity to practice color mixing and layering to achieve vibrant hues and learn how to simplify complex scenes into basic shapes and forms. Students can also develop skills in creating a sense of depth through color and perspective.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the buildings, boats, and mountains.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color for the sky, water, and land using thinned paint.
step 03
Establish the basic values and color temperatures for the buildings, focusing on the warm yellows and oranges.
step 04
Paint the boats, paying attention to the reflections in the water.
step 05
Add details to the buildings, such as windows and shadows.
step 06
Refine the shapes of the boats and add masts and rigging.
step 07
Add figures and other small details to the foreground.
step 08
Adjust colors and values as needed to create a cohesive and vibrant painting.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · cadmium red · violet

secondary · viridian green · titanium white

Mix violet with white for the foreground. Use yellow ochre and cadmium red for the buildings. Mix ultramarine blue and viridian green for the water, adjusting with white for highlights.

techniques

·color layering
·broken color
·impasto
·scumbling
·simplification of form

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the expressive brushstrokes.
→Not establishing a clear value structure.
→Using colors straight from the tube without mixing.
→Making the colors too uniform and lacking variation.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, cadmium red, violet, viridian green, titanium white)
·palette
·palette knife
·assorted brushes (flat and round)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits