plate no. 8204

Portrait of academician Ivan Yanzhul

Vladimir Makovsky, 1907

oilRealismportraitportraitmanbookglassesbeardclothing

what to study here

It shows a clear three-zone value structure and varied edge handling, loose background, soft face, fragmented beard, carrying a quiet reading portrait.

The useful lesson here is how the painter keeps a portrait readable by sorting it into three value zones: a bright face and beard, a dark torso, and a soft green background, with no confused mid-values between them. The near-white beard and bald forehead are the brightest values, so the eye lands there first and then moves down to the book and the concentrating gaze. Warm light from the upper left models the skull and cheeks in soft warm mid-tones, with shadows held to the eye sockets and temple. Study the edge handling: the face is modeled by temperature shift rather than outline, the beard is broken into gestural, fragmented strokes, and the background is loose, directional diagonal and vertical strokes that read as atmosphere. The jacket gets bolder, flatter strokes that give it weight. The hands are rendered more carefully in warm medium-lights and bridge the dark torso and bright head. Squint at it and check that the three zones hold. Notice also how much is left unfinished in the background so the head carries the attention.

key decision

The painter ordered the values into bright head, dark torso and quiet mid-dark green background, with no competing mid-values. Loose, directional background strokes keep that backdrop secondary to the warm face.

recreation guide

Vladimir Makovsky’s 'Portrait of Academician Ivan Yanzhul' (1907) represents the artist’s mature phase, characterized by a shift from the social realism and irony of his earlier works toward more somber, dignified representations. Makovsky, a founding member of the Association of Travelling Art Exhibitions and later Rector of the Preparatory School of the Academy of Art, was known for his technical mastery and ability to capture psychological depth (Source 3). This portrait likely employs the rigorous academic training Makovsky received and taught, emphasizing realistic volume and perspective consistent with the Northern European oil painting tradition that influenced Russian academic art (Source 5). The work reflects the 'Realism' style, focusing on faithful reproduction of the subject’s complexion and attire, avoiding the 'crudity or too great intensity of colours' that might detract from the portrait’s dignity (Source 1).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Linseed oil	Primary medium for mixing paints and glazing	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits/Turpentine	Thinner for initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits
Canvas	Support surface, preferred over wood for its resistance to cracking and pigment holding	Primed linen or cotton canvas
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Earth tones)	For grisaille underpainting and final color layers	Artist-grade oil paints
Varnish	For final glazing and protection, mixed with oil for transparency	Dammar or synthetic resin varnish

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground that allows for the 'fat over lean' principle, ensuring each subsequent layer contains more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking (Source 6). Makovsky, trained in the Moscow School, would have utilized a standard academic ground, likely a white or warm-toned gesso, to facilitate the layering techniques described in traditional oil painting practices (Source 5).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint, establishing the basic proportions and pose (Source 6). Makovsky’s academic background suggests a precise initial drawing, focusing on the realistic volume and perspective of the figure, consistent with the Northern European tradition of portraiture (Source 5).

underpainting

Create a monochrome grisaille underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or linseed oil (Source 2). This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow tones to establish the value structure of the portrait. The grisaille should be allowed to dry completely before proceeding to color layers (Source 2).

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure ultramarine blue

Grisaille underpainting and cool shadows

White

Lead white or titanium white

Highlights and mixing with ultramarine/black for grisaille

Black

Ivory black or lamp black

Deep shadows in grisaille and defining contours

Earth tones (Ochre, Sienna)

Yellow ochre, burnt sienna

General use in this artist's palette for skin tones and clothing, applied via glazing

Red tones

Vermilion or cadmium red

Glazing over grisaille to add warmth to complexion, avoiding 'crudity' by using light tones or breaking with grey (Source 1)

composition

While specific compositional details of this portrait are not described in the sources, Makovsky’s general practice involved careful attention to the 'predominating colour in the complexion' and choosing accessories (dress, background) that give value to it (Source 1). The composition likely emphasizes the subject’s dignity and academic status, consistent with Makovsky’s later, more somber works (Source 3).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the figure using charcoal or thinned paint, focusing on accurate proportions and pose.
Tip — Ensure the drawing captures the realistic volume and perspective expected in academic portraiture.
Initial sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille layer using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil. Establish the full range of values without color.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow tones to focus on form and light.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the grisaille is dry, begin glazing with transparent coats of color, starting with yellow and red tones.
Tip — Use oil as a medium initially; this mimics tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Glazing

refining

step 04
Apply scumbling (semi-opaque painting) over darker areas to create coldness or grey blooms, allowing the underlying grisaille to show through.
Tip — This technique helps in achieving distinct parts and avoiding monotony in remote planes.
Scumbling
step 05
Adjust the complexion by identifying the predominant color and using complementary or broken tones to enhance it. Avoid crude intensity by using light tones or mixing with grey.
Tip — Ensure the dress and background colors complement the complexion to avoid a 'poor effect'.
Harmony of contrast

finishing

step 06
Apply final glazes with a mixture of varnish and oil to deepen colors and unify the surface.
Tip — This step adds depth and richness, consistent with old master techniques.
Varnish glazing

critical techniques

Fat over lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking. This is a basic rule of oil paint application.

Glazing and Scumbling

Glazing involves applying transparent coats of color over a dry grisaille, while scumbling uses semi-opaque paint to allow the underlayer to show through. These techniques were practiced by old masters and are crucial for achieving depth and texture in portraits.

Harmony of Contrast

Using complementary or broken tones to enhance the complexion and avoid monotony. This involves mixing colors with grey or using light tones of complementary colors to bring out specific hues.

common pitfalls

→Applying layers with less oil than the previous layer, leading to cracking and peeling (Source 6).
→Using crude or overly intense colors in the complexion, which can result in a 'poor effect' (Source 1).
→Neglecting the choice of dress and background colors, which can detract from the value of the complexion (Source 1).
→Failing to allow the grisaille to dry completely before glazing, which can muddy the colors (Source 2).

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 details of Ivan Yanzhul’s attire, facial expression, and pose are not described in the sources, so these must be inferred from general academic portrait conventions or external references not provided.
·The exact pigment palette used by Makovsky for this specific work is not detailed, so the guide relies on general period-appropriate pigments.
·The specific lighting conditions and background elements of the portrait are not covered, requiring the artist to make creative decisions based on Makovsky’s general style.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 328-331 — applied to Color theory, harmony of contrast, and complexion rendering
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille, glazing, and scumbling techniques

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia bio — Vladimir Makovsky↗
- Biography — applied to Artist’s background, style evolution, and academic context
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to General oil painting techniques, fat over lean principle, and materials
Wikipedia: Portrait painting↗
- Portrait painting — part 8 — applied to Historical context of oil portraiture and realism

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

An older gentleman in three-quarter view sits reading, his body angled down toward an open book held in both hands. Warm light from the upper left floods his face and beard, creating soft modeling across the planes of his skull and cheeks. The soft green background recedes behind him, rendered with loose directional brushwork that frames the warm tones of his figure. Your eye lands first on his luminous white beard and bald forehead—the brightest values in the painting—then travels down to the book and his concentrating gaze. The brown jacket anchors him with dark, warm weight against the cool-toned background.

value structure

The value structure is clearly ordered: near-white beard and forehead catch maximum light, face sits in warm mid-tones with subtle shadows in the eye sockets and temple, the jacket and book binding are your darkest darks, and the green background holds steady mid-to-mid-dark values. Squint at this painting and you see three zones—bright face, dark torso, soft background—with no confused mid-values between them. The hands bridge these zones, rendered in warm medium-lights to show how they catch the side-lighting.

observed palette and mixes

#c4c9a9
Titanium white + yellow ochre + touch of viridian
Beard highlights, forehead, collar, book pages
#928c61
Yellow ochre + burnt sienna + white
Face foundation and mid-tones, hands, warm highlights
#9ba77b
Viridian + yellow ochre + raw sienna
Primary background color, establishing the cool foil
#687c56
Viridian + ultramarine + yellow ochre + raw umber
Darker background areas, shadows in the clothing
#423429
Burnt umber + ultramarine + alizarin
Brown jacket, shadows on face, book binding
#121312
Ultramarine + burnt umber + alizarin
Darkest shadows—eye sockets, dark book interior, clothing depths

edges and brushwork

The background brushwork is deliberately loose and directional—you can see diagonal and vertical strokes that suggest atmosphere rather than define form. The face uses softer edges and subtle modeling through temperature shift rather than stark outlines; the beard employs gestural, fragmented strokes to capture wispy texture. The jacket has bolder, flatter strokes that suggest weight and form, while the hands are more carefully rendered with warm modeling that shows roundness through tone.

a working sequence

01
Value and proportional map
Lightly sketch the figure in profile—proportion check: the head sits about one-fifth down from the top, the book occupies roughly one-third of the composition width. Block in your three value zones with thin wash: light for face and beard, mid-dark for jacket and waistcoat, mid-light for background. Pay attention to how the head tilts forward toward the book—this downward gaze is the emotional core.
02
Paint the green background
Use directional brushstrokes—diagonal and vertical—to suggest the soft, atmospheric space behind him. Mix warm greens (yellow ochre + viridian) in the upper half where light touches it, and deeper cool greens (viridian + ultramarine) lower and to the right. Leave this soft; no detail or blending needed. This background should feel like air, not a wall.
03
Block in the jacket and waistcoat
Paint the brown jacket as one mid-dark mass using burnt umber + ultramarine, working around the collar edge. Below it, lay in the cool blue-green waistcoat (viridian + cerulean + white)—this cool note is essential to the color harmony. Don't blend; let the edges stay soft. The contrast between warm brown and cool blue should be obvious now.
04
Establish face base and underpainting
Lay down a warm mid-tone base across the entire face using yellow ochre + white + a touch of alizarin. Block in the shadow areas—eye sockets, the right temple, under the nose, and down the right cheek—with burnt sienna + ultramarine. Remember the light source: left side warm and bright, right side softer. Don't model details yet; just establish this warm-cool foundation.
05
Model the face with warm and cool shifts
Work into the face with warm lights (titanium white + yellow ochre) on the cheekbone, forehead, and nose tip. Add cool shadows (touch of viridian or ultramarine) into the eye sockets and temple to show recession. The nose should have warm pinkish tones (alizarin + ochre). Keep edges soft by blending gently; this is where the painting becomes lifelike. Pay attention to how the glasses sit—their dark frames should be understated, not prominent.
06
Paint the beard and hair
Use near-pure white (titanium white + touch of yellow ochre) for the beard highlights. Build texture with loose, fragmented strokes—don't render every hair. Add subtle shadows into the beard using cool grays (white + ultramarine + touch of alizarin) where the form recedes or where shadow from the face falls. The beard should read as soft, textured mass, not a smooth shape. Keep the hair above the ear dark but not black—burnt sienna + ultramarine.
07
Render the hands and book
Warm up the hands using yellow ochre + alizarin for local color; model them with light and shadow to show roundness and gesture. The left hand holding the book's left edge should feel substantial but not overwrought. Paint the book simply: dark brown binding (burnt umber + ultramarine), cream-yellow pages (titanium white + yellow ochre). The open pages should be flat and light; let them recede. The text on the page can be a few dark marks—don't be literal.
08
Refine edges and integrate
Soften the transition where the face meets the background—use a dry or barely-loaded brush to feather the edge. Clarify the eye—a dark pupil with a single highlight catching the light; this small detail anchors the entire portrait. Deepen any passages that look too light (eye sockets, beneath the chin). Add a touch of reflected light into the shadow side of the face using a cool, desaturated tone. Step back; the painting should read as one integrated study, not separate parts.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Rendering the beard uniformly gray—it needs warm shadows and cool highlights to sit in space. Leave it broken and textured, not smooth.
Over-working the background or making it too varied—it should feel soft and secondary. Loose brushwork and consistent temperature will keep it recessive.
Making the downcast gaze ambiguous—the eyes looking *at the book* is crucial to the narrative and character. If the gaze is uncertain, the whole portrait loses its contemplative power.
Muddying the skin tones by over-mixing or adding too much cool shadow too early—build warmth first, then layer cool accents. The face should feel alive and luminous.
Overpainting the book or making it compete with the face—keep it simple and soft. It's a prop, not the subject.

measured difficulty