plate no. 2815

Purple Mountains, Vence

Marsden Hartley, 1926

oilRegionalismlandscapemountainslandscapehillsskycloudsroad

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in simplifying complex landscapes into geometric forms and understanding color relationships to create depth and atmosphere. It also provides practice in using visible brushstrokes to build texture and form.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the mountains, hills, and road, focusing on the overall composition.
step 02
Block in the sky with light blue and white, creating soft cloud shapes.
step 03
Establish the mountain ranges using varying shades of purple, pink, and blue, layering colors to create depth.
step 04
Define the hills and fields with blocks of green, yellow, and pink, paying attention to the light and shadow.
step 05
Add the road using a light pink or beige, following the curves and perspective.
step 06
Paint the trees and foliage with short, broken brushstrokes of dark green and brown.
step 07
Add the small building on the hill with white and light gray.
step 08
Refine details and adjust colors as needed to achieve the desired effect.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · titanium white · alizarin crimson · cadmium yellow

secondary · viridian green · burnt umber · yellow ochre

Mix purples by combining ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson. Achieve variations in green by mixing ultramarine blue and cadmium yellow. Use white to lighten colors and create tints.

techniques

·color blocking
·broken color
·scumbling
·layering
·atmospheric perspective

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the simplified, geometric feel.
→Using colors straight from the tube without mixing, resulting in a flat and uninteresting palette.
→Ignoring the atmospheric perspective, causing the mountains to appear flat.
→Making the road too uniform and not following the perspective.