plate no. 8570

Saint Francis Borgia Helping a Dying Impenitent

oilRomanticismreligious paintingfigurebeddemonsreligious sceneinteriorcross

what to study here

It shows how a few controlled decisions about value, edge sharpness and temperature can organize a crowded, dramatic scene around one pale figure.

The main thing to study here is how value does the storytelling. The vision guide reports three zones: the demons and the saint's robe sit near black, the mid-tone is a green-grey wall with an emerald drapery, and the dying man's flesh and linens are the lightest lights. That puts the brightest note on the figure the saint is trying to save. Look at the edges. The linens and pale flesh have relatively sharp boundaries, the saint's black robe is a crisp silhouette against a lighter wall, and the demons soften and blur into the dark ground, so they seem to emerge from shadow. Then follow the temperature shift: orange-red glow upper left, greenish-brown through the center, pale cream near the priest. A light from the upper right models the saint's face, and the golden crucifix is a small warm accent against the black robe. Brushwork is broad and directional in the drapery, softer in the background. Notice how the eye travels from the demons across the man to the priest's raised hand.

key decision

Goya made the dying man the lightest value and gave him the sharpest edges, while the demons dissolve into near-black shadow and the saint stays a dark silhouette. This directs attention to the figure at stake.

recreation guide

This recreation guide addresses Francisco Goya’s *Saint Francis Borgia Helping a Dying Impenitent*, a work situated within the Romantic style and religious genre. While the specific visual inventory of this particular painting is not detailed in the provided sources, the guide relies on the documented practices of oil painting relevant to the period and the artist’s general approach to materiality. Goya’s work is characterized by a mastery of oil paint’s capacity for illusion and emotional expression, avoiding mere deception in favor of 'painted symbols' that convey feeling (Source 5). The process emphasizes the traditional 'old master' techniques of glazing and scumbling, which were widely practiced by artists of this caliber to achieve depth and luminosity, rather than the opaque mixing favored by some modern painters (Source 1).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions (allowing for drying times between glaze layers)

materials

6 items

steps

7 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Linseed oil	Primary medium for thinning paint and creating glazes; essential for the 'fat over lean' rule.	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or Turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers and cleaning brushes; allows for faster drying in early stages.	Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) or Gamsol
Oil of Copavia (or Dammar varnish)	Historical medium mentioned by Reynolds for first and second paintings; provides a hard, clear finish for glazes.	Dammar varnish mixed with odorless solvent
Charcoal or Thinned Paint	For the initial sketching of the subject onto the canvas.	Vine charcoal or raw umber thinned with solvent
Palette Knives and Rags	For scraping off paint if corrections are needed while wet, or for applying texture.	Standard artist palette knives and lint-free cotton rags
Black, Ultramarine, and White	Core pigments for the initial monochrome underpainting (grisaille) as per Reynolds’ method.	Ivory Black, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be primed with a ground that allows for the 'fat over lean' application rule. While specific ground recipes for Goya are not in the sources, traditional practice involves a stable base to prevent cracking. The surface must be dry and ready to accept the initial sketch.

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint (Source 2). This establishes the composition and forms before any opaque color is applied. Ensure the drawing captures the 'center of interest' to prevent the work from becoming merely a pattern (Source 4).

underpainting

Create a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or a similar medium (Source 1). This step involves 'mentally extracting the red and yellow colours' to establish value and form without color distraction (Source 1). This layer must be completely dry before proceeding.

color palette

Black

Ivory Black or Lamp Black

Underpainting shadows and defining forms in the grisaille stage.

Ultramarine

Natural Ultramarine

Underpainting mid-tones and cool shadows in the grisaille stage.

White

Lead White (historical) or Titanium White (modern)

Underpainting highlights and mixing with black/ultramarine for the grisaille.

Red and Yellow Tones

Vermilion, Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow

Glazing and scumbling over the dry grisaille to introduce warmth and flesh tones.

composition

While the specific layout of *Saint Francis Borgia* is not described in the sources, apply general compositional principles for religious art: ensure a clear center of interest (Source 4). Avoid exact bisections of the picture space and position the prominent subject off-center unless a formal symmetry is desired (Source 4). Use detailed areas to draw the eye and 'rest' areas to provide balance (Source 4). The viewer's eye should be led around all elements before exiting the picture (Source 4).

step by step

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

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the figures of Saint Francis Borgia and the dying impenitent using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the composition has a clear focal point and avoids dividing the canvas in half.
Initial Sketch

underpainting

step 02
Mix black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia (or a modern equivalent like dammar varnish/solvent mix). Paint the entire scene in monochrome (grisaille), focusing on value and form.
Tip — Mentally exclude red and yellow hues to focus on the structural light and shadow.
Grisaille Underpainting

first pass

step 04
Begin glazing and scumbling with oil. Apply transparent coats of red and yellow tones over the grisaille, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; it allows the underlying grisaille to show through, creating depth.
Glazing

drying

step 03
Allow the grisaille layer to dry completely. This may take days to weeks depending on thickness and environment.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation; do not rush this step.
Oxidation Drying

refining

step 05
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones, particularly over darker grounds where it may create a 'grey bloom' or coldness if not managed carefully.
Tip — Scumbling allows the underlying painting to make itself felt; use it to soften transitions or add texture.
Scumbling

finishing

step 06
Apply subsequent layers ensuring each contains more oil than the previous ('fat over lean') to prevent cracking.
Tip — If a layer contains less oil, the final painting will crack and peel.
Fat Over Lean

varnishing

step 07
Once fully dry, apply a final varnish if desired, though the initial glazes may have used varnish/oil mixes.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry to the touch (usually within two weeks, but longer for thick layers).
Final Varnish

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used by old masters to build color depth. Glazing adds transparent color; scumbling adds semi-opaque texture. This method was more common among old masters than modern painters often realize.

Fat Over Lean

Each additional layer of paint must contain more oil than the layer below to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking.

Material Expression

Use oil paint not just to deceive the eye with naturalism, but to express feeling through the vitality of the medium itself.

common pitfalls

→Applying layers with less oil than the previous layer, leading to cracking and peeling (Source 2).
→Attempting to achieve naturalistic deception rather than expressing feeling through the medium's vitality (Source 5).
→Over-modeling or being too tied to the outline, which can make the painting appear timid or small (Source 7).
→Ignoring the 'fat over lean' rule, which compromises the stability of the paint film (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 visual details of *Saint Francis Borgia Helping a Dying Impenitent* (e.g., exact clothing colors, background elements, facial expressions) are not described in the sources and cannot be invented.
·Goya’s specific personal palette preferences for this particular work are not detailed; the guide uses general old master techniques supported by the sources.
·The exact year of creation is not available, so period-specific material constraints are inferred from general Romantic/Old Master practices.

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 (grisaille) and glazing/scumbling techniques.
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on avoiding over-modeling and smallness.
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint for expression rather than mere deception.

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 Materials, 'fat over lean' rule, and drying times.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 1 & 6 — applied to Compositional principles (center of interest, avoiding bisection).

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

A dying man lies prone on a bed in the left-center, his pale body emerging from white linens and a vivid emerald-green drapery—his form the brightest value in the painting. Clustered grotesquely above and around him is a mass of demons rendered in sickly olive-browns and deep shadows, their malevolent faces twisting upward. On the right, Saint Francis Borgia stands in commanding black robes, silhouetted against a sickly green-grey wall, his face illuminated from an upper-right light source, right hand raised protectively with a golden crucifix toward the demon mass. The background transitions from warm orange-red hellish flames (upper left) through greenish-brown to pale cream tones near the priest—the light source and atmospheric drama pull the eye from the demons' shadow, across the dying man, to the priest's gesturing authority.

value structure

Three distinct value zones: the demons and priest's robe occupy the darkest darks (near black); the dying man's pale flesh and white linens are the lightest lights, creating extreme contrast; the background wall sits in mid-tone green-grey-browns. The emerald drapery acts as a middle value, warm ochres in the upper left shadows provide a bridge to the sickly greens. Squinting reveals a clear dark-left-to-light-right diagonal, with high contrast at the figure boundaries and softer transitions in the background shadows.

observed palette and mixes

#0c0a04
Ultramarine blue + burnt sienna + touch of black
Deepest shadows in demons' faces and priest's robe folds
#1d1606
Burnt sienna + ultramarine + yellow ochre
Dark modeling shadows on demon faces and bedding
#47430f
Raw sienna + ultramarine + cadmium yellow
Mid-tone demon skin and atmospheric shadows
#6d6021
Yellow ochre + raw sienna + cadmium red
Warmer highlights on demon skin and flames in upper left
#3b2008
Burnt sienna + alizarin + touch of ultramarine
Reddish-brown shadows on bed and demon forms
#b6954b
Yellow ochre + cadmium yellow + raw sienna + white
Pale demon highlights and warmer wall tones near light source
#2a8e3e
Viridian + cadmium yellow + touch of ultramarine
Emerald-green drapery covering the bed
#f5f0e8
White + yellow ochre + touch of alizarin
Dying man's pale flesh tones and white linens
#d4af37
Cadmium yellow + cadmium red + touch of white
Golden crucifix catching light

edges and brushwork

The handling is broad and directional—the white linens and pale flesh have relatively sharp, defining edges that separate them from surrounding greens and shadows, while the demons' grotesque forms soften and blur into the dark background, suggesting they emerge from or dissolve into shadow. The priest's black robes show crisp silhouette edges against the glowing wall, while drapery folds are rendered with visible, confident brushstrokes. The background employs softer blending and atmospheric strokes to create depth; the foreground bed drapery shows more visible texture and stroke direction.

a working sequence

01
Establish composition and value structure
Lightly draw the placement of the three focal points: dying man center-left on the bed, demon mass upper-left clustered around him, priest right side with raised arm. Identify your darkest darks (demons, priest's robe shadows), lightest lights (dying man's skin, wall behind priest), and mid-tone anchors (the emerald bed drapery, ochre wall). Block in these value zones with dilute wash to establish the tonal foundation before adding color.
02
Paint the atmospheric background
Start with the sickly greenish-grey wall that occupies most of the upper-right and background. Begin with a muted green-brown (mix viridian + raw sienna + white), then introduce warmer cream-ochre tones near the upper-right light source where a window suggests supernatural illumination. Blend these transitions softly—the wall should feel sickly and oppressive, not vibrant. Paint the hellish orange-red glow in the upper-left shadows with cadmium red + cadmium yellow + touch of alizarin, letting it warm the demon cluster above the bed.
03
Block in bed drapery and linens
Establish the vivid emerald-green bedspread with confident broad strokes, noting how it drapes diagonally across the lower composition and wraps the dying man. The folds should show directional brushwork—don't blend away the texture. Block in the white/cream linens (use white + yellow ochre + touch of alizarin for warmth) where they pool under and around the body. These bright values will frame and isolate the dying man's figure.
04
Paint the dying man
Begin with the palest flesh tones: white + yellow ochre + minimal alizarin to suggest illness and death (avoid rosy health). The body is relaxed, almost collapsed into the bed—the chest is broad, the limbs limp. Define his gaunt face with careful modeling: shadows on one side (ultramarine + alizarin) to suggest the light from the priest's side. His visible hand should feel lifeless. Keep the flesh tones cool and pale—avoid warm peachy tones that suggest vitality. This figure should read as almost corpse-like.
05
Paint the demon cluster
Build the grotesque mass above and around the dying man using a brown-ochre base (raw sienna + cadmium red). Each demon face is distinct but they interlock—distorted mouths open, eyes wide and evil, features compressed and exaggerated. Use ultramarine + burnt sienna for deep shadow modeling in the eye sockets and mouth shadows. The upper-left demons are warmer (cadmium red + ochre) catching the hellish glow; those lower and further back are cooler and darker. Soften edges where demons dissolve into shadow—they should seem to emerge from darkness rather than sit on top of it.
06
Paint the priest and his gesture
Render Saint Francis Borgia as a commanding vertical figure on the right: black robes (ultramarine + burnt sienna, not pure black) with defined edges against the pale wall. His face is the only warm-toned head in the composition—use yellow ochre + raw sienna + white, keeping it luminous from the upper-right light. His raised right arm and open hand gestures protectively; the movement is bold and authoritative. His left hand holds the crucifix firmly. The black robes create a strong value anchor that makes the pale priest's face and the dying man's body read as highlights.
07
Paint and refine the crucifix
The golden crucifix held by the priest is small but spiritually crucial. Mix a warm golden-ochre (cadmium yellow + cadmium red + touch of white) and paint it with precision. The cross catches light and should glow slightly—add highlights with pale yellow. This detail is the focal point of spiritual power; getting its luminosity and placement correct transforms the composition from depicting a struggle into depicting intercession. Ensure it reads clearly against both the priest's dark robes and the surrounding atmosphere.
08
Refine atmospheric effects and glazes
Step back and assess the overall value relationships. The background should feel like it's receding—the warm oranges upper-left (the flames), cool-greens center, and pale creams upper-right create atmospheric perspective. Soften the demon edges further where they dissolve into shadow using thin glazes (dilute brown + ultramarine). Enhance the hellish glow around the demons. Add subtle warm reflections on the white linens from the ambient hellish light. The priest's face should be the warmest, most-illuminated form—ensure it reads as lit by a divine light from outside the painting.

where studies of this painting go wrong

The emerald-green drapery can easily become too bright and acidic or too dull and lifeless—it must be a specific muted depth (viridian + cadmium yellow + touch of ultramarine + white in careful proportion) that anchors the composition without screaming
The demons' faces are grotesque but must remain painterly and emotionally effective; push too hard into cartoonish exaggeration and they lose their spiritual menace—study each distorted feature carefully rather than improvising
The dying man's flesh tones can read as jaundiced or corpse-grey if too much warm ochre is used, or too cold and greenish if blues dominate; the key is using very pale, slightly warm, slightly desaturated tones that suggest life leaving the body
The atmospheric lighting transition (warm hellish left → cool-green center → luminous pale right) is subtle and essential; missing this shifts the painting from spiritual drama to simple illustration
The crucifix is tiny but the eye goes there immediately—if it's poorly rendered or loses its luminous quality, the entire spiritual intention of the composition collapses; paint it deliberately and ensure its golden glow contrasts with the black robe

measured difficulty