plate no. 1238

Sebastian Martinez

oil, canvasRomanticismportraitportraitfiguremanclothingbookhistorical

recreation guide

Francisco Goya’s 'Sebastian Martinez' (1792) is a portrait executed in oil on canvas, situated within the Romanticist style. As a portrait, its primary intent is to represent a specific human subject, serving as a record of appearance and potentially encoding social status or character through symbolic elements or background choices (Source 4, Source 6). The work relies on the artist’s mastery of oil painting as a medium capable of expressing vital qualities rather than merely deceiving the eye with illusionistic detail (Source 7). Goya’s approach likely involves a sophisticated understanding of color contrast and harmony, where the juxtaposition of tones creates chiaroscuro and where complementary colors are used to intensify or soften specific hues, such as flesh tones, without altering the pigment itself (Source 2, Source 3).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

4 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints	Primary medium for the portrait, allowing for the expression of vital qualities and subtle tonal gradations.	—
Canvas	Support for the oil paint, prepared according to period standards.	—
Pencil, charcoal, or thin oil	For the initial underdrawing or sketching of the general form and rough likeness.	—
Palette knife and brushes	For applying paint in broad masses and refining details, adhering to the craftsman’s knowledge of the medium.	—

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared to support oil paint, which possesses vast capacity for illusion but must be handled to express the artist’s feeling rather than merely trick the eye (Source 7). While specific ground recipes for Goya are not detailed in the sources, the preparation must allow for the 'alphabet of our art'—the fundamental handling of the medium—to be expressed clearly (Source 1).

underdrawing

For complex compositions or portraits, the artist may first do a complete pencil, ink, charcoal, or oil sketch, particularly if the sitter's time is limited (Source 6). Alternatively, the general form and a rough likeness are sketched out on the canvas in pencil, charcoal, or thin oil (Source 6). Goya, as a sound craftsman, would ensure this underdrawing serves as a foundation for the subsequent application of paint, avoiding being 'too much tied down to your outline' if that is a personal weakness, or using it to correct tendencies toward smallness (Source 1).

underpainting

The sources do not explicitly describe Goya’s specific underpainting technique for this work. However, general practice suggests that after the underdrawing, the artist begins to apply paint. The order of operations should be decided by the artist’s weaknesses; if one fails in finish, copying detailed works is advised, but for original work, broad masses are often dealt with first (Source 1). The underpainting should establish the 'true gradation of light' through the juxtaposition of tones (Source 2).

color palette

Flesh tones

Likely a mix of earth tones, whites, and reds, adjusted for contrast.

The face and hands. The color of the flesh is fixed by the model, but the painter has a choice in how to render it using contrast laws (Source 2, Source 3).

Complementary accents

Colors opposite on the traditional RYB wheel (e.g., red/green, blue/orange).

To intensify or soften specific areas. For example, if carnations are too red, a green background or adjacent tone can make them appear pinker or less pronounced, leveraging simultaneous contrast (Source 3, Source 5).

Background tones

Dark or neutral tones, possibly with subtle color shifts.

To create chiaroscuro. Setting out from the line of juxtaposition, the tint of the highest tone is enfeebled while the lowest is heightened, producing a true gradation of light (Source 2).

composition

The composition likely places the sitter in a manner that serves as a record of their appearance, possibly including symbolic elements or a background that reflects their social milieu (Source 4, Source 6). The background can be totally black or a full scene; Goya’s choice would depend on the desired effect. The arrangement of colors should adhere to the laws of contrast, where juxtaposing different tones of the same color or complementary colors creates visual tension and harmony (Source 2, Source 5, Source 8).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the general form and rough likeness on the canvas using pencil, charcoal, or thin oil.
Tip — Ensure the likeness is recognizable but do not become too tied down to the outline, which can lead to timidity in painting (Source 1, Source 6).
Initial sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply broad masses of paint to establish the basic tones and forms, focusing on the gradation of light.
Tip — Use the law of contrast: when two flat tints of different tones are juxtaposed, the higher tone is enfeebled and the lower is heightened, creating a true gradation (Source 2).
Chiaroscuro

first pass

step 03
Develop the flesh tones and key features, paying attention to the inherent colors of the model.
Tip — If flesh tones appear too red, consider surrounding them with green tones to soften them, or use a red background to give a normal aspect (Source 3).
Color harmony

refining

step 04
Refine details and adjust contrasts, ensuring that the paint expresses the artist’s feeling rather than merely deceiving the eye.
Tip — Avoid misdirected effort toward pure illusion; remember that oil paint is a medium for expressing vital qualities and emotional ideas (Source 7).
Expressive realism

finishing

step 05
Final adjustments to color intensity and harmony, using complementary colors to enhance brilliance if needed.
Tip — To increase the brilliancy of a color, surround it with objects of its complementary color (Source 3).
Simultaneous contrast

critical techniques

Simultaneous Contrast

Used to modify the aspect of a color without changing it. For example, red beside blue verges on orange, and blue beside red verges on green. This allows the artist to intensify or soften colors by their surroundings (Source 3).

Chiaroscuro via Juxtaposition

Produced by placing two flat tints of different tones of the same color beside each other. The higher tone is enfeebled and the lower is heightened, creating a true gradation of light (Source 2).

Craftsmanship in Oil

The artist must be a sound craftsman with knowledge of the medium’s capacities. This involves handling broad masses and finish appropriately, avoiding smallness or over-modeling (Source 1).

common pitfalls

→Becoming too tied down to the outline, which can make the artist timid and prevent departure from the sketch (Source 1).
→Over-modeling or tending toward smallness, which can detract from the broad effects of the painting (Source 1).
→Attempting to deceive the eye with pure illusion rather than expressing the vital qualities of the medium and the artist’s feeling (Source 7).
→Ignoring the laws of color contrast, which can lead to muddy or ineffective color harmonies (Source 2, Source 3).

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 pigments used by Goya for this particular painting are not detailed in the sources.
·The exact background and clothing details of Sebastian Martinez are not described in the sources, so specific compositional elements must be inferred from general portrait practices.
·Goya’s specific underpainting medium (e.g., grisaille, verdaccio) is not specified.
·The exact lighting conditions and pose of the sitter are not described in the sources.

grounded in

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

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- ON COPYING — applied to Underdrawing and avoiding over-modeling
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Chiaroscuro and tonal gradation
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others... — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color intensity
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of oil painting and medium expression

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia: Portrait painting↗
- Portrait painting — part 1 — applied to Purpose of the portrait and likeness
- Portrait painting — part 5 — applied to Underdrawing and composition process
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Complementary colors — part 1 — applied to Color theory and harmony
Wikipedia: Harmony (color)↗
- Harmony (color) — part 1 — applied to Color harmony principles