plate no. 6745
Still life. Vase with flowers on the window
Paul Gauguin, 1881
recreation guide
This artwork, 'Still life. Vase with flowers on the window' (1881), represents a transitional moment in Paul Gauguin’s career. While categorized here under Impressionism, Gauguin was beginning to diverge from strict Impressionist observation toward a more symbolic and expressive use of color, a shift that would later define his Post-Impressionist and Synthetist styles (Source 7). The subject matter—a vase with flowers—is a classic still life, a genre that allows the artist significant freedom to experiment with the arrangement of elements and the interplay of light and color (Source 1). At this stage (1881), Gauguin was still influenced by his mentor Camille Pissarro and the broader Impressionist circle, but he was already developing a bolder approach to color that would eventually reject subtle gradations in favor of flat areas of pure color (Source 7, Source 2).
estimated time
12-18 hours over 3-4 sessions
materials
5 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (primary colors: red, yellow, blue, plus white and black) | To create the palette. Gauguin’s early work relied on standard oil pigments, though he later moved toward more vivid, unmixed colors. | Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Ultramarine Blue, Ivory Black |
| Canvas | The support for the painting. Standard for oil painting of this period. | Linen or cotton canvas, primed with gesso |
| Brushes (flat and filbert) | For applying paint. Gauguin’s early style involved visible brushwork consistent with Impressionist techniques. | Synthetic or natural hair brushes |
| Turpentine or Odorless Mineral Spirits | Thinner for initial layers and cleaning. Source 8 notes that solvents like turpentine ensure a duller surface, which may be relevant if aiming for a matte finish, though Gauguin’s early work likely had some gloss. | Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) |
| Linseed Oil | Medium to increase flow and gloss. Used sparingly in early layers to maintain consistency. | Stand Linseed Oil or refined Linseed Oil |
preparation
surface prep
Prepare a standard oil-primed canvas. While Source 8 discusses mural techniques involving a 'mat or dull surface' achieved with little oil or wax, Gauguin’s 1881 canvas work likely followed standard Impressionist practices of the time, which did not necessarily prioritize a matte finish over the vibrancy of color. However, avoiding excessive gloss in the underlayers can help maintain color clarity.
underdrawing
Gauguin’s early work was largely self-taught and informal (Source 7). There is no specific evidence in the sources that he used a detailed underdrawing for this specific still life. It is likely he sketched lightly with charcoal or thinned paint directly on the canvas, consistent with the Impressionist practice of working directly from observation or memory without rigid academic underdrawings.
underpainting
An imprimatura or tonal underpainting may have been used to establish values, but sources do not specify Gauguin’s exact method for this 1881 work. Given his Impressionist associations, he likely worked wet-on-wet or with thin initial layers to capture light effects, rather than a strict grisaille underpainting.
color palette
Vibrant Yellows and Oranges
Cadmium Yellow, Ochre, and Red mixed to create oranges
Gauguin was influenced by the Impressionist use of complementary colors, particularly orange and blue (Source 6). These would likely appear in the flowers or highlights.
Blues and Violets
Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, and touches of Red
Used in contrast to oranges to enhance brilliance, a technique studied by Impressionists like Monet and Van Gogh (Source 6). Likely used in shadows or the background/window area.
Greens
Yellow and Blue mixed, or tube greens
Foliage. Gauguin’s later work moved toward flat greens, but in 1881, he likely used mixed greens consistent with Impressionist broken color techniques.
Neutrals/Greys
Complementary colors mixed to neutralize, rather than just adding black
Shadows and mid-tones. Source 3 warns against adding black to darken colors as it shifts hue; using complements is a more sophisticated approach likely employed by an artist studying color theory.
composition
The composition features a vase with flowers on a window sill. Still life allows the artist 'much freedom to experiment with the arrangement of elements within a composition' (Source 1). Gauguin’s early work did not yet exhibit the 'heavy black outlines' or 'flat areas of colour' of his later Cloisonnist style (Source 2), so the composition likely relies on traditional perspective and modeling, albeit with a boldness in color placement that hints at his future direction. The window setting suggests an interest in light, a key Impressionist concern.
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Lightly sketch the vase, flowers, and window frame with charcoal or thinned paint. Focus on the basic shapes and proportions.
Tip — Keep lines loose; Gauguin’s early style was informal (Source 7).
Direct sketching
underpainting
step 02
Apply thin washes of color to establish the general light and shadow areas. Use cool tones for shadows and warm tones for highlights, reflecting the Impressionist interest in light.
Tip — Avoid muddying colors; keep layers thin.
Tonal blocking
first pass
step 03
Begin applying thicker paint to the flowers and vase. Use complementary colors to enhance vibrancy. For example, place orange tones next to blue shadows to make both colors appear brighter (Source 6).
Tip — Do not mix colors on the palette excessively; allow optical mixing on the canvas.
Complementary contrast
refining
step 04
Refine the details of the flowers and the window frame. Adjust values by mixing colors with their complements rather than adding black, to avoid hue shifts (Source 3).
Tip — Check for hue shifts when darkening colors; add a touch of the parent color’s complement to correct.
Color neutralization
finishing
step 05
Add final highlights and adjust the overall balance. Ensure the painting retains the vitality of the medium, avoiding a 'meretricious attempt to deceive the eye' in favor of expressive color (Source 4).
Tip — Remember that art is an expression of feeling, not just a substitute for nature (Source 4).
Expressive finish
critical techniques
Complementary Color Contrast
Using orange and blue next to each other to increase the brilliance of both colors, a technique studied by Impressionists and likely employed by Gauguin in this period (Source 6).
Color Neutralization with Complements
Darkening colors by adding their complementary color rather than black, to maintain hue integrity (Source 3).
Expressive Use of Medium
Recognizing that oil paint has its own vitality and should not be used merely to create an illusion of reality, but to express the artist’s feeling (Source 4).
common pitfalls
- →Adding black to darken colors, which can cause unwanted hue shifts (e.g., yellows shifting greenish) (Source 3).
- →Over-mixing colors on the palette, losing the vibrancy that comes from optical mixing and complementary contrasts (Source 6).
- →Attempting to create a photorealistic illusion, which contradicts the expressive purpose of the medium (Source 4).
- →Ignoring the specific qualities of the oil paint medium, leading to a lifeless result (Source 4).
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.
- ·The specific arrangement of flowers in the vase is not described in the sources, so the artist must rely on general still life conventions or personal interpretation.
- ·The exact window view or background details are not specified, leaving room for artistic choice.
- ·Gauguin’s specific brushstroke technique for this 1881 work is not detailed, though it is likely consistent with early Impressionist methods.
- ·The specific pigments used by Gauguin in 1881 are not listed, so modern equivalents are suggested.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint for expressive rather than purely illusionistic purposes.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Still life↗
- Still life — part 1 — applied to Understanding the genre’s freedom in composition and subject matter.
Wikipedia bio — Paul Gauguin↗
- part 1 — applied to Contextualizing Gauguin’s early Impressionist phase and self-taught background.
- part 6 — applied to Understanding the transition from Impressionism to Cloisonnism/Synthetism, noting that this 1881 work predates the heavy outlines.
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Techniques for darkening colors without shifting hue using complements.
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Complementary colors — part 4 — applied to Use of orange and blue contrasts to enhance color brilliance.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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