plate no. 4462

Suburb under snow

oil, canvasPost-Impressionismcityscapesnowbuildingstreesroadfiguressky

what to study here

It shows how an overcast winter scene can be built from close values, warm-cool contrast, and soft edges rather than strong lights and darks.

Study how a narrow value range can still hold a space together. The road recedes diagonally, with a reddish-brick building on the right and a bare tree at center-left. Small figures on the path pull the eye toward distant buildings and a steeple on the left. Squint and the picture breaks into three groups: pale cream sky and snow, warm mid-tone masses of road and buildings, and a few dark accents in the tree branches and roof details. Notice that the snow is not pure white; the vision notes read it as cream with an ochre lean, set against exposed muddy earth in the foreground. That warm-cool contrast carries the scene more than value contrast does. Edges are soft, and the sky bleeds into the distant buildings. The tree is drawn with loose directional strokes that let the sky show through. Buildings are blocked in as simple color shapes. Try a small study that keeps the values close and puts the temperature shifts to work.

key decision

The painter kept the values in a narrow range and let temperature carry the space: warm earth and brick against cool, cream-toned snow. Edges stay soft and the dark accents are limited to the tree and roof details.

recreation guide

This recreation guide addresses Paul Gauguin’s 1886 work *Suburb under snow*, a cityscape executed in oil on canvas during his Post-Impressionist period. While the specific visual details of this particular painting (such as the exact arrangement of houses or the density of the snow) are not described in the provided source passages, the guide relies on the technical principles of oil painting and color theory outlined in the sources to reconstruct the likely method. The process emphasizes the separation of tonal structure from color application, a method consistent with the 'old masters' tradition referenced in the texts, where a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) is established before transparent glazes and semi-opaque scumbles are applied to achieve luminosity and atmospheric depth.

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing significant drying time between glaze layers)

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Raw Umber, Red Ochre/Yellow Ochre)	Ultramarine, white, and black for the initial grisaille; Raw Umber for initial sketching; Reds and Yellows for glazing.	—
Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil/linseed oil)	Medium for the first and second paintings to ensure fluidity and transparency.	Stand oil or refined linseed oil
Turpentine	Thinner for initial washes and cleaning brushes.	Odorless mineral spirits or pure gum turpentine
Charcoal	For initial drawing and shading, allowing for easy correction before paint is applied.	Vine charcoal or compressed charcoal
Canvas	Support for the oil painting.	Linen or cotton canvas, primed

preparation

surface prep

Prepare the canvas with a standard oil ground. While the sources do not specify the exact ground for this 1886 work, the technique described involves painting over a dry preparation. Ensure the surface is smooth enough to allow for the 'glazing and scumbling' techniques described, which require a stable, non-absorbent base to prevent the oil medium from sinking in unevenly.

underdrawing

Draw and shade in charcoal first. Use a dry brush to model the forms lightly. The sources advise making all corrections in the charcoal stage because 'charcoal offers little resistance to a brush, and none whatever to bread,' whereas correcting in paint is 'fatal to lucidity' (Source 4). Do not put down paint with obvious errors in construction.

underpainting

Execute a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia (Source 1). This stage establishes the tonal values without color. The artist should mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would be left in nature if these colors were not present (Source 1). This creates the structural foundation for the snow and shadows.

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure pigment

Part of the grisaille base; also used in glazes to create cool shadows and atmospheric depth in the snow.

White

Lead white or Zinc white

Highlighting snow and mixing with ultramarine/black for the grisaille.

Black

Ivory black or Lamp black

Deep shadows in the grisaille stage.

Red/Yellow Tones

Red Ochre, Yellow Ochre, or Cadmiums

Applied as transparent glazes or semi-opaque scumbles over the dry grisaille to introduce warmth and local color, particularly in reflections on the snow or building facades.

Raw Umber

Pure pigment

Initial sketching and setting the palette for the first painting stage (Source 4).

composition

As a cityscape, the composition likely relies on the juxtaposition of tones to create depth. According to color theory principles, placing flat tints of different tones next to each other produces chiaroscuro, where the highest tone is enfeebled and the lowest heightened, creating a true gradation of light (Source 5). The artist should arrange the snowy foreground and darker background elements to exploit this simultaneous contrast, ensuring that the 'lightest tone will be lowered, and the darkest tone will be heightened' by their proximity (Source 2).

step by step

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

underdrawing

step 01
Draw the composition in charcoal, shading lightly to establish form. Use a hand-glass to compare the drawing with the reference or model, keeping the drawing at eye level to avoid scale distortion (Source 4).
Tip — Correct all errors now; do not paint over mistakes.
Charcoal sketching

underpainting

step 02
Mix black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia. Paint the entire scene in monochrome (grisaille), focusing on tonal values rather than color. This is the 'first and second painting' stage (Source 1).
Tip — Mentally exclude red and yellow hues to focus on structure.
Grisaille

first pass

step 04
Apply transparent glazes of red and yellow tones over the dry grisaille. Use oil as a medium. This mimics tinting an engraving with watercolors (Source 1).
Tip — Keep the glaze thin and transparent to let the underlying tones show through.
Glazing

drying

step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. This is critical before applying glazes.
Tip — Rushing this step will ruin the transparency of subsequent layers.
Drying

refining

step 05
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones, particularly for the 'grey bloom' of the snow or atmospheric haze. Scumbling over darker grounds tends to coldness, which is suitable for snow shadows (Source 1).
Tip — Observe how the underlying painting makes itself felt through the semi-opaque layer.
Scumbling

finishing

step 06
Refine color contrasts by placing complementary colors near each other to intensify their appearance. For example, if a shadow appears too blue, place a warmer tone nearby to make it appear bluer by contrast (Source 3).
Tip — Exaggerate color modifications to imitate nature's luminous intensities (Source 3).
Simultaneous Contrast

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Glazing involves applying a transparent coat of color over a dry underpainting. Scumbling involves semi-opaque painting where the underlying layer shows through. These techniques were practiced by old masters and allow for complex color interactions without muddying the paint (Source 1).

Simultaneous Contrast

Using the law that two colored objects viewed together appear modified by the complementary of the other. This is used to harmonize colors and enhance the perception of light and shadow in the snow and buildings (Source 2).

Color Juxtaposition

Placing colors separated by more than two others in the spectrum next to each other to make each approach the complement of the other, increasing brilliance (Source 3).

common pitfalls

→Applying paint before the charcoal drawing is corrected, leading to 'fatal' loss of lucidity (Source 4).
→Mixing colors on the palette instead of using glazes and scumbles to achieve tonal complexity, which can result in muddy, dull paint (Source 1).
→Ignoring the drying time of the grisaille, which prevents proper glazing (Source 1).
→Failing to account for simultaneous contrast, leading to colors that appear flat or inaccurate compared to natural observation (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.

·The specific visual content of *Suburb under snow* (e.g., exact building shapes, figure placement) is not described in the sources, so the guide focuses on technique rather than iconography.
·Gauguin's specific palette choices for this 1886 work are not detailed in the provided texts, so general Post-Impressionist and old-master techniques are inferred.
·The exact ratio of oil to pigment for the glazes is not specified, requiring artist experimentation.

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), glazing, and scumbling techniques.
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Underdrawing and initial sketching procedures.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color harmony and simultaneous contrast in the final stages.
The Science of Painting↗
- 4 — applied to Juxtaposition of colors to enhance brilliance.

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 snow-covered suburban road recedes diagonally into the composition, lined with a prominent reddish-brick building on the right and a bare tree rising at the center-left. Small figures stand on the snowy path in the middle distance, drawing the eye along the road toward distant buildings and a steeple on the left. The light is soft and diffuse—a grey winter afternoon with no distinct shadows—falling from above across the pale cream sky and scattered snow patches. The foreground reveals exposed muddy earth, creating a chromatic contrast with the cool snow and warm building tones.

value structure

The painting operates in a narrow, harmonious value range without sharp high-contrast areas. Lightest lights are the cream-colored sky and pale snow; darkest darks are the tree branches and roof details. The middle values—warm earth tones of the road, reddish building walls, and muted distant structures—occupy most of the canvas. Squint to see three distinct groups: pale sky, warm mid-tone masses (buildings and road), and dark accents (tree and shadows).

observed palette and mixes

#e5e1cb
Titanium white + touch of yellow ochre
Sky, primary snow patches, highlights
#d0cfb8
Titanium white + raw umber + yellow ochre
Pale snow and ground transitions
#a48a6d
Yellow ochre + burnt sienna + ultramarine blue
Distant buildings, middle-value passages
#754b43
Burnt sienna + ultramarine blue + raw umber
Reddish building walls, darkened earth
#b4ac91
Raw umber + yellow ochre + white
Mid-tone earth and weathered surfaces
#4a3a2a
Ultramarine blue + burnt sienna + raw umber
Tree branches, roof shadows, dark accents

edges and brushwork

Edges throughout are soft and atmospheric; the sky bleeds into distant buildings without crisp boundaries, reinforcing the overcast, snowy quality. The tree branches are rendered with loose, directional strokes that suggest structure without precision, allowing the sky to show through. The foreground road displays varied, visible brushwork following the receding perspective, while buildings are simplified with blocked-in color rather than careful rendering.

a working sequence

01
Block the composition
Lightly sketch the receding road line and the position of the major elements: the tree vertically at center-left, the building mass on the right, and the distant buildings and church steeple on the horizon. Keep proportions loose; this road should draw the eye deep into the composition.
02
Establish the sky
Paint the entire upper portion with pale cream, warmer near the horizon, slightly cooler and more grey-blue toward the top. Keep the sky soft and uniform—this is an overcast winter day with no dramatic variation. Use a large flat brush to maintain freshness.
03
Lay the snow and ground
Block in the snowy areas with pale cream-white, leaving gaps where the muddy earth shows through on the road. The foreground road should be warmer and more orange-brown, suggesting exposed ground thawing or packed earth. Snow is not pure white but carries the warmth of the scene.
04
Paint the major buildings
Establish the large reddish-brown building on the right with burnt sienna and ultramarine notes, adding snow on its roof. Paint distant buildings on the left in more muted, cooler tones to suggest recession. Simplify; avoid detail—these are blocked forms, not careful renderings.
05
Develop the tree
Paint the bare tree with dark brown-black branches using directional strokes that suggest the branching pattern. The branches should feel skeletal and allow the sky to read through. Use a round brush and follow the natural gesture of the limbs.
06
Adjust the road depth
Strengthen the receding road by warming the foreground earth tones and cooling the distant road where it meets the horizon. Add subtle shadows where snow meets the road edge, and place small figures as simple touches—just silhouettes or minimal detail on the path.
07
Refine edges and harmonize
Soften edges between the sky and buildings, and between the snow and earth. Walk back from your easel frequently to assess the overall harmony—the values should feel closely related and soft, not crisp or high-contrast. Make small adjustments to warm or cool passages to unify the whole.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Rendering the snow too bright white or too cool—it absorbs warmth from the winter light and should read as pale cream with ochre undertones.
Over-detailing the buildings and tree—the technique is deliberately simplified and loose; precision will kill the atmospheric, sketch-like quality.
Introducing sharp shadows or high value contrast—the overcast light is diffuse, and dramatic shadows will contradict the soft, grey-day mood.
Placing the figures too large or detailed—they are mere accents on the road, not subjects; treating them as anything more will unbalance the composition.

measured difficulty