plate no. 2664

Sunflowers

oil, canvasRealismlandscapesunflowerstreeshouselandscapeflowersgarden

what to study here

It shows how warm color, edge control, and a compressed value range can build depth and a golden-hour mood without strong contrast.

The useful lesson here is how a painter holds a bright subject inside a narrow value range. The sunflowers carry the warmest, most saturated color and sit in the sunlit left-center, so they read first. Behind them the garden cools and softens in stages, and a pale house in the middle right acts as a second focal point, partly screened by foliage. Dark tree trunks at both edges frame the scene against a pale sky. Squint and you find three zones: sunlit flowers and front foliage, a mid-value garden and house, and a light sky. There are no pure blacks or whites, so the mood stays airy. Study how the edges vary. Petals hold crisper shapes, while foliage meets the sky in soft, broken dabs. Trunks use strokes that follow their form. Look at how many different greens appear across the foliage, from sunlit to deep shadow, and how visible brushwork keeps them from going flat. Copy the value zones first, then the edge changes.

key decision

The painter kept the whole value range in the middle-to-light register, with no pure blacks or whites, and used warm saturated yellow in the foreground against cooler, softer greens to push depth.

recreation guide

This recreation guide addresses the painting of a landscape titled 'Sunflowers' by David Burliuk, executed in oil on canvas. While the provided metadata classifies the style as 'Realism,' David Burliuk is historically documented as a leading figure in Russian Futurism and Cubo-Futurism, known for dynamic, fragmented compositions rather than strict realism. Consequently, this guide focuses on the technical execution of oil painting as described in the source texts, treating the subject matter as a landscape study. The process emphasizes the traditional layering techniques of glazing and scumbling, which allow for the rich color depth and luminosity characteristic of oil media, rather than the flat application often associated with modern realism.

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing for drying times between glaze layers)

materials

7 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Canvas or wood panel	Support for the painting	Primed linen or cotton canvas
Sizing (cheese paste/casein or traditional rabbit skin glue)	To seal the support and prevent oil from rotting the canvas fibers	Acrylic gesso or traditional rabbit skin glue
White palette	To allow correct judgment of color transparency and keep tones light	White ceramic or glass palette
Linseed oil or poppy seed oil	Binder for pigments; linseed for general use, poppy for lighter tones to reduce yellowing	Refined linseed oil or walnut oil
Turpentine	Thinner for initial washes and cleaning	Odorless mineral spirits (OMS)
Painting varnish (e.g., copal varnish)	Medium for glazing layers to increase transparency and depth	Galkyd or traditional damar varnish (used as medium)
Pigments: Black, Ultramarine, White, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre	Core palette for grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazing	Carbon black, Ultramarine blue, Titanium white, Yellow/Red ochre

preparation

surface prep

The support must be sized to prevent oil absorption. If using canvas, apply a coat of sizing such as cheese paste (casein) or traditional glue size (Source 5). Ensure the surface is smooth and even. A white ground is recommended to maintain the lightness of tones and allow for accurate color judgment, as a white palette and white ground ensure tones have the same effect on both (Source 5).

underdrawing

The outline may be executed in watercolors or thin oil. If using watercolors on a sized canvas, apply an even coat of painting varnish over the sketch before proceeding with oils; this varnish will soak into the sizing and allow oil painting to continue once dry (Source 5). This method, attributed to Paul Veronese, ensures the underdrawing does not interfere with the oil layers. Alternatively, a thin oil sketch can be used directly on the sized surface.

underpainting

Execute a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or linseed oil (Source 1). This stage establishes the tonal values of the landscape without color. The artist should mentally extract red and yellow colors, visualizing what remains in nature if those hues were absent (Source 1). This grisaille must be allowed to dry completely before proceeding to color layers.

color palette

Black

Carbon black or Ivory black

Grisaille underpainting for shadows and structure

Ultramarine

Ultramarine blue

Grisaille underpainting for cool shadows and sky tones

White

Lead white or Titanium white

Grisaille highlights and mixing tints

Yellow Ochre

Yellow ochre

Glazing layer to introduce warmth and sunlight effects in the landscape

Red Ochre/Venetian Red

Red ochre

Glazing layer to introduce earth tones and depth

composition

The sources do not describe the specific composition of Burliuk's 'Sunflowers.' However, consistent with landscape painting principles, the artist should consider the law of simultaneous contrast. When placing colors side by side, the eye perceives a tint resulting from the peculiar color and the complementary of the adjacent color (Source 2). Therefore, the placement of yellow sunflowers against green foliage or blue sky will mutually intensify their respective hues. The artist should arrange elements to harmonize colors inherent to the nature of the objects, while choosing background tones that enhance the focal points (Source 3).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the composition of the sunflowers and landscape on the sized canvas using watercolor or thin oil. If using watercolor, seal with a thin coat of painting varnish.
Tip — Ensure the varnish is applied evenly and allowed to dry before oil contact.
Watercolor underdrawing

underpainting

step 02
Paint the entire composition in monochrome (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white. Establish all light and shadow values. Mentally exclude red and yellow hues to focus on form and tone.
Tip — Do not rush; this layer defines the structural integrity of the painting.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the grisaille is completely dry, begin glazing. Apply transparent coats of yellow and red tones mixed with oil or varnish/oil mixture. Treat this like tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color that allows the underlying grisaille to show through, creating depth.
Glazing

refining

step 04
Use scumbling for semi-opaque passages, particularly over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms. Scumble lighter tones over darker areas to soften transitions.
Tip — Scumbling is semi-opaque; the underlying painting makes itself felt through the layer.
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Adjust colors based on simultaneous contrast. If a yellow sunflower appears too dull next to green leaves, intensify the yellow or adjust the green to enhance the contrast effect.
Tip — The eye is susceptible to fatigue; step back frequently to assess true color relationships.
Simultaneous Contrast

critical techniques

Glazing

Applying transparent layers of color over a dry monochrome underpainting to achieve rich, luminous tones without muddying the colors. This was a method practiced by old masters and described by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Scumbling

Applying semi-opaque paint over a darker ground to create coldness or grey blooms, allowing the underlying texture and tone to influence the final appearance.

Simultaneous Contrast

Adjusting colors based on their neighbors. When two colored objects are viewed together, each appears tinged with the complementary of the other. This is crucial for harmonizing the inherent colors of the landscape.

common pitfalls

→Mixing wet oil paint directly into the grisaille before it is dry, which ruins the transparency of the glaze layers (Source 1).
→Ignoring simultaneous contrast, leading to colors that appear dull or inaccurate because they are not adjusted for their neighboring hues (Source 2).
→Using a dirty palette, which contaminates colors and prevents accurate judgment of transparency and tone (Source 5).
→Attempting to achieve illusionistic deception rather than expressing the vitality of the medium, which can lead to a 'meretricious' result (Source 8).

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 composition of Burliuk's 'Sunflowers' is not described in the sources, so the guide assumes a generic landscape structure.
·Burliuk's actual historical technique (likely more expressive/Cubo-Futurist) is not covered; the guide relies on traditional oil painting methods from the provided texts.
·The exact year of creation is not available, preventing precise period-specific material analysis.
·No source describes the specific brushwork or impasto techniques Burliuk may have used, so the guide focuses on glazing/scumbling.

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
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- Simultaneous Contrast — applied to Color harmony and adjustment during refining
The Science of Painting↗
- OUTLINE AND EXECUTION OF A PICTURE IN OILS — applied to Surface preparation, underdrawing, and palette hygiene
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of medium use and avoiding mere deception

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

Sunflowers anchor the foreground with their warm yellow blooms standing upright against softer greens, immediately drawing the eye. Behind them, a garden recedes into cooler tones and progressively softer focus. Tall tree trunks frame both edges as strong vertical accents, their dark silhouettes cutting against the luminous, pale sky. A pale stone house sits middle-right, partially screened by tree foliage but clearly the secondary focal point. Light falls from above and forward, washing the left side of trees and flowers more brightly while the right falls into softer shadow.

value structure

The darkest darks cluster in the tree trunks and their shadow masses; the lightest lights live in the sky and sunflower petals. The middle tones—greens and ochres—dominate by area, creating a continuous gentle value transition from foreground to distance. When you squint, you see three clear zones: a bright sunlit zone in the left-center (flowers and front foliage), a medium zone across the garden and house, and soft atmospheric lights in the upper sky. There are no pure blacks or blinding whites—the entire value range stays compressed in the middle-to-light register, contributing to the painting's airy, golden-hour mood.

observed palette and mixes

#dbdb9b
Cadmium yellow + titanium white
Sunflower petals and centers, brightest flower highlights, light sky near horizon
#a2b66e
Sap green + yellow ochre + white
Mid-value sunlit foliage, garden vegetation in the middle distance
#829056
Sap green + raw sienna + touch of ultramarine
Deeper foliage masses, shadowed greens in the tree canopies
#6a7342
Sap green + burnt umber + ultramarine blue
Dark recessed foliage and tree shadows
#585935
Burnt umber + ultramarine blue + touch of sap green
Tree trunk shadows and darkest foliage undersides
#273a2a
Ultramarine blue + burnt umber + sap green
Deepest tree trunk shadows and dark tree silhouettes against sky

edges and brushwork

Edges vary intentionally: sunflower petals have crisper, more defined edges that hold shape; tree foliage meets sky with soft, broken edges created by dabbing and feathering brushstrokes. The tree trunks are painted with directional strokes that follow their form, creating weight and solidity. Overall brushwork is active and visible—you can read individual dabs and strokes in the foliage rather than smooth blending—giving the piece an energetic, impressionistic feel without being loose or uncontrolled.

a working sequence

01
Establish the sky and distant landscape
Block in the pale sky with a mix of titanium white, ultramarine blue, and a whisper of yellow ochre, working lighter near the horizon. Leave the sky soft and atmospheric; this is your lightest major value and sets the luminosity for everything else. Indicate the distant low horizon line with trees just as a suggestion.
02
Mass in the tree structure and foliage
Using varied greens (sap green mixed with raw sienna, burnt umber, and ultramarine), block in the large foliage masses on both sides. Paint the tree trunks with burnt umber and ultramarine, visible against the sky. Don't detail yet—focus on the overall silhouette and value relationships. The trees create a frame; they should feel solid and receding.
03
Paint the sunflowers and foreground garden
Block in the sunflower blooms with cadmium yellow and touches of cadmium red for warmth, leaving space between petals. Lay in the green stems and foliage around them with sap green and yellow ochre. This area is your warmest, most saturated zone—let it sing. Indicate the general garden growth around the flowers with varied greens and earth tones.
04
Establish the house
Paint the stone house walls with titanium white tinted with raw sienna and a touch of ultramarine for shadow. The roof and darker elements use burnt umber. Keep it simple and solid; it should read clearly as a pale structure framed by darker trees. Don't over-detail at this stage.
05
Build depth through layered greens
Develop the foliage by layering lighter greens (sap green + white + yellow ochre) over the darker underlayers. Create variation in the green canopy—some areas warmer, some cooler, some lighter, some deeper. Use dabbing strokes to suggest foliage texture and create a sense of density and mass. The goal is luminous but not uniform green.
06
Refine the sunflowers and foreground
Work back into the sunflower heads, darkening centers with burnt sienna and ultramarine, adding detail to petals with varying yellows and warm tones. Add sunflower stems and leaves with darker, more saturated greens. Paint some additional foreground flowers and vegetation to ground the composition—use reds and warm earth tones for accent flowers scattered through the garden.
07
Strengthen tree trunks and foliage silhouettes
Paint tree trunks with darker, more defined strokes using burnt umber and ultramarine. Sharpen some foliage edges where trees meet sky, keeping others soft. Add directional brushwork to suggest branch structure within the foliage masses. The trees should feel dimensional and supportive of the composition.
08
Unify and adjust final values
Step back frequently. Adjust any values that feel off—ensure the sky remains pale and atmospheric, that shadows are cool enough to recede, and that warm yellows advance. Soften harsh transitions between sky and foliage. Add final highlights on sunflower petals and bright foliage where light touches directly. Ensure the house reads clearly against its background.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Making all the foliage the same green value—the painting's magic lies in subtle warm-cool and light-dark shifts within the green masses. Mix in ochres, siennas, and blues independently into different foliage areas.
Overworking the tree foliage until it turns muddy or flat. Keep strokes visible and layered; let transparent underlayers show through rather than blending everything smooth.
Painting sunflowers uniformly bright yellow without modeling their form. Real sunflowers have shadow sides and depth; use warmer yellows mixed with reds on shadowed petals, and keep the light side brighter.
Losing the house by making it too dark or failing to contrast it against the trees behind it. The pale stone must stay light and readable even when partially screened.
Allowing the sky to become too blue or cold. This painting's sky is pale, warm-leaning, and atmospheric—add a touch of yellow ochre and keep it luminous.

measured difficulty