plate no. 8992
The Apse of Notre Dame
Albert Marquet, 1901
recreation guide
Albert Marquet’s 'The Apse of Notre Dame' (1901) is a cityscape executed in oil, situated within the Post-Impressionist style. While specific visual details of the apse’s architecture are not described in the provided sources, the work belongs to a genre where the artist’s practice emphasizes the expressive capacity of the medium over strict illusionism. Marquet, like many artists of this period, likely utilized the vital qualities of oil paint to express feeling rather than merely deceiving the eye with photographic realism (Source 8). The painting serves as a study of light and atmosphere, where the artist selects specific qualities of nature for expression, avoiding the 'meretricious attempt to deceive' in favor of painted symbols true to the emotional idea of the scene (Source 8).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing for drying times between glaze layers)
materials
5 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre) | Primary palette for grisaille and initial color layers | Artist-grade tube oils |
| Linseed oil | Medium for thinning paint and creating glazes | Refined linseed oil |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | Thinner for underpainting and cleaning brushes | Odorless mineral spirits |
| Canvas or panel | Support surface | Linen canvas primed with gesso |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | Initial sketching | Vine charcoal or raw umber thinned with solvent |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared to accept oil paint. While specific priming methods for Marquet are not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting techniques often begin with a stable ground. The artist must ensure the surface is suitable for the 'fat over lean' rule, where each additional layer contains more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking (Source 7).
underdrawing
Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with the artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 7). For a cityscape, this would involve establishing the major architectural lines of the apse and the horizon line. The drawing should serve as a guide for the masses of light and shadow rather than a rigid outline, as Marquet’s style favors atmospheric effect over hard contours.
underpainting
A grisaille (monochrome underpainting) is recommended. The artist should mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would be left in nature if these two colors were not present (Source 1). This monochrome layer establishes the values and forms. It must be allowed to dry completely before proceeding to color layers (Source 1).
color palette
Ultramarine
Pure ultramarine
Cool tones and shadows in the grisaille and final glazes
White
White lead or titanium white
Highlights and mixing with ultramarine/black for grisaille
Black
Ivory black or lamp black
Deep shadows and grisaille structure
Yellow Ochre
Natural ochre
Warm earth tones, likely used in scumbling or glazing to introduce warmth
Red Ochre
Natural or burnt ochre
Warm accents and glazing to restore red tones extracted in the grisaille
composition
While the specific layout of 'The Apse of Notre Dame' is not detailed in the sources, general composition principles suggest the horizon line should not divide the artwork in two equal parts but be positioned to emphasize either the sky or ground (Source 5). In a cityscape, the prominent subject (the apse) should likely be off-centre to avoid exact bisections, balanced by smaller satellite elements (Source 5). The artist should aim for a center of interest to prevent the work from becoming a mere pattern (Source 5).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the major architectural forms of the apse and the surrounding environment using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Focus on the overall structure and horizon line placement.
Initial sketch
underpainting
step 02
Create a grisaille using black, ultramarine, and white. Mentally extract red and yellow colors, painting only the values that would remain if those colors were absent.
Tip — Ensure this layer is quite dry before proceeding.
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Apply glazes and scumbles using oil. Introduce yellow and red tones as they occur in nature, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat; scumbling is semi-opaque. Use oil as the medium initially.
Glazing and Scumbling
refining
step 04
Adjust the color harmony by considering the simultaneous contrast of colors. Place flat tints of different tones beside each other to produce chiaroscuro and gradation of light.
Tip — Observe how the highest tone is enfeebled and the lowest tone heightened at juxtaposition lines.
Simultaneous Contrast
finishing
step 05
Apply final layers ensuring the 'fat over lean' rule is followed. Each layer should contain more oil than the one below to prevent cracking.
Tip — Check for proper drying and adhesion between layers.
Fat over Lean
varnishing
step 06
Once the painting is fully dry, apply a varnish if desired to unify the surface sheen and protect the paint.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry to the touch, which may take weeks.
Varnishing
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Used to introduce color over a dry monochrome underpainting. Glazing provides transparent color, while scumbling provides semi-opaque texture, allowing the underlying painting to show through.
Fat over Lean
A basic rule of oil paint application where each additional layer contains more oil than the layer below to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking.
Simultaneous Contrast
Utilizing the juxtaposition of colors to enhance tonal gradation and chiaroscuro, ensuring that colors interact to produce the desired visual effect.
common pitfalls
- →Applying a layer with less oil than the previous layer, which can cause the final painting to crack and peel (Source 7).
- →Attempting to achieve a deceptive illusion of nature rather than expressing the feeling through the medium's vital qualities (Source 8).
- →Over-modeling or being too tied down to the outline, which can result in a small, timid appearance (Source 3).
- →Dividing the picture space with exact bisections, which can weaken the composition (Source 5).
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 the apse's architecture, such as the exact shape of the windows or the texture of the stone, are not described in the sources.
- ·The specific palette ratios or exact pigment brands used by Marquet in 1901 are not provided.
- ·The exact dimensions of the original artwork are not included.
- ·Marquet's specific brushwork style (e.g., stroke direction, brush type) is not detailed in the sources.
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 Grisaille underpainting and glazing/scumbling techniques
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on avoiding over-modeling and smallness
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints — applied to Color contrast and chiaroscuro effects
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint for expression rather than illusion
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- part 5 — applied to Compositional principles like horizon line placement and center of interest
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- part 2 — applied to Fat over lean rule and drying times
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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