plate no. 4084

The Art Historian N. L. Høyen

oil, canvasRomanticismportraitportraitfigurebookspaintingsinteriorman

recreation guide

Wilhelm Marstrand’s *The Art Historian N. L. Høyen* (1868) is a representative portrait from the Danish Golden Age, a period in which Marstrand was recognized as one of Denmark’s great painters, mastering a variety of genres including representative portraits of citizens and innovators (Source 7). As a Romantic-era work, it likely employs techniques consistent with the 'old masters' tradition referenced in contemporary painting manuals, such as the use of glazing and scumbling to achieve depth and tonal harmony (Source 1). The painting serves as a formal record of its subject, adhering to the 19th-century portrait convention where the artist balances the inherent colors of the model (flesh, hair) with chosen elements like draperies and background to create a harmonious composition (Source 2).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

4 items

steps

4 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Red Ochre/Yellow Ochre)	For the initial grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazing layers.	Standard tube oils; Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White, Ivory Black, Natural Earth tones.
Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil/linseed oil)	Medium for the first and second paintings to ensure proper drying and flow, as recommended by Reynolds for this method.	Stand oil or refined linseed oil.
Varnish	Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to gain mastery over transparent coats.	Dammar varnish or modern painting medium.
Canvas	Support for the oil painting.	Linen or cotton canvas, primed.

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a standard oil-primed canvas. While specific priming recipes for Marstrand are not detailed in the sources, the technique described involves a 'grisaille' (monochrome underpainting) which requires a stable, dry ground to accept subsequent glazes (Source 1).

underdrawing

No specific details on Marstrand’s underdrawing for this portrait are provided in the sources. However, given the precision required for a representative portrait of a public figure, a careful charcoal or thinned oil sketch is implied to establish the likeness before the monochrome stage.

underpainting

Execute a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia (Source 1). This stage involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish the tonal structure and form without color interference (Source 1).

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure pigment

Part of the initial grisaille underpainting to establish shadows and mid-tones (Source 1).

White

Pure pigment

Part of the initial grisaille underpainting to establish highlights and form (Source 1).

Black

Pure pigment

Part of the initial grisaille underpainting to establish deep shadows (Source 1).

Red and Yellow tones

Transparent glazes

Applied in subsequent layers to tint the grisaille, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors (Source 1).

composition

The composition likely adheres to the principles of simultaneous contrast, where the inherent colors of the model (flesh, eyes, hair) are balanced against chosen colors in the draperies and background to create harmony (Source 2). The artist would have considered how contiguous colors modify each other, ensuring that the lightest tones are not lowered and darkest tones heightened in a way that disrupts the gradation of light (Source 2).

step by step

underpainting→refining→finishing

underpainting

step 01
Create a grisaille using only black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Focus on establishing the full range of tones from highlight to shadow.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors; imagine what is left in nature if these colors were not present (Source 1).
Grisaille

refining

step 02
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Then, apply transparent coats of color (glazing) and semi-opaque layers (scumbling) using oil, and later varnish mixed with oil.
Tip — Treat the application of red and yellow tones much like tinting an engraving with watercolors (Source 1).
Glazing and Scumbling
step 03
Adjust colors based on simultaneous contrast. Ensure that adjacent colors do not inadvertently shift the perceived hue of the flesh tones or draperies.
Tip — Be aware that the eye may see the complementary of a previously viewed color, leading to inaccurate perception of the model's true color (Source 3).
Simultaneous Contrast

finishing

step 04
Refine the gradation of light at the juxtaposition of different tones. Ensure that the highest tone is not enfeebled and the lowest tone is not heightened incorrectly.
Tip — Aim for a true gradation of light by observing how bands of tone interact at their boundaries (Source 2).
Chiaro-oscuro

critical techniques

Glazing

A transparent coat of color applied over a dry underpainting to build up luminosity and color depth without muddying the underlying tones.

Scumbling

A semi-opaque painting technique where the underlying painting shows through, often used to create coldness or a grey bloom over darker grounds.

Simultaneous Contrast

Understanding that adjacent colors modify each other's appearance. The painter must anticipate these shifts to accurately render the model's inherent colors.

common pitfalls

→Applying glazes before the grisaille is completely dry, which can ruin the underpainting (Source 1).
→Ignoring simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception where the eye sees the complementary of a previously viewed color rather than the true color of the model (Source 3).
→Darkening colors by adding black, which can cause hue shifts (e.g., yellows shifting greenish), instead of using complementary colors to neutralize and darken (Source 4).
→Lightening colors by adding white, which can cause hue shifts (e.g., reds shifting blue), without correcting with adjacent colors (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.

·Specific details of N. L. Høyen's clothing, facial features, and the background setting are not described in the provided sources, so the artist must rely on external reference images of the actual painting.
·Marstrand's specific brushwork style for this portrait is not detailed; the guide relies on general 19th-century oil painting techniques described in the sources.
·The exact palette of pigments used by Marstrand for this specific work is not listed, only the general method of grisaille and glazing.

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↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Chiaro-oscuro and tonal gradation.
- 315. As to the advantages the painter will find in it... — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color harmony.

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Adjusting lightness and darkness without hue shift.
Wikipedia bio — Wilhelm Marstrand↗
- Posthumous reception — applied to Contextualizing the artist's status and genre mastery.

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

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