plate no. 4559

The artist's children

oil, canvasImpressionismgenre paintingfiguresstreetbuildingstreesskycarriage

recreation guide

Paul Gauguin’s 1884 work 'The Artist's Children' represents a transitional moment in his career, situated within the Impressionist style before his later shift toward Cloisonnism and Synthetism. As a genre painting, it depicts ordinary people—specifically the artist's own children—engaged in common activities, aligning with the tradition of portraying everyday life rather than historical or mythological narratives (Source 3). The work is executed in oil on canvas, a medium chosen for its capacity to produce rich, dense color and flexible layering, which allows for the expression of feeling through painted symbols rather than mere illusionistic deception (Source 1, Source 2).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

7 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (various pigments)	Primary medium for color application and layering	—
Canvas	Support surface for the painting	—
Linseed oil or poppy seed oil	Binder for pigments; provides flexibility and drying time control	—
Turpentine	Thinner for paint and solvent for cleaning brushes	—
Charcoal	For initial underdrawing and shading studies	—
Raw umber	For initial underpainting and tonal establishment	—
White pigment (soft white)	For mixing tints and establishing highlights	—

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a standard oil-primed canvas. While specific priming details for this 1884 work are not explicitly detailed in the sources, the general practice of the period involved preparing the canvas to accept oil paint, which offers greater flexibility and richer color than earlier tempera methods (Source 2). Ensure the surface is smooth enough to allow for the 'flat areas of colour' that Gauguin would later emphasize, though at this stage, he was still working within Impressionist conventions.

underdrawing

Begin with a charcoal underdrawing. Use charcoal to draw and shade the figures, making the study slightly smaller than life if possible. Hold the brush or charcoal against the model’s face to ascertain proportions. Place the drawing alongside the sitter to compare with nature through a hand-mirror, ensuring the scale is correct. Make all corrections in the charcoal stage, as charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and can be easily erased with bread (Source 7). Do not proceed to paint until the construction and drawing are accurate, as correcting errors in paint is fatal to lucidity (Source 7).

underpainting

Set the palette with raw umber and a softer white, using turpentine to thin the paint. Apply an initial underpainting to establish the tonal values and composition. This layer should not be the final image; plan to go over it at least three or four times to build up the color and form (Source 7). This approach allows for the 'gradation of light' and tonal contrast that defines the depth of the figures (Source 6).

color palette

Orange

Yellow, red, and ochre

General use in Impressionist palette; likely used for skin tones or warm accents, as orange and blue were key complementary pairs for Impressionists (Source 4)

Blue

Cobalt or ultramarine

Backgrounds or cool shadows; used in contrast with orange to enhance vibrancy (Source 4)

Raw Umber

Natural earth pigment

Underpainting and establishing dark values (Source 7)

White

Lead white or zinc white

Mixing tints and highlights (Source 7)

Green

Blue and yellow mixtures

Complementary to red accents, if present in clothing or background (Source 4)

composition

The composition likely follows Impressionist principles of capturing a moment of everyday life. While specific compositional details of this painting are not described in the sources, genre paintings of this period often focused on the interaction of figures within a domestic space. The artist should aim for a composition that emphasizes the 'vital qualities' of the medium, avoiding mere illusionistic deception in favor of expressing the feeling of the scene (Source 1). The arrangement of figures should allow for the use of complementary colors to enhance visual impact (Source 4).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Draw the figures in charcoal, focusing on accurate proportions and gestures. Use a hand-mirror to check scale and alignment with the model.
Tip — Correct all errors in charcoal before applying paint.
Charcoal underdrawing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a thin layer of raw umber and white mixed with turpentine to establish the basic tonal values and forms.
Tip — Keep this layer loose and transparent; it is not the final image.
Imprimatura

first pass

step 03
Begin applying color in layers, focusing on the main areas of light and shadow. Use complementary colors (e.g., orange and blue) to enhance vibrancy.
Tip — Avoid overworking the paint; allow layers to dry before adding more.
Layering

refining

step 04
Refine the details of the figures and background, paying attention to the 'gradation of light' and tonal contrast.
Tip — Use the law of simultaneous contrast to ensure colors appear vibrant next to each other.
Chiaroscuro

finishing

step 05
Add final highlights and shadows, ensuring the painting expresses the 'feeling' of the scene rather than just a realistic depiction.
Tip — Remember that the painting is a 'painted symbol' and not a substitute for nature.
Expression through medium

critical techniques

Complementary Color Contrast

Use orange and blue, or red and green, next to each other to make both colors appear brighter and more intense. This was a key technique for Impressionists like Monet and Van Gogh (Source 4).

Layering

Oil paint allows for the use of layers, which can create richer and denser color. Apply paint in multiple passes, allowing each layer to dry before adding the next (Source 2).

Charcoal Underdrawing

Use charcoal for the initial drawing and shading, correcting errors before applying paint. This ensures accuracy in construction and avoids 'fatal' corrections in paint (Source 7).

common pitfalls

→Attempting to create a mere illusion of natural appearances, which subordinates the enjoyment of the medium to deception (Source 1).
→Making corrections in paint after the underpainting stage, which can ruin the lucidity of the work (Source 7).
→Ignoring the properties of the oil medium, such as drying time and sheen, which can affect the final appearance of the painting (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.

·Specific details of the children's clothing, facial expressions, and the exact room layout are not described in the sources.
·The specific pigments used by Gauguin in 1884 are not detailed, though general Impressionist practices are noted.
·The exact varnishing process for this specific work is not covered.

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 Overview and finishing steps, emphasizing the expression of feeling through the medium.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Refining step, discussing chiaroscuro and tonal gradation.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Underdrawing and underpainting steps.

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 1 — applied to Materials list and layering technique.
Wikipedia: Genre painting↗
- Genre painting — part 1 — applied to Overview, defining the work as a genre painting.
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Complementary colors — part 4 — applied to Color palette and critical techniques.