plate no. 1851

THE LAKE OF CSORBA IN JUNE

Marianne Stokes, 1909

oilImpressionismlandscapemountainslaketreescloudslandscapereflection

what to study here

It shows how a clear three-zone value plan and cool-shadow, warm-light contrast can organize a mountain lake scene with a dark water base.

Study how the value structure is built in three broad zones: a bright sky with white cumulus, a medium-value mountain mass, and a dark water base. A nearly black coniferous forest line runs horizontally between mountain and water and acts as the anchor. Look at the temperature contrast on the slopes: warm light on the illuminated green faces, cool purple-blue in the shadows. The central cone-shaped peak is the focal mass, flanked by jagged peaks. Compare edge handling across the picture. Cloud edges are soft and blended with small strokes suggesting billowing form. Mountain edges stay fairly crisp against the sky. The forest top edge is broken, with tree silhouettes suggested rather than drawn. The water is dark green-grey, worked in horizontal blended strokes, and calmer than the sky. A light rock in the bottom-right corner has sharper definition and ties the viewer to the shore. Brushwork is visible and directional, with each stroke following the form it describes. Squint at the image to check that the water reads as the darkest major plane.

key decision

The painter kept the water as the darkest major plane, with a near-black forest band above it, so the bright sky and sunlit mountains read against a solid base.

recreation guide

Marianne Stokes’s 'The Lake of Csorba in June' (1909) is a landscape painting executed in oil, reflecting the Impressionist style which emerged from the broader European tradition of landscape art that intensified interest in natural scenery and light (Source 3, Source 4). As a work from 1909, it likely employs traditional oil painting techniques where the artist sketches the subject onto the canvas before applying paint mixed with linseed oil or solvents to adjust drying times and consistency (Source 1, Source 5). The painting depicts a natural scene, consistent with the genre’s focus on wide views, sky, and weather elements arranged into a coherent composition (Source 3). While specific visual details of the lake’s surface or surrounding foliage are not described in the provided sources, the work adheres to the general practice of oil painting where layering follows the 'fat over lean' rule to ensure stability (Source 1, Source 5).

estimated time

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

materials

7 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (artist grade)	Primary medium for color application	—
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and increase oil content for 'fat over lean' layering	—
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent to thin paint for initial layers, clean brushes, and remove wet paint if necessary	—
Canvas	Support surface for the painting	—
Charcoal or thinned paint	For initial sketching of the subject onto the canvas	—
Paintbrushes	Primary tool for transferring paint to the surface	—
Palette knives and rags	Alternative application methods and for scraping off paint or cleaning	—

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared according to traditional standards. While specific priming methods for Stokes are not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting begins with a prepared surface ready for sketching (Source 1, Source 5).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint, as is traditional in oil painting techniques (Source 1, Source 5). This establishes the composition of the landscape, including the lake, sky, and surrounding elements.

underpainting

Consider using a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values before applying color. This technique involves extracting red and yellow colors initially to focus on form and light, which can later be glazed over (Source 2). This is a traditional method used by old masters and can aid in achieving depth and translucency (Source 2).

color palette

General Landscape Tones

Oil paints mixed with linseed oil or solvents

General use in this artist's palette; specific hues for the lake and sky are not detailed in sources

Glazing Colors (Red/Yellow tones)

Transparent oil paints

Applied as glazes over a dry underpainting to add warmth and depth, similar to tinting an engraving (Source 2)

composition

The composition likely features a wide view of natural scenery, including the lake, sky, and possibly trees or distant land, arranged coherently (Source 3). Sky is almost always included in such landscape views, and weather may be an element of the composition (Source 3). Specific arrangements of elements are not described in the sources.

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the landscape composition onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the main elements (lake, sky, horizon) are proportionally correct.
Traditional sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values, excluding red and yellow tones initially.
Tip — Focus on light and shadow without color distraction.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the underpainting is dry, begin applying color layers. Start with leaner layers (more solvent) if building up from the grisaille.
Tip — Ensure each subsequent layer has more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking.
Fat over lean

refining

step 04
Use glazing and scumbling techniques to add color and texture. Glaze with transparent coats of color, particularly red and yellow tones, over the dry underpainting.
Tip — Glazing adds depth; scumbling adds semi-opaque texture. Watch for coldness when scumbling over dark grounds.
Glazing and Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Adjust details using brushes, palette knives, or rags as needed. Oil paint remains wet longer, allowing for changes to color, texture, or form.
Tip — If a layer needs removal while wet, use a rag and turpentine; if dry, scrape with a palette knife.
Wet-on-wet adjustment

varnishing

step 06
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks) before applying varnish if desired.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation.
Oxidation drying

critical techniques

Fat over Lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking.

Glazing

Applying a transparent coat of color over a dry underpainting to add depth and luminosity, particularly with red and yellow tones.

Scumbling

Applying semi-opaque paint over an underlying layer to create texture and allow the underpainting to show through.

common pitfalls

→Applying lean layers over fat layers, which can cause the painting to crack and peel (Source 1).
→Ignoring the drying time of oil paint, which dries by oxidation and can take up to two weeks to be dry to the touch (Source 1).
→Over-modeling or being too tied to outlines, which can hinder the expressive capacity of the paint (Source 6).
→Using scumbling over dark grounds without considering the potential for coldness in the tone (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 color palette used by Marianne Stokes for this particular painting.
·Detailed compositional layout of 'The Lake of Csorba in June' (e.g., position of trees, boats, or figures).
·Stokes's specific preference for brush types or canvas priming methods.
·Whether Stokes used a grisaille underpainting for this specific work, though it is a traditional technique.

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, glazing, and scumbling techniques (Source 2)
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on avoiding over-modeling (Source 6)

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Underdrawing, fat over lean rule, drying time, and tools (Source 1, Source 5)
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Genre characteristics, inclusion of sky and weather (Source 3)
- Landscape painting — part 7 — applied to Context of Impressionism and landscape tradition (Source 4)

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

Light enters from the upper left, creating brilliant white cumulus clouds against a deep blue sky that dominates the top half. Your eye travels down through the layered middle ground—a prominent cone-shaped green mountain peak in the center with purple-shadowed slopes, flanked by jagged peaks—then across a nearly black coniferous forest line that anchors the composition horizontally. The water in the foreground is a dark green-grey plane that mirrors the landscape above, with a light rock emerging in the immediate bottom-right corner. The light falls warmly on the illuminated mountain slopes while shadows read cool (purple-blue), creating strong temperature contrast.

value structure

The lightest lights are the white clouds and pale sky edges (near-white). Mid-lights sit in the exposed green slopes and sky. The middle value band spans the lighter mountain faces and water surface. Dark values cluster in the forest line and mountain shadows. The darkest darks occupy the water and deep forest. Squint: you see three broad zones—bright sky, medium mountain mass, dark water base—with the forest line as a sharp dividing horizontal.

observed palette and mixes

#c9c0a9
Titanium white + touch of raw sienna
Cloud highlights and light sky edges, warming the whites
#b5ad98
Titanium white + naples yellow + touch of raw sienna
Mid-tone clouds and warm areas within the sky
#7c7e68
Viridian + ultramarine + raw sienna
Mountain slopes in shadow, forest foliage where light touches it
#5d5838
Viridian + alizarin + ultramarine
Purple-brown shadows on mountain faces and darker forest areas
#45462d
Viridian + ivory black + ultramarine
Deep coniferous forest line, the darkest landscape masses
#302914
Ivory black + ultramarine + touch of alizarin
Darkest water reflections and deepest shadow zones

edges and brushwork

Cloud edges are soft and blended where they meet the sky, with small strokes suggesting billowing form. Mountain edges remain relatively crisp against the sky, but the forest line is broken and textured—individual tree silhouettes suggested rather than rendered. Water is handled with horizontal, blended strokes to emphasize reflection; the surface is calmer than the clouds above. The rock in the foreground has sharper definition. Overall brushwork is visible and directional without being loose—each stroke follows the form it describes.

a working sequence

01
Sky foundation and cloud blocking
Lay in the deep blue sky across the upper half in one warm sitting. While wet, drop in the white and cream cloud masses loosely—don't overblend. Let some sky show between and behind clouds to maintain luminosity. The clouds occupy roughly the top third to half; leave breathing room at edges.
02
Mountain structure and local color
Block in the mountain peaks using a medium-bright green for illuminated slopes. The central cone should be the most prominent; use a slightly yellower green on its sunny face. Paint the darker shadowed slopes and purple-blue shadow planes on the mountain faces and valleys. Don't fear the purples in shadow—they're cool and necessary for depth.
03
Forest line as a value anchor
Lay in the dark coniferous forest as an almost-solid horizontal band across the middle. This is your darkest dark aside from water shadows. Vary the green-black slightly (add warmer brown in places, cooler blue-black in others) so it reads as foliage rather than a flat stripe. The forest top edge should be slightly irregular, suggesting tree shapes, but not detailed.
04
Water plane and reflection
Paint the water a dark grey-green, distinctly darker than the mountains it reflects. Use horizontal strokes to suggest the water surface. Paint reflections of the mountains directly below them—keep these soft and simplified, mirroring the mountain colors but a touch darker and more muted. The water should feel like a dark mirror, not a transparent window.
05
Refine mountain transitions and atmosphere
Work back into the mountains to clarify where slopes turn away from light. Brighten the yellow-greens on illuminated faces. Deepen purples in shadowed valleys and on far peaks. Add touches of lighter warm tone where snow or exposed rock catches light. Step back frequently—the mountains should read as three-dimensional form, not flat shapes.
06
Cloud detail and sky rhythm
Return to the sky and clouds. Soften cloud edges where they fade into sky; sharpen edges where clouds overlap or define peaks. The blue sky should have a gentle gradient—slightly cooler at the top, warmer toward the horizon behind the mountains. Add subtle shadow edges within clouds with dilute blues and warm greys to suggest volume.
07
Foreground rock and final water work
Paint the light rock in the immediate foreground a warm tan or pale grey with shadow underside. This anchors the viewer to the immediate shoreline. Refine the water surface with a few horizontal accent strokes—perhaps lighter reflective strips where light skims the surface, darker lines for depth. Keep it simple; don't over-detail.
08
Unify values and check temperature balance
Step back and squint. Check that the darkest water reads distinctly darker than all other elements. Verify the clouds still glow—they should be nearly as light as the canvas shows. Warm up any cool areas that feel flat; cool down any warm areas that feel garish. A final glaze or scumble over small areas can unify transitions without muddying.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Making the water too light or too transparent—it must remain the darkest major plane to anchor the composition and read as a solid reflective surface beneath the bright landscape.
Over-blending the clouds until they lose luminosity and form—clouds need soft edges but also distinct boundaries and internal value shifts to show volume and light.
Treating the forest line as a flat stripe rather than suggesting individual tree forms through irregular top edge and subtle value variation—a few marks indicating tree silhouettes help it read as vegetation.
Muddying the mountain colors by over-mixing purples and greens—keep shadow purples relatively clean and distinct from the greens; let them sit side by side rather than blending to grey.
Losing the sense of atmospheric distance—far mountains should recede through paler, cooler, more muted color compared to the sharper greens and warmer tones of the foreground slopes.

measured difficulty