plate no. 9422
The Life of St. Ignatius Loyola. Plate 6. The vision at La Storta (outside Rome) I will be favourable to you in Rome.
recreation guide
This artwork, Plate 6 from 'The Life of St. Ignatius Loyola,' depicts the vision at La Storta, a narrative moment classified as history painting. As a history painting, it is defined by its subject matter—a specific moment in a religious narrative—rather than a static portrait or landscape (Source 8). The work likely employs the principles of chiaroscuro to create dramatic effects, utilizing the juxtaposition of light and dark tones to heighten visual impact and guide the viewer’s eye through the narrative scene (Source 2). The artist, Carlos Saenz de Tejada, working in an Art Nouveau or Modern style, would have approached the oil medium not merely as a tool for illusionistic deception, but as a vital material for expressing emotional ideas and symbolic truth (Source 4).
estimated time
40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions
materials
4 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Earth tones, Reds, Yellows) | Primary medium for glazing and scumbling layers. | High-quality artist-grade oil paints |
| Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil/linseed oil) | Medium for the first and second paintings, as noted in historical practice. | Stand oil or refined linseed oil |
| Varnish | Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to increase transparency and flow. | Dammar or synthetic resin varnish |
| Canvas or Panel | Support for the oil painting. | Linen canvas primed with gesso |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared to support multiple layers of glazing and scumbling. While specific preparation for Saenz de Tejada is not detailed in the sources, the use of oil of copavia suggests a traditional oil painting ground that allows for slow drying and deep layering (Source 6).
underdrawing
The sources do not specify Saenz de Tejada’s underdrawing method. However, given the genre of history painting, a precise underdrawing would likely be necessary to establish the narrative figures and composition before applying the complex color layers.
underpainting
A grisaille (monochrome underpainting) is likely employed. This technique involves painting the composition in neutral tones, mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish form and light before adding color glazes (Source 6). This aligns with the historical practice of old masters who used this method to manage the complexity of light and shadow.
color palette
Ultramarine
Pure ultramarine pigment
Part of the initial painting layers, mixed with white and black (Source 6).
White
Lead white or titanium white
Lightening tones and creating tints; used in initial layers (Source 6).
Black
Ivory black or lamp black
Darkening tones and creating shades; used in initial layers (Source 6).
Reds and Yellows
Vermilion, cadmium red, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow
Applied as transparent glazes over the dry grisaille to introduce warmth and local color (Source 6).
composition
As a history painting, the composition likely features a center of interest to prevent the work from becoming a mere pattern, with the viewer’s eye led around the elements before exiting the picture (Source 5). The prominent subject (St. Ignatius) is likely off-center, balanced by smaller satellite elements, avoiding exact bisections of the picture space (Source 5). The use of chiaroscuro creates a gradation of light, where the highest tone is enfeebled and the lowest tone heightened at the line of juxtaposition, enhancing the dramatic effect (Source 2).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the narrative scene, ensuring the subject is off-center and the composition avoids exact bisections.
Tip — Ensure the eye is led through the narrative elements.
Compositional planning
underpainting
step 02
Create a grisaille underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Establish the light and shadow structure without red or yellow tones.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors to focus on form and value.
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Begin glazing with transparent coats of red and yellow tones using oil and varnish mixtures.
Tip — Apply glazes thinly to allow the underlying grisaille to show through, creating depth.
Glazing
refining
step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones and create coldness or grey blooms where needed, particularly over darker grounds.
Tip — Watch for the underlying painting showing through the semi-opaque layer.
Scumbling
finishing
step 05
Adjust colors by mixing with complements to neutralize hues without shifting them undesirably, ensuring the final colors harmonize with the inherent nature of the objects.
Tip — Avoid adding black to darken colors if it causes hue shifts toward green or blue; use complements instead.
Color mixing with complements
critical techniques
Chiaroscuro
Used to create dramatic effects by juxtaposing light and dark tones, enhancing the gradation of light and shadow in the narrative scene.
Glazing and Scumbling
Glazing involves applying transparent coats of color over a dry underpainting, while scumbling uses semi-opaque layers to modify tone and create depth. This method was common among old masters and allows for rich, luminous colors.
Simultaneous Contrast
Awareness of how adjacent colors affect each other’s perception. The painter must account for the complementary color influence to accurately represent the model’s colors.
common pitfalls
- →Adding black to darken colors can cause hue shifts (e.g., yellows shifting toward green), which should be avoided by using complementary colors instead (Source 1).
- →Ignoring the law of simultaneous contrast can lead to inaccurate color representation, as adjacent colors influence each other’s perceived hue and tone (Source 3).
- →Attempting to create a mere illusion of nature rather than expressing the emotional idea through the vitality of the oil medium (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 Saenz de Tejada’s personal palette or brushwork style are not provided in the sources.
- ·The exact dimensions and support material (canvas vs. panel) for this specific plate are not specified.
- ·The specific narrative details of the vision at La Storta (e.g., exact poses, clothing) are not described in the sources, so general history painting conventions are applied.
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 Chiaroscuro and dramatic lighting effects.
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint as an expressive medium.
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 Color mixing principles and avoiding hue shifts.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Compositional rules for history painting.
Wikipedia: History painting↗
- History painting — part 1 — applied to Definition and characteristics of the genre.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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