plate no. 9290
The Louvre Embankment
Albert Marquet, 1905
recreation guide
Albert Marquet’s *The Louvre Embankment* (1905) is a seminal work of early Fauvism, characterized by its departure from naturalistic color in favor of expressive, structural hues. As a lifelong friend of Henri Matisse and an initial member of the Fauve circle, Marquet’s practice during this period involved simplifying forms and emphasizing the flatness of the picture plane while retaining a sense of atmospheric depth. The artwork is a cityscape that likely employs the 'fat over lean' principle of oil painting to build layers of color without cracking, utilizing the medium’s slow drying time to adjust forms and values. The composition relies on the organization of visual elements such as line, shape, and value to create a coherent structure of the Parisian riverbank, rather than a strict topographical copy.
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
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 increase oil content in upper layers ('fat over lean') and adjust translucency | Refined linseed oil |
| Mineral spirits or turpentine | Solvent to thin paint for underpainting and cleaning brushes | Odorless mineral spirits |
| Canvas | Support surface | Linen or cotton canvas |
| Charcoal or thinned paint | Initial sketching of the subject onto the canvas | — |
| Paintbrushes | Transferring paint to the surface | — |
| Palette knives and rags | Scraping off wet paint or applying texture if needed | — |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be primed with a traditional ground suitable for oil painting. While specific priming methods for Marquet are not detailed in the sources, standard practice involves preparing a stable surface to receive the oil layers. The artist may have used a neutral or toned ground to assist in judging values, consistent with general oil painting traditions of the period.
underdrawing
Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with the artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1). Marquet likely employed a contour drawing approach to establish the mass and volume of the buildings and embankment, focusing on the outlined shape rather than minor details, as contour drawing emphasizes form and space (Source 6).
underpainting
The artist may have utilized a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values before applying color. This technique involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to translate what would be left in nature, creating a foundation for subsequent glazing and scumbling (Source 2). This step ensures that the final color layers have a stable value structure.
color palette
Ultramarine
Ultramarine pigment
General use in this artist's palette; often used in underpainting or for cool shadows
White
Lead white or Titanium white
General use in this artist's palette; for highlights and mixing
Black
Ivory black or Lamp black
General use in this artist's palette; for dark values and underpainting
Yellow tones
Various yellow pigments
Applied via glazing and scumbling to add warmth and light, as per traditional methods (Source 2)
Red tones
Various red pigments
Applied via glazing and scumbling to add warmth and light, as per traditional methods (Source 2)
composition
The composition organizes the visual elements of line, shape, color, texture, value, form, and space to create a coherent cityscape (Source 3). Marquet’s Fauvist style likely simplifies the complex architecture of the Louvre and the Seine into broad masses and planes, using color and value to define space rather than strict linear perspective. The sky is likely included as an element of the composition, contributing to the atmospheric quality of the view (Source 4).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint to establish the basic forms of the embankment, buildings, and water.
Tip — Focus on the mass and volume of the subject rather than minor details.
Contour drawing
underpainting
step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white to establish the value structure of the painting.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors to translate the underlying values.
Grisaille
first pass
step 03
Begin applying color layers, adhering to the 'fat over lean' rule by ensuring each additional layer contains more oil than the layer below.
Tip — Use solvents to thin the initial color layers to allow proper drying.
Fat over lean
refining
step 04
Glaze and scumble yellow and red tones over the dry underpainting to add warmth and light, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; scumbling is semi-opaque, allowing the underlying painting to show through.
Glazing and scumbling
finishing
step 05
Adjust the color, texture, or form of the figure as needed, taking advantage of oil paint’s slow drying time.
Tip — If necessary, remove an entire layer of wet paint with a rag and turpentine to begin anew.
Wet-on-wet adjustment
varnishing
step 06
Apply a varnish to protect the painting and unify the sheen, if desired.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing
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 and scumbling
Transparent and semi-opaque layers of color are applied over a dry underpainting to build up color and light.
Contour drawing
Emphasizing the mass and volume of the subject through outlined shapes rather than minor details.
common pitfalls
- →Applying layers with less oil than the layer below, which can cause the final painting to crack and peel (Source 1).
- →Over-modeling or being too tied down to the outline, which can result in a smallness or lack of boldness characteristic of Fauvism (Source 5).
- →Ignoring the 'fat over lean' rule, leading to instability in the paint film (Source 1).
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 pigments used by Marquet in 1905 are not detailed in the sources.
- ·The exact compositional layout of *The Louvre Embankment* (e.g., specific building placements) is not described in the sources.
- ·Marquet’s specific brushwork style for this painting is not detailed, though general Fauvist tendencies are implied.
- ·The specific ground preparation used by Marquet is not documented in the provided 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, glazing, scumbling
- ON COPYING — applied to Common pitfalls (over-modeling)
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- part 2 — applied to Underdrawing, fat over lean rule, wet-on-wet adjustment, varnishing
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- part 1 — applied to Composition notes, visual elements
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- part 1 — applied to Genre context, sky inclusion
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- part 1 — applied to Underdrawing technique
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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