plate no. 5872

The Nazarene

Antonio Sicurezza, 1977

oil, canvasPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfigurehairfaceperson

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and creating texture with visible brushstrokes. It also provides practice in capturing likeness and expression.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head and shoulders.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of yellow ochre and raw umber.
step 03
Block in the main areas of light and shadow on the face using a limited palette of earth tones.
step 04
Begin building up the hair, using dark browns and blacks, and indicating the direction of the strands.
step 05
Refine the facial features, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 06
Add highlights to the face and hair to create depth and dimension.
step 07
Develop the details of the clothing and background, using short, broken brushstrokes.
step 08
Add final touches and glazes to unify the painting.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · raw umber · burnt sienna · titanium white

secondary · cadmium red · ultramarine blue · viridian

Mix skin tones by blending yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and white. Use small amounts of red and blue to adjust the temperature and create shadows. Darken colors with raw umber.

techniques

·alla prima
·broken color
·scumbling
·dry brush
·color mixing

common pitfalls

→Overblending the skin tones, resulting in a flat, lifeless appearance.
→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Making the hair too uniform and lacking in texture.
→Ignoring the subtle color variations in the shadows and highlights.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints
·palette
·palette knife
·assorted brushes
·linseed oil
·odorless mineral spirits

optional

·painting medium
·varnish
·easel

Use a medium-textured canvas to allow for good paint adhesion and visible brushstrokes. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.

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