plate no. 1989
The Place des Pyramides, Paris
Giuseppe de Nittis, 1875
experienced study
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and capturing the impression of a bustling urban scene with loose brushwork. It also provides practice in rendering complex architectural details and figures in motion.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
2
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the building, statue, and horizon line.
- step 02
Block in the sky with a thin wash of muted grays and browns.
- step 03
Establish the basic values of the building and statue, focusing on the overall shapes rather than details.
- step 04
Begin adding the scaffolding structure, using a smaller brush and varying the thickness of the lines.
- step 05
Roughly indicate the figures in the foreground with quick, gestural strokes.
- step 06
Add highlights to suggest reflections on the wet pavement.
- step 07
Refine the details of the statue and the most prominent figures.
- step 08
Add final touches to the sky and adjust values as needed.
color palette
primary · raw umber · burnt umber · titanium white · ivory black
secondary · yellow ochre · cadmium red light · cerulean blue
Achieve the muted tones by mixing browns with white and small amounts of blue or red. Use thin washes for the sky and thicker paint for the foreground.
techniques
- ·scumbling
- ·dry brushing
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·alla prima
- ·broken color
common pitfalls
- →Getting bogged down in the details of the scaffolding too early.
- →Making the colors too saturated.
- →Losing the sense of depth and atmosphere.
- →Overworking the figures and making them too defined.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·flat brushes (sizes 4, 8)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·painting thinner
Use a canvas with a medium texture to allow for better paint adhesion. Consider toning the canvas with a thin wash of raw umber before starting.
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