plate no. 9195
Vase with flowers and book by the window
David Burliuk, 1954
recreation guide
This recreation guide addresses David Burliuk’s 1954 oil painting 'Vase with flowers and book by the window,' a work situated within the Post-Impressionist style. While the specific visual inventory of this particular canvas (the exact species of flowers, the book’s title, or the window’s architecture) is not detailed in the provided sources, the artwork belongs to the genre of flower painting. Historically, such works often prioritize compositional harmony and color contrast over strict botanical realism, sometimes combining blooms from different seasons to achieve aesthetic balance rather than naturalistic accuracy (Source 8). Burliuk’s approach likely emphasizes the 'laws of contrast of colour,' where the artist perceives and imitates the modifications of light on the model, ensuring that colors are harmonized according to their inherent nature and their interaction with contiguous hues (Source 1).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
6 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Raw Umber, White, plus a full spectrum of chromatic pigments) | Raw umber and white are specified for setting the palette and initial modeling; full spectrum allows for complementary contrast. | Standard tube oils |
| Canvas | Support for the oil medium. | Linen or cotton canvas, primed |
| Turpentine | Thinner for initial layers and cleaning brushes. | Odorless mineral spirits or turpentine |
| Charcoal | For initial drawing and shading, allowing for easy correction before paint application. | Vine charcoal or compressed charcoal |
| Dry brush | To model forms in the charcoal stage without smudging excessively. | Stiff bristle brush |
| Hand-glass (small mirror) | To compare the drawing with the model from a distance, ensuring correct scale and proportion. | Small hand mirror |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific priming methods for Burliuk in 1954 are not detailed in the sources, standard practice for oil painting involves a stable, absorbent ground. The sources emphasize the importance of the support being ready for charcoal work, which offers 'little resistance to a brush' (Source 2).
underdrawing
Begin by drawing and shading in charcoal. Use a dry brush to model the forms lightly. It is critical to make all corrections in this stage, as charcoal is easily removed with bread or erasers. Do not proceed to paint if there are 'obvious errors in construction or drawing,' as correcting in paint is 'fatal to lucidity' (Source 2). Place the drawing alongside the model (or reference) at eye level and use a hand-glass to compare proportions from a distance, ensuring the study is slightly smaller than life if desired (Source 2).
underpainting
Set the palette with raw umber and the softer white, using turpentine. Apply an initial layer with the intention of going over it at least three or four times. This approach allows for building up tone and color gradually, avoiding the pitfalls of trying to complete the study in one pass (Source 2).
color palette
Raw Umber
Pure pigment
Setting the initial palette and establishing tonal values in the underpainting stage.
White (Softer)
Pure pigment
Mixing with raw umber for initial modeling and lightening tones.
Complementary Pairs (e.g., Red-Green, Blue-Orange, Yellow-Purple)
Varying based on specific flower hues
Creating strong contrast and vibrancy. When placed next to each other, highly chromatic complementary colors create strong contrast, enhancing the visual impact of the flowers against the background or vase.
Neutral Grays/Browns
Mixing complements or adding black/white carefully
Darkening colors without shifting hue undesirably. Mixing complements neutralizes color without the hue shift that adding black can cause (e.g., yellow shifting greenish).
composition
The composition should focus on the arrangement of lines and spaces rather than mere botanical correctness. The main lines should cut the space effectively, creating an irregular pattern where all lines and areas are related to one another (Source 5). Avoid disconnected groups or a small spray in the middle of a large empty space; instead, aim for a 'beautiful whole' where the floral lines form a coherent scheme (Source 5). The artist should distinguish between colors inherent to the model (the flowers, vase, book) and those chosen for the background, using the latter to harmonize the composition (Source 3).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Draw the vase, flowers, and book in charcoal. Shade lightly to establish form.
Tip — Use a hand-glass to check proportions from a distance. Correct all errors now.
Charcoal sketching
underpainting
step 02
Mix raw umber and white with turpentine. Apply a thin wash to establish basic tonal values.
Tip — Plan for multiple layers; do not try to finish in one go.
Imprimatura/Underpainting
first pass
step 03
Begin applying color, focusing on the inherent colors of the objects. Observe how contiguous colors affect each other due to simultaneous contrast.
Tip — Be aware that the eye may see colors inaccurately due to mixed contrast from previously viewed hues.
Simultaneous Contrast
refining
step 04
Enhance contrasts by placing complementary colors near each other to increase vibrancy. Darken shadows by mixing complements rather than just adding black, to avoid hue shifts.
Tip — Check for hue shifts when lightening with white; correct with adjacent colors if necessary.
Complementary Mixing
finishing
step 05
Review the composition for line harmony. Ensure the 'main lines' cut the space effectively and that the arrangement feels like a unified pattern rather than a disjointed collection of objects.
Tip — Step back frequently to assess the overall effect of light and color modifications.
Compositional Harmony
critical techniques
Simultaneous Contrast
The artist must perceive that colors appear different when placed next to each other than when viewed separately. The lightest tone is lowered and the darkest heightened by juxtaposition. This requires the painter to appreciate the color peculiar to each part and the modifications received from contiguous colors (Source 1).
Mixed Contrast Awareness
The painter must be aware that after looking at one color, the eye tends to see its complementary. This can lead to inaccurate perception of subsequent colors. The artist should rest their eyes or be mindful of this 'modifying influence' to ensure accurate color representation (Source 1).
Complementary Darkening
Instead of adding black to darken a color (which can shift the hue, e.g., yellow to green), mix the color with its complement. This neutralizes and darkens the color without an undesirable hue shift (Source 6).
common pitfalls
- →Putting down paint with obvious errors in construction or drawing, which leads to 'perplexities' and loss of lucidity (Source 2).
- →Ignoring simultaneous contrast, resulting in colors that appear dull or inaccurate because the artist failed to account for the influence of adjacent hues (Source 1).
- →Adding black to darken colors, causing unwanted hue shifts (e.g., reds shifting blue, yellows shifting green) (Source 6).
- →Creating a composition with disconnected groups or poor line relationships, failing to form a 'beautiful whole' (Source 5).
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 visual details of the 1954 painting (exact flower types, book cover, window view) are not described in the sources.
- ·David Burliuk's specific brushwork style or signature techniques for this period are not detailed in the provided texts.
- ·The exact dimensions of the canvas are not provided.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Understanding simultaneous and mixed contrast for accurate color perception and application.
- 324 — applied to Distinguishing inherent colors from chosen background colors for harmony.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- Painting from Life — applied to Underdrawing in charcoal, using a hand-glass for proportion, and initial palette setup with raw umber.
Composition — FLOWER COMPOSITIONS TWO VALUES↗
- Exercise — applied to Guidelines for arranging floral lines and spaces into a coherent composition.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Traditional color model — applied to Identifying complementary pairs for contrast and mixing.
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Techniques for darkening colors with complements to avoid hue shifts.
Wikipedia: Dutch Golden Age painting↗
- Flower paintings — applied to Context for the genre, noting the potential for non-naturalistic arrangement of blooms.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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