plate no. 2072

View of Capri

Konstantin Gorbatov, 1926

oil, canvasPost-Impressionismlandscapeboatswaterbuildingsmountainsskyharbor

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing for atmospheric perspective and capturing reflections in water. It also provides practice in depicting complex architectural forms with simplified brushstrokes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the mountains, buildings, and boats.
step 02
Establish the main color blocks for the sky, water, and land masses.
step 03
Begin layering in the colors of the sky, blending to create soft clouds.
step 04
Paint the mountains, using cooler tones for shadows and warmer tones for highlights.
step 05
Add the buildings, focusing on capturing their basic shapes and colors.
step 06
Paint the boats, paying attention to their reflections in the water.
step 07
Refine the details of the buildings and boats, adding highlights and shadows.
step 08
Add final touches to the water, creating texture and movement with short brushstrokes.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · titanium white · yellow ochre · raw umber

secondary · cadmium red · cadmium yellow · viridian

Mix blues and whites for the sky and water, adding touches of yellow and red for warmth. Use raw umber and white for the mountains, adding touches of blue and yellow for atmospheric perspective. Mix reds, yellows, and blues to create the various building colors.

techniques

·broken color
·scumbling
·wet-on-wet blending
·alla prima
·impasto

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details, losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.
→Failing to capture the atmospheric perspective, making the background appear too sharp.
→Ignoring the reflections in the water, resulting in a flat and unrealistic depiction.