plate no. 7696

View of Lake Leman from Chexbres

Ferdinand Hodler, 1905

oil, canvasPost-Impressionismlandscapelakeskycloudsmountainstreesgrass

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve subtle variations in blues and greens, as well as layering techniques to create depth in the landscape. It also offers practice in simplifying complex forms into basic shapes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the horizon line, the outline of the mountains, the lake's edge, and the basic shapes of the clouds.
step 02
Block in the sky with a light blue, gradually adding lighter tones towards the horizon.
step 03
Paint the lake with a mix of blues and greens, reflecting the sky's colors and adding subtle variations for depth.
step 04
Establish the mountain range with muted blues and purples, keeping the values lighter than the foreground.
step 05
Block in the foreground field with a base of yellow ochre and burnt sienna.
step 06
Add individual strokes of yellow, orange, and green to represent the grass and foliage, varying the direction of the strokes.
step 07
Paint the trees with dark greens and browns, simplifying their forms and adding highlights.
step 08
Refine the details of the clouds, adding subtle shadows and highlights to create volume.

color palette

primary · cerulean blue · yellow ochre · titanium white

secondary · burnt sienna · sap green · ultramarine blue

Achieve the sky and lake colors by mixing cerulean blue with white, adding small amounts of yellow ochre or ultramarine blue to adjust the hue. Mix burnt sienna and yellow ochre for the foreground, adding touches of green for variation.

techniques