Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Renior Palette


Here is an example of an actual palette of Renoir. One of the core impressionist (although the least talented). But, interesting to note which colors he has as paint volcanoes on this palette. Chrome yellow, Vermilion, Ultramarine Blue, Red Madder, Prussian Blue, and White. As Graydon pointed out to me today the limiting nature and high chroma of these colors give way to in general high key and high chroma paintings.

8 comments:

jeff said...

Landscape painting is an interesting problem with a low chroma palette.

While I do not like Renoir very much,I do feel that some of the impressionist are viable painters.
Degas comes to mind, as does some of Pissarro's better works.
I guess one has to look to the tonalist, such as Inness, Whistler, Twachtman.

Winslow Homer can be added to the list although he is not a tonalist.

Impressionism was also reacting to the French Academy, how that plays into all of this I don't know. One thing is clear that the introduction of new pigments(by products from the industrial revolution) had a lot to do with how the impressionist developed the way they did. I think that some of them were just trying to get close to pitch of day light and the new colors helped them.

I don't think it is a good idea to pitch one idea against another.

I can see how Munsell can be used by someone who paints in an impressionist manner.

This is something I am thinking about now, how to use the ideas from Munsell to come up with a good landscape palette.

nystudios said...

If you want higher chroma paintings, one could set it up as using nothing lower than 6 in chroma. That would give you full value ranges and such control.

Munsell is so liberating.

graydon said...

Jeff,

Do you know Peter Monsted's work. He was an amazing 19th century landscape painter with very life-like results. I find him superior to many impressionis paintings as far as the effects of daylight are concerned.

That said, anyone want to take a stab at checking the HVC of a Monet, Pisarro or Renoir.

graydon said...

Also, has anyone seen Bouguereau's landscapes. They are amazing. The background of his peasant girl here in Springfield is pure Monet, with lovely violet and orange hues.

jeff said...

I don't remember the title of the painting but the large Bouguereau at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute has a some amazing landscape work in it, it's the one with the nymphs and the satyr.

I don't know Peter Monsted's work I'll have to check it out.

Are there any in the MFA here in Boston?

graydon said...

Monsted is rarely in American museums. But I think he is one of the best landscape painters. His paint quality is superb and varied.

jeff said...

I found if you Google his Danish name Peder Monsted that you find a fair amount of images online.

He's a great painter, and his prices are still up there, I saw one that was $45,000.

It seems a lot of his work is in Europe, I saw one gallery in London Burlington Paintings, that has a few.

I his sense of light and atmosphere seems fantastic and that is just from online images.

nystudios said...

Wow!!! Thanks Graydon. That guy ROCKS!!!!