A painting depicting the aftermath and reconstruction following disaster

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A PAINTING DEPICTING THE AFTERMATH AND RECONSTRUCTION FOLLOWING DISASTER

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Fine Arts The University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts

by James Emory Nastasia August 1950

UMI Number: EP57893

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T h i s thesis, w r i t t e n by

...... u n d e r t he g u i d a n c e o f h F a c u l t y and

approved

by

a ll

its

C om m ittee,

members,

p r e s e n t e d to a n d a c c e p t e d b y t h e

has

been

C o u n c i l on

G ra d u a te S t u d y a n d Research in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l ­ m e n t o f t he r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r t h e d e g r e e o f

MASTER OP FINE ARTS

Augugjt..19.5.0....

Date

F a c u lty Com m ittee

I

tChairmdn

TABLE OP CONTENTS CHAPTER I.

✓

PAGE

THE PROBLEM AND ITS ORGANI Z A T I O N .............

1

The p r o b l e m ................................

1

Statement of the problem .................

1

Importance of the s t u d y .................

1

Organization of the remainderof the thesis. II.

III.

OTHER SOLUTIONS BY CONTEMPORARYPAINTERS . . .

7

Peter B l u m e ..............................

7

Ben S h a h n ................................

8

John P i p e r ................................

8

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS ....................

13

Background material

IV.

6

.....................

13

Use of inanimate o b j e c t s .................

19

VISUAL ELEMENTS AND PINAL COMPOSITIONS . . . . Primary visual considerations

23

.............

23

The definition of s p a c e .................

23

First color s k e t c h e s .....................

25

Use of animate forms and their a r t i c u l a t i o n ....................... Multiple figure composition

. .

.............

25 32

Preliminary canvases .......................

32

First oil c a n v a s .........................

32

Second oil c a n v a s .......................

36

CHAPTER V.

VI.

VII.

PAGE

PROBLEMS OP CRAFTSMANSHIP AND TECHNIQUE

...

39

The c r a f t ..................................

39

Selection of c a n v a s .....................

39

The p a l e t t e ..............................

40

The m e d i u m ................................

4l

The b r u s h e s ..............................

4l

The t e c h n i q u e ..............................

4l

THE FINAL C A N V A S ..............................

43

The laying i n ............................

43

The p a i n t i n g ..............................

45

EVALUATION AND S U M M A R Y ........................

50

The e v a l u a t i o n ..............................

50

Subjective evaluation

...................

50

.....................

51

The s u m m a r y ................................

52

........................................

54

Objective criticism

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIST OF PLATES PLATE I. II. III.

PAGE "Ecce Homo" by Guido R e n i .................

4

’’The Crucifixion” by Mathis Grunewald . . . . "The Rock” by Peter B l u m e .................

5 9

IV.

"The Red Stairway” by Ben S h a h n ..........

10

V.

"Liberation” by Ben S h a h n .................

11

VI.

"Somerset Place, Bath” by John Piper

V I I . Casein painting of wrecked building VIII. IX. X. XI.

. . . .

12

.........

15

Casein painting of building ................. Pen and charcoal s k e t c h ................... Pen and charcoal drawing of bedstead

16 18

. . . . . .

22

XII.

Charcoal composition sketch ..................

24

XIII.

Charcoal figure drawing ......................

26

Charcoal figure drawing from the model

27

XIV. XV.

Pen and charcoal drawing of Joiningparts

21

...

Figure d r a w i n g ...........................

29

X V I . Figure d r a w i n g ...........................

30

XVTI.

Detail drawing of h a n d s ...................

XVTII. Composition sketch XIX.

31

..........................

Final composition sketches

33

.................

34

XX.

First oil c a n v a s .........................

35

XXI.

Second oil c a n v a s .........................

37

XXII. XXIII.

Completed canvas

............................

Follow-up painting on similar theme

.........

49 53

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS ORGANIZATION I.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the problem.

The specific problem is

the composition and execution of an easel painting depicting the aftermath and reconstruction following disaster. Importance of the study. a universally significant theme.

The investigator sought Tragedy seems to be the

most deeply rooted of human emotions and the most easily comprehended. Tragedy is an extraordinarily stable experience, it is perhaps the most general, all accepting, all-order­ ing experience known.1 Comedy and genre are dependent upon specific times and places to achieve meanings which promote restricted rather than universal understanding. . . . Since its standpoint is always the logical order, it deals critically with the fashions of specific places--because they are ubiquitous, and with those of specific times--they are not eternal.

1 Louis Arnaud Reid, A Study in Aesthetics (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1931)7 P* 35&. ^ James K. Feibleman, Aesthetics (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 19^9), P* 8 7 .

2 The seriousness of the theme and the importance of the message justified the time and effort spent in the investigation.

The abstraction of the desire to produce a

thesis painting is that of a universally accepted emotion, i.e., tragedy.

The generalization that man reacts a cer­

tain way to a ruined environment is the substance of the work.

The ruins may be the aftermath of floods, other

natural upheavals, or of war.

The investigator decided to

keep the generalization, rather than to make it a specific record of the aftermath of a single disaster.

This gen­

eralization is felt to have more universality in meaning. Because the theme is lifted out of context of time and place the investigator feels it becomes particularly sig­ nificant.

The organization of the specific is closer to

illustration than to creative art. The world has known two major wars within one gen­ eration and the spectre of a third.

In this instance, man

has constantly attempted to bring order out of a chaos he has created.

The attitude of man has been one of serious­

ness and a constant attempt to orient himself to his ever changing environment. Tragedy has occupied a high place in the subject matter of art.

The writer has chosen the Crucifixion to

introduce pictorially the theme of tragedy.

The cold

classic interpretation, which is not illustrated in this

3 work emphasizes the symbolic significance of the event rather than the human element of tragedy.

The writer

limited himself to painters who were primarily interested in interpreting the figure in expressive but totally dif­ ferent ways.

The two directions can clearly be seen in

the Crucifixions of Christ by Reni (Plate I), and Grunewald (Plate II).

The former is a sentimentalized

version that superficially touches the true drama of the crucifixion in which Christ suffered and died for humanity. Grunewald's interpretation, however, discloses true agony-a realism which is profoundly religious, in that the mag­ nitude of the sacrifice of Christ is made meaningful through regeneration of particular qualities in this event. It is the thesis of the writer that man is not necessarily an heroic figure when beset by tragedy.

Thus,

it is not necessarily the duty of the painter to cloak humanity with false theatrical garb. A generalization of disaster plus man's attitude toward tragedy accordingly provide the background of abstract thought later crystallized on canvas. The intent of the investigator was to communicate through color, form, and content a generally understood group of symbols which would connote the aftermath of a disaster and man's reaction to it.

In this thesis the

writer sought to portray human problems and to give

PLATE X "ECCE HOMO" BY GUIDO RENI

PLATE II "THE CRUCIFIXION" BY MATHIS GRUNEWALD

6 painting a meaning beyond the isolated concepts of compo­ sition and surface delineation. . . . The social origin of the art impulse, which has been pretty definitely demonstrated, and the ar­ tist1s desire for sincere appreciation of his work by others are strong evidence against the contention that an artist creates solely to satisfy his inner desire for self-expression.3 II.

ORGANIZATION OF THE REMAINDER OF THE THESIS

The remainder of the thesis is organized into the following chapters. The pictorial solutions of three contemporary painters concerned with the theme of tragedy are briefly reviewed in Chapter II. Chapter III deals with the collection of background material and further explanations of the writer's approach to the subject. Chapter IV consists of plastic visual elements and a progression to the final compositions. The technical problems of craftsmanship and desired paint quality are dealt with in Chapter V. The writer's work on the final canvas is reviewed in Chapter V I . Chapter VII contains an evaluation and summary based upon the completed work. 3 Aram Torossian, A Guide to Aesthetics (California: Stanford University Press, Stanford University,1937)* p.l46.

CHAPTER II OTHER SOLUTIONS BY CONTEMPORARY PAINTERS This chapter presents pictorial answers to similar problems relating to tragedy as solved by three contempor­ ary painters.

Peter Blume, Ben Shahn, and the English

artist, John Piper, were chosen because of their diverse directions in the depiction of human tragedy and ruins. The work of Ben Shahn, with its direct statement and stark interpretation of tragedy, seemed to the writer the most satisfactory of the solutions. Peter Blume:

,fThe Rock"1 (Plate III).

If symbolism is where one sees it, the rock may suggest the permanence of some form of civiliza­ tion. . . . But it has persisted in its dominance of the scene, while the world about it appears to have dissolved in ruins.2 The message contained in Peter Blumefs painting is not clear.

The artist presented the panoramic view of

m a n ’s fate on earth, but so great an area of interpretation was attempted that the picture resolved itself into a symbolism which is partially obscure.

The investigator

chose a more simple, direct approach and limited himself

1

Digest, January 15, 19^9, p. 13•

^ Loc. cit.

to one aspect of human "behavior in a shattered environment. Ben Shahn: "The Red S t a i r w a y " ^ (plate IV), and 4 "Liberation" (Plate V). Ben Shahn reached a high degree of communicability in "The Red Stairway" and "Liberation." In both works the human and architectural elements are well integrated pictorially.

The paintings are meaningful in

that the utmost emotional impact is extracted from simple, meaningful statements.

The symbols are universal because

they have been stripped of immediate time and place references. John Piper:

"Somerset Place, Bath"^ (Plate VI).

In this painting the ruin appears in isolation.

The ab­

sence of human forms invokes a feeling of loneliness rather than tragedy.

The quality of forms and color indi­

cates that the painter did not attempt to portray stark, human tragedy, but rather the lonely aspect of a ruined building.

^ James Thrall Soby, Ben Shahn (Middlesex: England Penguin Books Limited, 19^7), plate 23. ^ Ibid., plate 29. 5 John Betjeman, John Piper (Middlesex: England Penguin Books Limited, 1948), plate 19.

PLATE III "THE ROCK" BY PETER BLUME

10

PLATE IV nTHE RED STAIRWAY'1 BY BEN SHAHN

PLATE V "LIBERATION" BY BEN SHAHN

PLATE VI "SOMERSET PLACE, BATH" BY JOHN PIPER

H-v'V

hi** %

CHAPTER III PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS The writer felt that more visual documentary mater­ ial was needed to develop a more positive attitude toward the theme.

The symbols chosen for the thesis painting

included ruins.

The knowledge or experience was indirect.

The source material was photographs dealing with recon­ struction which appeared in magazines and newspapers of the immediate post-war period. Background material.

Experience can roughly be

classified as direct and indirect.

A direct experience is

a first-hand knowledge of emotional behavior, intellectual activity, and physical environment; an indirect experience is vicariously gotten through communication. is the source of the bulk of our knowledge.

The latter The painter’s

vocabulary lies in the life around him and the visual sources of his work are found in natural forms, unless his intent is non-objective (the representation of visionary rhythm rather than the materialistic delusion of matter^). The investigator’s subjective approach was felt to

1 Catalogue, Museum of Non-Objective Painting, 1071 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y.

14 be meaningless unless others shared in the experience, and to accomplish this end a more direct, first-hand knowledge of subject matter was suggested by the committee.

The

anatomy of a torn architectural structure was studied through drawings, and the atmosphere of desolation was experienced direct observation of local wreckage material. The focus narrowed from the generalization of an aftermath, to the more limited image of a ruined town, and finally to that of one ruined building.

This provided the background

for the painting. Through many drawings of a particular building the representations became more abstract, stressing the essen­ tial characteristics of the anatomy of the torn structure itself.

The investigator attempted to transform the por­

trait aspect into a more general symbol which would have emotional significance to those who viewed the picture. The approach to the problem was to explore one segment or one group of symbols which could be expanded intellectual­ ly.

Visually the canvas would contain one building and a

small group of figures, but intellectually or emotionally it could encompass a much broader interpretation of tra­ gedy.

A painter may, if he chooses, use the panoramic

view of destruction and reconstruction and include many buildings, figures, and much wreckage.

However, the one

PLATE VII CASEIN PAINTING OF WRECKED BUILDING

— 1~-^-

plate

VIII

CASEIN PAINTING OF BUILDING

17 who views the canvas may not identify himself with the scene because of the remoteness of the situation.

The

investigator sought to make this identification more mean­ ingful by limiting the number of symbols and by choosing a single structure with a foreground group of working figures. Many abstract charcoal drawings of the ruined building and figures in space were made in large scale. The dimension of depth had to be suggested on paper, in addition to length and width. sion were the figures, plane.

Within this new dimen­

the ruined house, and the ground

The latter element had been completely neglected

and the ruins dominated the scene.

This fact was clarified

during a conference with the committee.

The investigator

had learned that the composing or the transference of an emotion or idea to the new medium of charcoal and paper was largely dependent upon reason. . . . this thoroughgoing interdetermination of parts constitutes form in a work of art, as it does in a machine, an organism, or the intelligent execution of any purpose.2 The ground plan, then, upon which the ruined build­ ing stood, became as important an element to study as the

P

Albert C. Barnes and Violette de Mazia, "Expression and Form,11 Art and Education (John Dewey, editor; New York: The Barnes Foundation Press, 19^7), p. 168.

PLATE IX PEN AND CHARCOAL SKETCH

19 structure itself.

An interrelation of pictorial parts is a

necessary factor in effecting pictorial unity. Use of inanimate objects.

Another, more intimate

symbol was needed to unite man to building and to carry out the theme of reconstruction.

Some twisted, wrecked object

that man was attempting to salvage had to be procured, studied, and portrayed in order to provide a transition between man and his architectural setting.

This symbol

could serve a twofold purpose by identifying figures with building and by symbolizing, in itself, the wreckage of m a n ’s environment.

The investigator made many sketching

trips to junk yards in Los Angeles and selected a pair of old, twisted brass bedsteads which would provide further material for direct experience and study.

The content of

the painting now had expanded to a disemboweled building, and a figure group salvaging the remains of the bed.

This

proved to be the subject of the final painting. The brass bedsteads were approached in the same manner as the ruined buildings.

An attempt was made to

understand the object in visual terms.

The anatomy of

the joints, the distribution of masses were carefully stu­ died in charcoal and pen and ink.

The latter medium

became increasingly useful in defining form cleanly. attempt was made by the writer to create realistic (a

An

20

careful selection of meaningful form), rather than natural­ istic (the complete acceptance of the camera), representa­ tions of the bedsteads.

This approach called for an

intellectualizing of a visual experience, plus an emotion or attitude toward the thing portrayed.

Study of pure

surface phenomena gave way to cross-section studies of joining parts and to the over-emphasis of the twisted, damaged character of the bedstead.

The latter approach

enriched the emotional content beyond the pure visual r e ­ cording of naturalism. . . . such distortion--abstraction or emphasis-when found to be intentionally applied to the represenatative form of objects or relations, is obvious proof of a purpose different from that of repro­ ducing photographically the superficial, visual traits of our surrounding world. Prom Giotto to Soutine, departure from literal representation is aiming toward the achievement of the best-fitted receptacle for the artist’s esthetic expression, i.e., of the plastic form most representative of his individual experience.3 The writer attempted to search for the inherent elements of the object rather than to prematurely super­ impose surface changes.

That he exercise his will upon

nature is a foregone conclusion since, unlike the camera which merely records, m a n ’s intellectual and emotional equipment forces him to react in a certain manner to the things he sees.

3 Violette de Mazia, “Continuity of Traditions in Painting," Art and Education, o p . cit., p. 133.

PLATE X PEN AND CHARCOAL DRAWING OP BEDSTEAD

PLATE XI PEN AND CHARCOAL DRAWING OP JOINING PARTS

CHAPTER IV VISUAL ELEMENTS AND FINAL COMPOSITIONS The attitude toward the subject matter and the culling of background material were necessary considera­ tions in building up the final composition.

This chapter

deals with some of the visual elements Involved, but does not pretend to be a particularization of these fundamen­ tals.

They are not isolated, but are integrated--each

showing its influence on the other.

I.

PRIMARY VISUAL CONSIDERATIONS

The definition of space.

Composition sketches were

made to integrate a figure group with the previously in­ vestigated architectural elements.

This problem was

essentially one of spatial clarification.

Foreground,

middle distance, and far distance had to be articulated in terms of the figures, the bed posts, the building, and involved the precise definition of objects in space.

The

writer had failed to give proper attention to the threepart space problem.

As a result the low placement and

the scale of the foreground figure could not logically be explained.

The latter was then placed In a ruined founda­

tion below eye level, salvaging the wreckage of the bed.

PLATE XII CHARCOAL COMPOSITION SKETCH

25 The board to the left of the figure served as a bridge, which leads the eye to the figures in middle distance. This tended to unify the composition. First color sketches.

Studies were made in a quick-

drying casein that proved adequate for note taking.

It

was felt that the subject matter of the canvas dictated the general color tone and mood.

The palette was somber

and cool with a wide range of blue and black overtones. The sketches became abstract blocks of color, varying in their hues, intensities, and values, depending upon their spatial locations and warm and cool relationships.

Color

blocks advanced and receded according to their values.

It

became necessary during this color analysis to make many sketches in black, white, and gray, in order to assign colors their proper value relationships.

An attempt was

made to unify a complicated linear composition through tone.

The major tone of blue was relieved by minor notes

of warm color, but the somber blue was made the prevailing tone in order to carry out the mood of desolation. Use of animate forms and their articulation. Professional models were supplied to afford a greater under­ standing of animate form.

The foreground figure was posed,

stripped to the waist, grasping the bedstead.

The inves­

tigator made charcoal drawings of the figure and posts in

PLATE XIII CHARCOAL FIGURE DRAWING

PLATE XIV CHARCOAL FIGURE DRAWING FROM THE MODEL

Il.iil..

28 an attempt to record the apparent reality of the situation. The sketches were necessarily static, showing little of the strain of lifting since it was a posed situation. Abstract analyses of the drawings were made without the model.

A liberal distortion was employed to emphasize the

strain of a working figure.

An attempt was made to accen­

tuate forces (masses and directions) in opposition, by strengthening the opposing axes of the shoulders and hips. The head was lowered to integrate figure to post in an elliptical design which retained a bulky solidity. The figure drawings were combined with the first set to produce a third stage of the investigation in charcoal.

The model was again used but in combination with

the abstractions.

The process of articulating form then,

was threefold: the realistic drawing of the figure, an exaggeration and distortion of the drawings, and a combina­ tion of the above two processes. The remaining figures were studied from the posed model with the subsequent process of abstraction applied. Actual fatigue and strain were produced and studied by having the model lift and carry a loaded pail.

The study

resolved itself to quick sketches because of the short duration of the posing time.

An excellent recording medium

proved to be India ink and wash, which was quick and per­ manent.

The drawings suggested energetic movement more

PLATE XV FIGURE DRAWING

PLATE XVI FIGURE DRAWING

PLATE XVTI DETAIL DRAWING OP HANDS

i

32 than the necessarily static posing of the studio situation. Multiple figure composition.

The problem of figure

grouping in space was the next consideration.

The back­

ground sketch was enlarged on heavy drawing paper.

Large

figure studies were made on transparent tracing paper. The individual figures on separate sheets of paper were then placed on top of the heavily drawn background sketch which showed through the tracing paper.

The figures could

then be switched around until an integrated composition was attained.

Many composition sketches followed, placing

particular stress upon the relationships between void and solid areas.

The intent of these latter compositions was

to relate the studied elements into a pictorial unity.

II.

PRELIMINARY CANVASES

First oil canvas.

The investigator then progressed

to the medium of oil, since that was to be used on the final work.

The character of the paint, in many instances,

dictates the treatment of the subject matter.

A cotton

canvas (22" x 30n ) of the same approximate proportions of the final picture was painted in an attempt to integrate the color and form masses with the medium of oil.

Board

wreckage on the lower right, was added in order to further integrate the composition, but was discarded as an obvious

PLATE XVIII COMPOSITION SKETCH

_ ■ .

1

PLATE XIX FINAL COMPOSITION SKETCHES

PLATE XX FIRST OIL CANVA

36 framing device which unnecessarily cluttered the area. Second oil canvas.

A second canvas of the same size

was started to further integrate color tone and to achieve visual clarity.

A committee conference disclosed a dis­

crepancy in the area of composition.

The observer’s eye

traveled immediately to middle distance and was not led carefully to the center of interest, which was the compo­ site figure group.

The foreground was inadequately ex­

plained and the specific nature of the ground plane was weak.

A low, stone wall was added to the immediate fore­

ground, which provided a center of interest closer to the observer.

It established the frontal plane and slowly led

the eye to middle distance.

The painting now showed a

preponderance of vertical elements within a horizontal canvas.

The strong verticals of the figures, bedposts,

and frame structure of the building outweighed the weak horizontals of the ground plane.

This was partially solved

by adding another low wall in middle distance, which ex­ tended across the horizontal width of the canvas.

The new

element was straddled by a figure, thus unifying the two with the major group.

The differences in scale, material,

and color between the middle distance and foreground walls were intended to relieve the monotony of the two similar surfaces.

The former represented red brick, and the latter

PLATE XXI SECOND OIL CANVAS

38 suggested large, irregular stone blocks, gray-blue in color. It was felt that all preliminary investigations were concluded with the completion of the second oil sketch.

The intent of the writer was thoroughly to ex­

plore, but not to exhaust, all the facets of the chosen problem.

The painting of the final canvas would still have

to be a creative process if the result was to be success­ ful .

CHAPTER V PROBLEMS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND TECHNIQUE Material considerations concerning the selection of canvas, paint, brushes, and medium for the final painting will be discussed under the general heading of craft. Technique is concerned with the aesthetic problems of paint quality (surface appearance of the paint coat­ ing1 ).

The writer sought partially to predetermine the

type of paint quality desired in order to achieve consis­ tency in the final result.

I.

THE CRAFT

Selection of canvas.

Commercially prepared linen

canvas was chosen and particular attention was given to p the quality of priming, and the closeness of weave. The canvas size was 40" x 521'.

A cross-piece of wood was

added to the stretcher bars, in the center, to give addi­ tional strength and support.

1 Ralph Mayer, The Painter1s Craft (New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc." 19^8), p. 9* 2 A uniform coating of white the canvas with a painting surface.

leadwhich

provides

40 The palette.

This term will he used to describe

the working surface and the colors used.

A large glass

palette was chosen as a working surface.

It could be

cleaned easily, afforded a large mixing area, and color could be seen in its true value and intensity vrhen a sheet of paper, neutral in shade, was placed under the glass to serve as a background. The writer selected colors that were highly perma­ nent and well

ground.3

The palette was composed of the

following pigments and arranged on the working surface in this order:

(l) Permalba white;

(2) barium yellow;

cadmium yellow medium;

(4) yellow ochre;

(6) cadmium red light;

(7 ) cadmium red medium;

umber; blue;

(9) burnt sienna; (12) cobalt blue;

black.

(10) viridian;

(3 )

(5 ) light red; (8) burnt

(ll) ultramarine

(13) monastral blue;

(l4) ivory

Permalba proved to be an excellent white because

of its lack of strong tinting power.

Colors mixed with

this white retained their relative intensities without turning chalky.

Prussian blue is not considered an en4 tirely permanent color, but the investigator found Its equivalent in a handground monastral blue, which possessed

3

Mayer, op_. cit., p. 95*

^ Ibid.. p. 47.

41 the same hue but had the added quality of permanence. The medium.^ turpentine.

The medium used was linseed oil and

The use of varnishes as painting medium is

a dangerous practice because of the resulting viscous quality of the paint, and because of the possibilities of surface cracking.

An attempt was made to keep the intru­

sion of medium to a minimum so that the natural quality of the paint would be preserved. The brushes.

The writer selected a wide variety of

short, flat, bristle brushes, high in quality.

The choice

of brushes is based upon individual preference guided by ease of manipulation.

II.

THE TECHNIQUE

The techniques employed by the investigator involved direct painting rather than glaze painting (the superimpo­ sing of thin layers of transparent or nearly transparent color over a dried, colored, or monochrome painting ).

The

writer desired to achieve tonalities through mixing and

5 A liquid which, when added to a fluid paint, will contribute desirable properties to its workability. ^ Mayer,

o jd

.

cit., p. 112.

42 applying separate tones of color.

It was felt that greater

nuances could be attained by this method.

The investiga­

tor had limited experience with glazing techniques which, if used by inexperienced hands, result in a surface shine that mars the readability of the canvas or produces muddy color. Another aspect of technique is the actual quality of the paint on canvas.

Heavy impasto (loaded brush tech­

nique) may be applied with brush or palette knife and r e ­ sults in thick layers of paint upon the surface of the canvas.

This became part of the repertoire of the late

Impressionist landscape school, which stressed the tech­ niques rather than the content of painting.

Thick impasto

may also be applied with the brush so that the strokes are clearly visible on the canvas.

The ultimate in this appli­

cation results in such virtuosity of brush handling that technique overpowers content.

The writer’s primary con­

cern, however, was the content of the painting, and no techniques were employed which would detract from this first consideration. The foregoing are the preliminary problems of craftsmanship and techniques examined by the writer before the final canvas was touched.

CHAPTER VI THE FINAL CANVAS Despite the investigation of preliminary material the problem still remained a creative one to be solved on the final canvas.

The vast accumulation of background

material merely served as a reservoir of knowledge at the writer *s disposal. The laying i n .

An abstract skeleton of the compo­

sition was sketched carefully on the canvas in charcoal and after alterations in drawing were made was given permanence by atomizing fixative to the canvas.

The alterations men­

tioned were the results of transferring to a much larger dimension.

The voids and solids of the smaller canvases

became enormous in size and demanded an entirely new ap­ proach.

Forms were drawn lightly in charcoal over the

compositional framework.

The female figure was placed too

near the central foreground figure, and as a consequence its movement was obscured.

Cleanness of statement and

utmost visual clarity were primary objectives in the laying in of linear forms.

Incorrect or confusing charcoal lines

were promptly erased, and the charcoal drawing was fixed to the canvas.

The investigator then proceeded to lay on

flat tones of color, thinned with turpentine to watercolor

44 consistency, to establish value relationships of the forms in space.

Another objective of painting every area in

completely with thin color was to eliminate the glaring whiteness of the canvas which would tend to destroy value relationships. A painter, unable to enter fully into his subject, to see it in its concrete fulness and with an eye to all its relations, or one with an insufficient com­ mand over all the plastic means, is incapable of achieving a unified painting.1 It was the desire of the writer to develop all areas together,

since all visual elements are interdependent and

combine to give a single impression. The colors selected for the underpainting were burnt umber and ultramarine blue.

The reason for the choice

was threefold: A cool tone which resulted from their com­ bination and would approximate the final tonality; the permanence and near neutrality of the tone; and the fact that a warm underpainting is liable to bleed through. Areas that appeared too strong in value were removed with rag and turpentine and were repainted.

At all stages of

the underpainting the color remained thin, and the texture of the canvas weave was clearly visible.

1 Albert C. Barnes, "Plastic Form,11 Art and Foundation (John Dewey, editor; New York: The Barnes Foundation Press, 1947), p. 116.

45 The painting remained untouched for a period of no less than forty-eight hours to allow the underpainting to dry thoroughly.

During this period the writer collected

and reevaluated his visual data.

Sketches and paintings

were studied objectively in an attempt to isolate the areas where further study was needed.

The committee sug­

gested further research into the contact point of the foreground figure’s hands and the bedpost and into the figure itself, in order to extract the maximum power of statement. The painting.

The underpainting was executed with

paint thinned with turpentine.

As the final painting pro­

gressed, linseed oil was substituted and was used sparinly throughout.

Although turpentine affords ease in han­

dling, it produces, if used abundantly, an effect ade­ quately described by Erie Loran when he viewed some of the less known works of Cezanne. Several of the canvases were excessively mat, hiding the translucence and depth of color. This mat quality was apparently the result of too much turpentine, and the pictures seriously needed varnishing.2 A minimum of umber was used after the completion

^ Erie Loran, Cezanne’s Composition (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1946), p. 35*

46 of the underpainting because of the dullness of the color and its high sinking power into the canvas.

Large areas

were painted in with the broadness of form being empha­ sized without much attention paid to details.

Patterns

of warm against cool were set up to create an interesting variety of tone.

In the cases of large cool areas,

attempts were made to introduce minor notes of warm color to inject a variety and contrast into the area. vestigator had, in many instances, light source to clarify forms.

The in­

employed an arbitrary

The highlights were

eliminated where they detracted from the definition of forms in space and where the clarity of the painting, as a whole,

suffered.

Since the final canvas was to be a fully creative effort with new dimensions and new colors, the figures had to be restudied from the model.

They were studied not

in terms of themselves, but rather in terms of the canvas and of the surrounding,forms on the canvas. emphasis was placed voids and solid forms.

Particular The color of

the foreground figure was low in key and without violent light and dark contrast; consequently, the color of the forms in middle and deep distance had to be scaled down proportionately in order to make the depth cohesive.

The

resulting color lacked any strong value and color changes.

^7 No one element of the painting could be executed in isolation--the interrelation of parts necessitated an integration of approach.

The painting of the figures

depended upon the ground color, the building, and the sky. The latter contained a great deal of range in value and was used erroneously by the investigator as an obvious framing device.

A faculty converence offered the follow­

ing suggestions: the sky could become more uniform in value; and the forms in the painting were becoming hard and linear, which negated any intention of depth.

The changes

were made, and the canvas was nearing completion.

It was

the intent of the writer to keep the paint quality thin but with body.

A heavy impasto would focus the attention

of the observer to the surface of the canvas, and the con­ tent would then be secondary. Photographs were taken of the painting in its final stage and were studied carefully.

The reduced size in

black and white proved excellent for examining possible value discrepancies. brief respite.

The painting was restudied after a

It was felt that too great a concentration

upon a single piece of work causes a dullness of vision and an inability to examine the work objectively. The primary concern, at this stage, was to evaluate the relationship between the original intention and the

canvas.

No changes could effectively be made.

The in­

vestigator realized that the work represented a complete statement of his abilities at this stage of development, and the painting was considered finished.

PLATE XXII COMPLETED CANVAS

CHAPTER VII EVALUATION AND SUMMARY It is the intent of this chapter to correlate ver­ bal intention with the final result. Thus the final work of art is often quite differ­ ent from, and occasionally even better than, what he expected to create when he began his work. Usually, however, the final work falls short of the imagined one, because our conceptions are not so clear and concrete as we think they are.1 The specific problem was the composition and execu­ tion of an easel painting depicting the aftermath and reconstruction following disaster.

I.

THE EVALUATION

Subjective evaluation.

The content of the painting

related fairly well to the subject matter or theme.

The

investigator felt that the observer would receive a major part of the intention he tried to express.

A complete

communication was not achieved, for verbalizations were necessary to make the full intention of the painting under stood.

A painting should be able to transmit Its message

visually, in terms of paint and canvas, without the crutch

1 Aram Torossian, A Guide to Aesthetics (California Stanford University Press, Stanford University, 1937)., p. 142.

51 of the spoken or written word. Since the principals in the painting are actually involved in the reconstruction of their environment, it may be argued that the implications are not tragic.

How­

ever, the attitudes of the figures and the tonality of the color contribute to the mood of hopless resignation. Objective criticism.

The subjective evaluations

in the above paragraphs were based mainly upon the total reaction the investigator received upon viewing the com­ pleted canvas.

Objective criticism, in this instance,

concerns itself with the plastic forms on canvas.

The

painting violates no major laws of craftsmanship in that heavy impasto was not applied over wet varnish, which would cause cracking, and the colors would maintain their intensities due to the sparing use of medium. however,

The forms,

seemed too static and composed in terms of a

design which had become too obviously rigid.

As a conse­

quence, a major part of the drama and spontaneity of the situation had been lost in the transfer of mind to canvas The colors had intentionally been toned to a minor key, but it was felt by the writer that more violent contrast of light and dark could have been used.

Still, the heavy

oppressive character of the colors and forms might have added to the total tragic imagery of the painting.

On

52 matters such as these, criticism becomes, in the main, subjective.

II.

THE SUMMARY

To be engaged in painting is to be engaged in con­ stant growth.

The progression is endless, which is perhaps

one of the main incentives for the practitioner of the art. The problem had not ended with the completion of the thesis, and a subsequent canvas (57n x 22” ) based upon the same theme was painted.

A photograph of this work

appears in Plate XXIII. That the idea behind the paintings is valid is, to the investigator, beyond question.

The challenge to create

upon canvas a problem so humanly meaningful may have proved too great in this instance, but it is hoped that painters will be motivated by a profound sympathy for struggling humanity and bring the problem to a more cohesive conclu­ sion.

PLATE XXIII FOLLOW-UP PAINTING ON SIMILAR THEME

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

K

BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Betjeman, John, Pied Piper. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books Limited, 1948. 14 pp. Dewey, John, Art and Education. New York: The Barnes Foundation Press, 19^7• 315 PP« Feibleman, James K . , Aesthetics. and Pearce, 19^9• 463 PP«

New York: Duell, Sloan

Loran, Earle, Cezanne1s Composition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1944. l4l pp. Reid, Louis Arnaud, A Study in Aesthetics. Macmillan Company, 1931. 415 PP«

New York: The

Soby, James Thrall, Ben Shahn. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books Limited, 1947. 16 pp. Mayer, Ralph, The Painter1s Craft. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company" 1948. 218 pp. Torossian, Aram, A Guide to Aesthetics. Stanford University, Stanford University Press, California. 1937. 343 PP.

B.

MAGAZINE

Art Digest, Jan. 15, 1949.

C.

CATALOGUE

Art of Tomorrow Museum of Non-objective Painting, 1071 Fifth Ave., New York.