Monday, May 26, 2014

Paintings Of Botticelli

By Darren Hartley


Botticelli adopted a certain conservativeness in his approach to painting. As a matter of fact, he employed the same methods over and over again throughout his career. Still, Botticelli paintings underwent revisions in traditional procedures to give in to new innovations. The employment of a paint with more transparency was evidence of this innovation. This paint, known as tempera grassa, was a combination of egg yolk and oil.

The finest pigments of the period were utilized in Botticelli paintings. They were applied in scumbles, i.e., thin and opaque layers. However, the reds and greens were glazed more often than not. These pigments produced an exquisite, enamelled effect, from its composition of infinite tonal gradations.

It is unfortunate to note that most of the Botticelli paintings have lost the fullness of their beauty over the years. This loss can be attributable to the fact that colors have a tendency to change nature, to become more transparent, as the years passed on. A prime example is copper resinate, which turns from green to brown, in an irreversible chromatic change, an excessive contrast and a loss of luministic gradation.

The flesh tones in Botticelli paintings constitute the most refined among its many components. The faces of women were pale and porcelain like, the infants and children endowed with more intensely colored, ruddier complexions while the men appeared with darker flesh.

Botticelli paintings showcased the skill of its artist with the media of chalk, pen, bistre and tempera. Botticelli was considered a pioneer in his use of paper tinted with roses, violets, yellows and grays. This established a middle value for figures, modelled up with whites in the light and down with darker colors.

The uniqueness in the Botticelli paintings consisting of the Dante illustrations lie in their being executed only in outline. They were initially scratched into the parchment and overdrawn with slate and ink. Some of the ink tracings were done with utmost care, others were less advanced while little progress was evident in the execution of their coloring.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment