lundi 26 mai 2014

A History Of Botticelli Paintings

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.

Only the finest pigments of the era were used in innovative Botticelli paintings. While the reds and greens were glazed in most instances, the pigments were applied in thin and opaque layers called scumbles. They acquired a compact density, in a gradual manner, as the painting built up. There was an extraordinarily luminous subtlety to them, created from their infinitely tonal gradations. This was particularly eminent in the painted areas representing reflected light.

Over time, most of Botticelli paintings lost the fullness of their beauty. Abrasive and over-zealous restoration can take the blame. However, this loss can sometimes be a result of the tendency of colors to become more transparent or change their nature after a few years.

The most refined among the elements of Botticelli paintings are their flesh tones. They were demonstrations of Botticelli's being a superb draughtsman, as evidenced by the tensile lines characterizing the figures in his paintings.

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.

Because the Dante illustrations were only executed in outline, they were considered unique Botticelli paintings. Supposedly to be infused with color, Botticelli never got to completing them. Of the 92 parchment sheets comprising the collection, some were not even started. They were initially scratched into the parchment, overdrawn with slate and ink, in preparation for their eventual filling with colored inks.




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