Edouard Manet (1832-1883)

Born in January of 1832 in Paris, Edouard Manet lived to become what many believe to be the originator of the painting style we call Impressionism. As is the case with many artistic geniuses, Manet followed his dream and became an artist against the wishes of his parents. His father was an influential government official who had hoped Edouard would follow in his footsteps, but Edouard had other ideas.

Edouard, who had been exposed to museums--especially the Louvre--as a youngster, had shown a real talent in drawing and the arts. He was not particularly gifted in scholarly endeavors, and to avoid being pushed into a profession he did not enjoy, he opted to become a merchant seaman. In 1850, after his enlistment at sea, he began his formal art training. He entered the academic studio environment of Thomas Couture, where he studied until 1856. He visited Germany, Italy and the Netherlands to study the work of the Old Masters. Although influences during these early studio years were Dutch painter Frans Hals and Spanish painters Diego Valazquez and Francisco Goya, he preferred to reflect the ideas and images of current times rather than to concentrate on the past. He assumed the philosophy of contemporary realism to reflect what was happening in his own time. This was a strong departure from what most other artists of his period were doing.

His subjects included everyday (genre) subjects, and depicted street urchins, café scenes, Spanish bullfights, old beggars, and drunkards - subjects far removed from Manet's circle of economic background and not what most Parisians preferred to be recorded. His subjects and their style went against what was then considered acceptable and proper and was dismissed by the general public. Thus Manet became part of that strong group of rejected artists who formed the original Salon des Refuses exhibition. One early Salon exhibition included the now famous scene of a trio of picnickers, two clothed gentlemen and one nude female ("Dejeuner sur l'herbe" or Luncheon on the Grass), about which much has since been hypothesized. It attracted immediate attention, but was panned by the critics.

This very exhibition launched Edouard Manet as the champion for all young painters, those who encountered the same rejection and scorn from critics and the public. He became a central figure in the then-hot dispute between academic and rebellious art factions.

At this same time, Paris was going through a major transformation. Modernization and revitalization programs were implemented, and physical, cultural and social change was afoot. It was this connection to a modern Paris that Manet chose to concentrate on in his work. Imagine the spirit and electricity in a city going through such transformation! It energized Manet's work and allowed him to experiment with a method of paint application that loosened tight detail and near pictorial duplication. The difference in his work and the highly finished canvases approved of by the academy, especially by the Salon, shocked the fashionable society. In addition, his style originated a look referred to as "snapshot"--quick, simple color areas and vivid brush techniques. Later, artists like Degas followed Manet with this style, as did many others, and slowly the process known as Impressionism was born.

The first work by Manet to be accepted by the formal Salon, "Guitar Player" (1861), now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. It represented Manet's great emphasis on acceptance by the Salon. He felt that the only way an artist of his time could be successful was through recognition by the Salon.

It had never been Manet's intention to shock or repulse with his work. He was not a radical artist, nor was he a bohemian, as his critics had thought. He was a newly married man, well mannered and well bred and a member of high society.

In 1870, Paris was besieged by the Franco-Prussian war and Manet enlisted as a gunner in the National Guard. Paintings of that period depict his sentiments, his loathing of war and what it extracts from its people. By 1874, Manet's reputation was that of experimental artist and leader of the Impressionists. This group of avant-garde artists was gaining in popularity and was exhibiting publicly. Included in the group were Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne and Camille Pissarro. Manet influenced their work, and they in turn influenced his. While he offered support and financial aid to his artist friends, he chose never to exhibit with them; his focus remained centered on the Salon.

Contradictions of tone and content in his later works energize the scenes and draw the viewer in. While Manet was never united with the artists known for true Impressionism, his work can surely be viewed as setting trends in style, form and content - all elements used by the Impressionists of his time and those who followed. Manet once said he wanted to create "not great art, but sincere art." While he did not gain recognition for his work until late in his life, in 1882, only one year prior to his death, Manet was awarded the Legion of Honor for his influence on Parisian art. Manet died on April 30, 1883. Besides many watercolors and pastels, he left 420 oil paintings.Manet: The Still Life Paintings is on view at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, MD, through April 22. It features 55 works of art, including a number of rarely seen works. Included are 37 oils, as well as a selection of works on paper in a variety of media, that represent the entire range of Manet's production in the genre. Portraits and figure paintings into which the artist incorporated still lifes and samples of the artist's private correspondence--decorated with deft, intimate renderings of flowers and fruit--are also included.

Hand Coloring Black and White Photographs

One new trend in photo presentation, although a very old method in reality, is hand coloring of black and white photographs. In the days before color photography existed, craftsmen did tinting in special cases. Their goal was to create life-like colors and tones on sepia- and gray-toned photos in an attempt to make them more natural and alive. Studios employed artisans skilled at color mixing and application to accomplish natural likenesses of flesh tones, hair and wardrobe colors.

Today, we have brought back that softened look with a resurgence of interest in the craft of photo coloring. Many art materials can be used to give color to black and white photos. One highly respected product made specifically for photo tinting is very high quality Marshall Photo Oils. Offered in a number of color palette combinations in small tube sizes to keep the paint fresh, these are suitable for paper-based or resin-coated photo papers. There are also specially formulated colored pencils for color application on photos. Another product that can be used on photographs is special formulated dry sheet color dyes that are activated by contact with distilled water. With water media on photos, use as little fluid as possible so that the tone will dry flat rather than beaded.

Application of the oils is done with very sparing amounts of the oil paints. A whisper of paint is all it takes, especially with contemporary resin-coated photographic papers. The oils set on the surface and will not look smooth and natural unless they are spread into a super thin layer. Paint application with quality sable brushes is recommended, although a simple cotton bud is a great tool to smooth and soften the surface after the initial color is applied. Cotton buds are also great color pick-up tools and easily remove any oil application you wish removed. Allow the surface to dry thoroughly before matting and framing the work.

Photo tinting pencils can offer faster, less involved color application opportunities. They are ready to use at any time and require no special solvents or brushes. Again, cotton buds can help to "soften" the penciled surface and create a more smooth and even appearance. Since the pencils are dry, they do not penetrate the surface, yet offer immediate and easy coloring. When used in conjunction with the oils, they are very valuable. They can also color in thin, detailed areas where application with a brush is difficult.Tip: Preferably, use matte finish photographs for coloring and tinting. High gloss surfaces are not as accepting of pigments, and often the colored areas de-gloss the surface, making them less natural.

Graphic Chemical & Ink Co. Printmaking, etching, blockprinting litho supplies. Silkscreen Trade Names: Perfection, Easy Wipe, Graphic, Sureset, Universal, Graphinx.

In the Spotlight: Ampersand

New Doors Open for Acrylic Paint!

by Ken Muenzenmayer

After 25 years of painting with acrylics on canvas and other gessoed surfaces, I became very comfortable with this combination. Three years ago, I began painting on Ampersand's White Pastelbord and discovered a wealth of possibilities awaiting me. This new surface allows me to expand the already versatile medium of acrylic paint. Since I view painting as a personal endeavor, I will explain how Pastelbord affected my own individual style of painting and opened new doors for my work.

When I begin a painting, the first step is to lay in washes of color. This establishes my composition, values and palette for the painting. I do not use acrylic mediums with the acrylics because I've found I can achieve my desired paint density by mixing paint with water alone. This use of pure paint really shows how many paint qualities I can achieve, such as pure clear color and a rich surface texture that can get lost by mixing in too much medium. The more paint I layer, the richer the surface becomes.

When I first began using Pastelbord, the first thing I noticed was that the pigment was absorbed deeper into its clay surface than on a traditional gessoed surface. This allowed more resonant color and also kept my washes wet much longer, which permitted me to achieve the wet-on-wet effect of watercolors with my acrylics!

It has been an exciting learning process watching the different chemicals push and pull one another on this surface. One of my largest concerns now is what to use as underpainting for my dry brush techniques and what to leave untouched as part of the finished painting (illustration). It is at this stage of the painting that I have to decide how much of the painting will be continued with opaque layers of paint and dry brush.

Of course, these decisions are ongoing as the painting progresses because, in my view, a painting is a living thing that is always growing and changing. Pastelbord played an important part in this stage of my painting process because the sandy surface tends to grab the brush more, which shortens my strokes and pulls off more paint than I was accustomed to with a gessoed surface. At first, I was not sure how to deal with this because my past painting surfaces lent themselves more to blending with the dry brush technique rather than by leaving an active brush stroke.

As I began to see the richness of color I was achieving on Pastelbord, I began experimenting with different color combinations. The granular clay-coated surface gave me a different texture with which to apply the dry brush technique in a new and different way. I begin layering complementary colors of similar value, allowing much of the underpainting to show through. I have always been very much a colorist and now have even more fun experimenting with color on this panel. I will alternate layers of washes and dry brush, establishing a continuity of colors. By not totally covering the Pastelbord with an opaque layer of paint, the final washes continue to absorb into the board and tone the other layers of paint. I continue this process until all the colors get along.

The fracturing of the dry brush technique and the unifying effect of the glazing creates a visual blending and luminous depth of color. Using this process as a starting point, I then let the emotions take over, just as a musician draws from his technical ability to improvise, hoping to create a resonant and provocative effect. I encourage you to try using your acrylics with Pastelbord and see what doors open up for you.

(Visit Ampersand's web site at www.ampersandart.com for their complete line of painting surfaces and accessories. Email: bords@ampersandart.com. Visit www.muenzenmayer.com to see the writer's artwork.)

Block Printing

The history of civilization has experienced few inventions that have played such a key role in the evolution of thought as the development of printed images. The cultural impact of printing was without parallel until our own age of computers, photography and mass communications.

Printing has a rich and diverse history spanning thousands of years. Among the first surviving records of European woodblock printing is a fragment of a block depicting the Crucifixion, which has been dated about 1380. Because paper was not available in quantities sufficient to facilitate mass printings until around 1400, it is then that printing, and block printing specifically, began to flourish. It was at that time that the styles and methods used previously to print fabrics and textile designs were adapted to paper.

As early as the 15th century, German printers created beautiful block prints, and their use was primarily for religious education. Inking a positive wooden image, then transferring that image to paper, created these images. Although these early prints displayed bold lines and very little detail, they set the stage for all block printing of the future. And once carved, the images could be reproduced far more easily than drawings made individually. Block prints made the creation of books and religious texts possible well before the invention of the printing press.That is the entire purpose of any printmaking method--the speedy, accurate transmission of images, usually to paper, but possibly to other materials as well (fabrics, clay and wood). Contemporary printmaking offers a creative outlet like few others. It can be spontaneous or labor intensive, depending on the degree of sophistication desired.The base of what is considered a true block print is a piece of wood. The wood chosen can be almost any type, but the preferred wood is one that is hard enough to hold fine line detail as well as hold up to repeated inking and transferring. Many contemporary printmakers use hardwoods, including fruitwoods, but softer woods are more easily carved, like pine, poplar, basswood and even plywood. The softer the wood, the easier it is to carve away the unwanted background areas, but fewer sharp prints can be transferred. This is because the edges of the subjects, especially fine lines, are very fragile and are often damaged during the inking and transferring steps.

The tools used in the creation of the master block include a number of traditional tools as well as some very contemporary twists. Gouges and wood cutting knives are used to remove all areas. A small hand rotary tool, like a Dremel, is ideal for removing and refining areas. This removes large quantities of wood faster than hand gouging, but some printmakers feel a loss of romance whenever electric tools are used. Sets of small hand tools with interchangeable tips of different shapes can be found at many art supply stores. For fine detail, the small set is indispensable. Fixed handled gouges are more costly, but can be more easily sharpened and maintained.

Other tools needed include a printer's brayer, which is a soft rubber roller on a comfortable handle. This is used to spread an even layer of ink over the carved master block. Some sort of roller applicator is needed to prevent ink from filling the "negative" areas of the block. Since some pressure is exerted to press the paper against the block, excess ink in the carved areas should be avoided. Repairs for accidentally removed wood can be corrected with wood putty, allowed to dry, then recarved.

The inks chosen for printmaking are available either oil-based or water-based (acrylic). Both offer distinct qualities. The oil-based inks expand the window of time open for inking the plate and transferring the image to paper. But these inked images often require a long drying time and slow the contemporary printmaker's pace. Acrylic inks dry really fast. There is some adjustment of work ethic when you change from oil to acrylic inks, but each has appeal. Blends of colors and long-term use of a special color palette are best accomplished with oil inks. With acrylic inks, bright colors are ready to go and fast drying. There are also metallic inks that add real pizzazz to projects.

Choices of paper are amazing. Everything from soft, extra- absorbent handmade varieties to hard, Bristol boards can be used for printing. Experiment with different absorbencies to discover the one that works best with your methods.There is no need for a special press to complete a print. All you really need to do is carve your design into any wood block, evenly ink that block, then "press" your paper over the inked surface. Lift the paper to see the design. This "pressing" can be done completely by hand - by rubbing with the back of a large wooden spoon or a special burnishing pad (sold at art supply centers) or rolled with a clean brayer. Printmakers use all sorts of ingenious ways to transfer images. It is reported that some artists drive over their prints with their cars! While this is a bit extreme and might very well cause master damage, it works just like a powerful press.

All you really need to create dynamic, original prints are a carved block of wood, ink and roller and a paper selection.

What could be easier? Try block printing - You'll love it.

Basics of Embossing

Embossing is that activity used to produce a raised design, pattern or lettering on a plain surface such as paper. It can be done on virtually any paper and adds nearly instantaneous personal touches to letters, greeting cards, gifts, and more.

Tools needed for embossing include some sort of template that will determine the shape of the embossing, an embossing stylus and the paper to be embossed. Working on a lighted surface, such as a light box, makes the task easier.

Most templates for embossing are made of brass. Common materials can be used to create original designs. These might include heavy Mylar, lightweight stencil cards, stencil vinyl, or even heavy card stock. Almost any thin material that can be easily cut with a stencil knife can be used to design a template. If you choose a template master material that is thick, you will want to choose a paper that has a lot of stretch strength. This might include papers created for use by watercolorists or for drawing/pastel. They usually contain a high degree of cotton fibers and are very strong.

Choices in papers that will yield good results include most smooth surfaced, heavy bodied paper (perhaps some of the new metallic and pearlized cardstocks recently available); stationery papers and envelopes; and artists' papers such as those used for pencil and charcoal drawing. Although virtually any paper can be used, super thick or super thin papers are less satisfactory.

The stylus chosen might be a smooth handle with two ball-shaped tips attached. One end might be large and one end small. The large end is best for roughing in general shapes and large areas of dimension. The smaller ball is good for fine detail, small areas and contour definition. This tool is not expensive and will last a very long time.

The actual embossing method consists of rubbing the large ball stylus over the areas to be raised, then refining with the small ball stylus. This is done by laying the paper over the template, which is on a lighted surface or held to a bright window or, at the least, laid over a light surface. On templates that contain multiple images, care should be used when pressing the stylus so that only those areas desired are embossed. Rub lightly with the large ball to push the paper into the shape. Then bring in the final edge detail with the small stylus.

Once the paper is stretched into the contours of a given shape, the paper is remarkably sturdy. It is even possible to send envelopes through the mail and expect them to arrive with the flap embossing still clearly defined. Such embellishments add elegance and personality to all correspondence. Experiment, enjoy and have fun.

History of the Airbrush

Part 3 - The Internal Mix Airbrush

Around 1891, the dominance of the Liberty Walkup external mix airbrush came to an end when Charles L. Burdick, an American artist living in Chicago, invented the internal mix airbrush. Not long afterward he moved to England, and in 1893, he established the Fountain Brush Company in Clerkenwell Green, London, England, which was renowned for the manufacturing of clockwork parts. Unique about this new airbrush was its centralized fluid tip, needle, and air cap that produced an atomized spray that was softer and more controllable than the external mix airbrushes that came before. Precise machining was required to build such a tool, and this was available in Clerkenwell Green.

These airbrushes were first called Aerographs, and the process was called aerographing. The first Aerograph was the Model A, and from the very beginning, dual action triggering and interchangeable paint tips were the norm. In 1900, Burdick formed the Aerograph Company, Ltd., which today is a renowned airbrush manufacturer in England.

Controversy has existed as to when the first internal mix airbrush was produced. Some believe that Thayer & Chandler in the U.S. either bought the rights or obtained usage of the Burdick patent in order to produce internal mix airbrushes in Chicago in 1891. Thayer & Chandler is listed as a supplier of artist materials at 46 Madison Avenue from 1881 to 1891 in the Chicago city directory under the heading "Airbrushes and Artist Materials."The foreman for the Thayer & Chandler Company was O. C. Wold, who later founded the Wold Airbrush Company. An employee of Wold was Jens A. Paasche, who in 1904 split and created the Paasche Airbrush Company. So up until this point, except for Burdick who originated in Chicago and went to England, all of the airbrush activity from its conception to the beginning of World War I took place in the Chicago/Rockford, IL, area. Considering the fact that there were three major producers of airbrushes in the U.S. and another in England (all of whom thrived), the popularity of airbrush use became tremendous.In a 1915 list of airbrush applications, the following were included: "Artists commercial retouching, magazine covers, heraldry, colouring of prints, engravings, etchings, etc., portraits, miniatures, artificial flowers; Architects Colouring maps, bird's-eye views; Book binding tinting, varnishing; China decorators Backgrounds, designs; Campaign buttons Tinting; Decorators Interiors, mural and otherwise; Dyers For applying dyes to fabric without affecting the rest of the cloth; Engravers; Enameling Wood or iron products; Fancy goods Tinting or spraying on designs; Feathers Tinting or dyeing; Fans Tinting or dyeing; Frame makers Staining moulding, gilding frames, colouring or gilding mats; Jewelry manufacturers Tinting, lacquering; Leather Dyeing, enameling, gilding, finishing; Laces Colouring; Miniatures; Picture mats; Photo colouring; Portrait finishing; Parchment shades; Slippers; Toys; Vases and pottery.

It was only natural that, through this widespread exposure of airbrushed products to consumers, popularity of the internal mix airbrush skyrocketed. Airbrush techniques were being taught in both private and public schools, making it inevitable that the future generation of artists, particularly those who would become the avant-garde, would be exposed to the airbrush and its distinctive effects.By the end of the First World War, when modern art movements (e.g., Dada) and schools (e.g., Bauhaus) influenced the art world, the airbrush was a tool that was commonly employed.

(See the History of Airbrush Parts 1 and 2 online at http://www.arttalk.com/arthistory.htm.)

50's Revisited--Some folks may experience a feeling of déjà vu when viewing the exhibit "Whatever Happened to Paint-by-Numbers?" at the Detroit Historical Museum through Feb. 28. It all began in 1950 when a graphic designer for Palmer Paint Co. came up with the idea of numbered diagramed pictures in hobby kits that anyone could paint with the oils included. These were met with instant success. At its peak, 800 employees, including 60 artists, turned out 50,000 sets a day that were also marketed in Canada and Europe. These are still available to would-be artists under the brand Craft House. In addition, next spring the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History will exhibit number painting with a show in Washington, D.C., including those by Andy Warhol.

Preservation for Artist's Home--The new Olana Partnership, formerly Friends of Olana, in conjunction with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, is scheduled to commence a $20 million project on the former home of Hudson River School artist Fredric Church in Columbia County, NY. Slated for full preservation and restoration are the main house, additional onsite buildings and the landscape; and both a building to house a new art museum and a visitors' center are planned.

Plans Advance--Ground has been broken for the new Nasher Sculpture Center, a $32 million garden and gallery to be built next to the Dallas Museum of Art. Steven A. Nash has been appointed director of the center, which is to include a building to house galleries, auditorium, café, bookstore and sculpture institute that will overlook the sculpture garden.

Sculpture Dedicated--As a result of a campaign by the National Organization on Disability, President Clinton recently dedicated a new statue of President F. D. Roosevelt in a wheelchair at the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C. When the existing seven-acre memorial was dedicated in 1997, there was no depiction of FDR's disability. The life-size bronze statue is the work of sculptor Robert Graham of Venice, CA, one of the four sculptors of the original memorial.

Classes Scheduled--Craft workshops will be offered on Fridays at the Folk Art Institute of the Museum of American Folk Art, NYC. Included are introduction to quilting (Feb. 16), scene painting (March 16), penny rugs for tabletops (April 20), and an introduction to weaving (May 11). There is a fee plus materials cost. Reservations: 212-977-7170.

Center to Debut--The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center, a component of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM, will open in July 2001. A program of lectures, symposia, colloquia, conferences, informal discussions, and publications will be complemented by exhibitions, performances, and lectures. Six stipends will be offered annually to historians in the fields of art history, architectural history and design, literature, music, and photography and to museum or other professionals who wish to have or extend their curatorial experience.

Exhibitions:

Williamsburg, VA--Muscarelle Museum at The College of William & Mary -- Georgia O'Keeffe in Williamsburg: A Recreation of the Artist's First Exhibition in the South recreates the college's small exhibition in 1938 and includes the same eight paintings on view through May 27.

Boston, MA--Museum of Fine Arts -- Dangerous Curves: Art of the Guitar reveals how fashion technology and musical tastes have literally shaped the worlds of many popular instruments. More than 400 years of guitar design are examined, celebrating the guitar as an objet d'art. Featured are more than 130 guitars from museums and private collections around the world. Through Feb. 25.

New York, NY--OK Harris Gallery -- Pulp Western includes New Jersey artist Robert Anderson's eye-catching new series of paintings that draw inspiration from the classic pulp fiction images that infiltrated post-war culture. Through Feb. 17.

Pittsfield, MA--Hancock Shaker Village -- Seen and Received: The Shakers' Private Art is the first major museum exhibition to explore the spiritual meaning and social context of Shaker gift drawings. The collection comprises 25 of the fewer than 200 gift drawings known. Created mostly by women, the colorful designs are related to quilt patterns, embroidery, and Masonic art, while the texts are a personal link between generations of Shakers. Through April 2, after which these works on paper will be seen only on a rotating basis.

Pasadena, CA--Norton Simon Museum -- Creation, Constellations and the Cosmos, a part of the collaborative project, The Universe, will examine the various ways in which artists from both the eastern and western hemispheres have defined their spiritual connections with the cosmos in painting and sculpture. Through June 4.

Naples, FL--Naples Museum of Art -- Reflections of Chihuly is the inaugural exhibit of this new museum on the campus of the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, along with watercolors and drawings by Paul Signac. The $12 million museum features 18 galleries, a glass-dome conservatory, chandeliers designed by Dale Chihuly, and metal entrance gates designed by Albert Paley.

Chicago, IL--Chicago Cultural Center -- You are Here is the result of Chicago in the Year 2000, a photo project at the crossroads of the millennia. A team of eight professional photographers and more than 100 amateur contributors shot 500,000 frames of people, places and events in more than 200 neighborhoods to capture and preserve the city of Chicago in the images and words of its people. Over 300 selected photos are on view through March 4.

February Birthdays:
  3      Norman Rockwell
  8      John Ruskin
11      William H. F. Talbot
18      Max Klinger
22      Rembrandt Peale
23      Tom Wesselmann

.com ...the link between you, the visual artist, and the manufacturer of art materials. Established 1990

SIGN UP - FREE ARTtalk e-Newsletter©
Search all of ARTtalk!!

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 11 No. 4 -- February 2001