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Copyright © 1989 by Atoon Suton Fest publehed in 1999 in the United States by Watson Gp Pubicatons, 2 iron of 81 Communeatons, 1315 Broadway, New York, NY. 10036 LUbray of Congress Caaloging-in-Publication Data Suan, toon, “he luminous bush panting wth egg tempera /Atoon Suton em Includes biographical elerences and index "SBN 06280-2088.7 1 Tempera paiing-Technique. Tie Nozasases 1998 75145-ac21 9937390 ar. Al ght esened. No pat ofthis publication maybe reproduced ot ‘sed in ey erm of by any meane-aphicelectonic or mechanical inudng photocopying, receding, ping, of infomation storage and ‘eviea sjters-whout the witten pemision af the publeder Pimed in Hong Kong, Fost ping, 1999 12545678 9/05 04 03 02 01 09 99 Di Google fAcknowledgments 1 would like to thank the people who have contributed ia various wa sto this book. Special appreciation goes to the artists who shared their work- ing processes. G fooker was wonderfully generous with his time. ink him for allowing me to photograph his underpainting and for all the technical information that he provided. Stan Berning, Michael Berg and Carol Mothner took the time to photograph and chronicle their work in progress—contributing to 4 greater understanding of the possibilities of the tempera technique, Michael's technical expertise was espectally appre ciated. Rick Levy spent a great deal of time in my kitchen, photographing :my preparations of paint and gesso; his wonderful photographs are the result, Leonard Dufresne, with his passion for art instruction books, gave invaluable advice on the manuscript. My research on egg tempera painting was aided by the rich resources of the Sherman Aqt Library at Dartmouth College. Thanks to everyone at Watson-Gupsill with whom 've worked: n grateful 10 andace Raney who supported this project Sobel who helped to make this @ better book, Areta Buk for the beautiful design work, and Ellen Greene for her great production work. And thanks to G. for being so patient during all those hours I spent at the computer,Contents Preface AN INTRODUCTION TO EGG TEMPERA PAINTING The Beginnings of Tempera Painting Italian Panel Painting of the Early Renaissance Egg Tempera in the Twentieth Century The Distinctive Qualit sof Tempera Painting GETTING STARTED: MATERIALS FOR TEMPERA PAINTING Pigments for Tempera Grinding the Pigments Painting Materials Preparing the Egg Yolk Medium Ready-Made Materials, lo 24 26 a7 29 31 33 PREPARING THE PAINTING PANELS, Materials for Panels Materials for Gesso Sizing the Panels Making the Gesso Applying the Gesso Smoothing the Gesso Panels DRAWING IS YOUR FOUNDATION Handling Brush and Ink Demonstration: Drawing Simple Forms Preparing Toned Paper A Detailed Demonstration: A Landscape Drawing The Underdrawing for the Egg Tempera Painting Demonstration: Underdrawing for a Landscape Painting 34 36 37 38 39 4 43 44 47 49 31 54 60 6 disiizessy GOOLE <WORKING WITH COLOR The Translucence of Tempera: Effects of the Underpainting Tempering the Pigment Pai t Handling Methods of Color Mixing The Characteristics of Color Mixing Continuous Colors Glazing and Scumbling, Painting Light and Space Correcting Mistakes A Detailed Demonstration: Painting an Apple Demonstration: Completing a Landscape Painting HOW DO I PAINT...? How Do I Paint?: The Sky How Do | Paint?: Detail How Do 1 Paint?: Foliage How Do 1 Paint?: Texture—Smooth and Rough 64 66 67 68 70 70 nm ra 16 7 a3 86 a8 91 95 99 OTHER APPROACHES. Other Techniques in Egg Tempera Painting Artist's Techniques: George Tooker Artist’s Techniques: Stan Berning Artist’s Techniques: Carol Mothner Artist’s Techniques: Michael Bergt PROTECTING YOUR PAINTING Burnishing the Painting Varnishing the Painting The Problem of Bloom Afterword Bibliography Sources Picture Credits Index los 106 107 109 2 1s visiizesty GOORle ‘panel painted with egg tempera is a master piece of Sienese painting It has remarkable imagery, with many layers of iconographic mean: ings. Gad has created the heav- cens-shown as Dante's celestial wiheels-and the earth with its four vers and ite eas, Adam and Eve are being cast out of a paradise of symbolic flowers and fits,Preface When I first visited Italy in 1971, my great painting loves were the giants Of the High Renaissance—Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio. A the time, I was painting ge narrative figure compositions and looked fo these masters for lessons in composition and form, and also in ambi ing humankind as the measure of all things seemed to be the only way to interpret the word. It was in Siena in 1984 that I discovered that my tastes had changed. 1 was profoundly moved by the Duccio Maesta, and spent enchanted hours in front of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century panel paintings. It wa the glowing color and clarity of these paintings that attracted me, but also a deep sense of faith, tis odd that I would he interested in this very religious work, since Tam a secular and practical person. Perhaps the fact that 1 ss not only started to work more as a landscape painter and spent many hours observ ing the world around me allowed me to accept the spirituality in our lives At any rate, I could no longer see human beings as the center of existence ‘My enchantment with the predelta panels also included the provess by pictures were painted using egg tempera, tared in the late fifteenth century, For which they were made, Th before the wide use of oil paint ten years afler my visit 10 lily, I closely studied early Renaissance panel paintings and thought more and more about learning to use tempera especially after seeing the “Painting in Renaissance Siena” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of An in New York, in 1988. In 1994, | finally gathered all the necessary supplies, and with the guid ance of the book by Daniel Thompson, The Practice of Tempera Painting began to lear to use eg tempera. I feel greatly rewarded by my foray into this ancient medium. It is an easy and beautiful paint to handle: the color is sparkling, the form is clear, and the details are crisp. Truly love using egg tempera, and would like to see it have wider mong today’s artists. This book is intended to help those interested in this lesser-known medium, by providing clear step-by-step instructions, with lots of illustrations, Don't he intimidated by the seemingly endless preparations before actual painting can hegin—they are not difficult, These preparatory steps actually enhance our connection to our work as we make paint and gesso. Finally, T want to point out that although the book uses my own work as illustrations for the tempera painting process, everyone has a different approach to their painting—each with a unique touch, color sense, and of form. My work is intended simply as guide, not a formula. 1 hope that this book will encourage you fo start on your own journey with egg tempera paintingAN I NTRODUCTION TO EGG TEMPERA PAINTING ~ a The Osservanza Master my favorite ofthe Sienese panel painters. ove the drama of his compostons, along with the stark but beauiul landscape, early rendered form, ‘and vivid colo. bring out the best qualities in ourselves, and in the materials that we use. The definition of the verb to “temper” derives from the Medieval Latin—temperare meaning “blending or mixing.” In ancient painting practice, to temper pigment powders meant to mix them with a medium, also called a binder, in order to make a paint that would adhere to a surface. A tempera painting was differenti ated from a fresco, in which pigments were applied to a wet plaster wall without a binder, and became embedded in the dried surface. In order to paint on canvas or a wooden panel, binding medium is necessary. A binder that is an emulsion—a stable mixture of a watery substance and a fatty substance—is now called a tempera Usually oil and water do not mix, as the old adage says. But in some natu the juice of the milkweed, and the yolk of an egg, fatty globules are suspended in liquid, Mayonnaise an example of an anificial emulsion, a combination of exg and oil. There are a variety of natural temperas used for ‘emulsions, emulsions with gum (the hardened sap of trees) and casein (the curd of soured milk). In art history books, the works that are described as temper paintings, especially early Rena Italian panel paintings, are usually egg temperas, For this book, I will use the word “tempera” to mean “egg tempers [ ‘our personal lives we try to temper our emotions, in industry we temper steel, We attempt to substances, such as milk, andl artifi inting: egg tempera which uses only the yolk of the exe, e ice visizessy GOOQL ET ‘