Vincent's Art Techniques

This part of the site takes a closer look at Vincent's working method, techniques and the materials used in his work.
On the left placed url's you will find a reprehensive overview of his work, made in Paris and Arles.
Follow the development of his palette and brushwork.

If you have questions, please e-mail us.

Vincent favored the standard, machine-made, finely woven linen (portrait linen). With a ground which absorb oil to archive a 'métier matte'.

In that time there were 2 kind of surfaces.
1e off-white, with a small amount of yellow, brown earth pigments.
2e so called 'fond brun violet', with carmine and traces of yellow and gives a typical pink tint.

As example I use his famous Cafe terrace at night.
See also the photo without discoloration.

Vincent worked precise and probably the drawing was done with the aid of a perspective frame. On the left you see the frame he used. Inside that open-frame were metal-lines. He looked through that open-window in the direction of his subject. So he was able to copy his view precise.

First Vincent has chosen for a center (C), just always around the middle of the painting. And he marked it. Here in the cross of the window in the background of the terrace.
Then he looked for strong vertical lines from top to bottom near that center. He drew that lines in warm colors.
And after he looked for other vertical lines outside of that center and drew them in cold colors. See the houses to the right and the front-door to the left. So he got depth in his drawing/painting.

To get harmony he searched for horizontal lines. And that he did in horizontal groups with small vertical lines, see the windows of the houses to the right and the doors to the left. (one of his secrets about composition !).

To get more intention to the center he drew in the foreground lines in the direction of that center. See the stones in the street (Rembrandt used this method also).

In his Arles period he drew with local colors. In Paris he used charcoal.

Which colors did he use:
Yellows
Chrome lemon
Chrome yellow light
Chrome yellow medium
Vandyck brown
Orange
Chrome orange
Reds
Geranium
Vermillion
Purper
Carmine
Blues
Prussian blue
Cobalt blue
Greens
Emerald green
Chrome oxide green
Viridian
White
Lead white
Zinc white

Van Gogh used for a painting only some tubes. Never all. For his masterpiece, Night terrace he used:
Prussian blue and viridian and some carmine for the blue air and the door in the front. Yellows were only chrome lemon and for the orange he used the chrome lemon and geranium lake.

He made the painting in one rush in a rapid application of paint crossing the center. So the white of the stars, you will find in the tables at the other side of the center. The orange doors of the terrace in the windows of the houses to the right. Etc.

Vincent was attempting to create harmony both by intensifying of the colors themselves and by arranging them in their complementary and simultaneous contrasts.

His paintings are in great harmony and are very powerful.

Please visit also the overview of his work, made in Paris and Arles.

The Paris art affected Van Gogh. But he was no less taken with Pointillism, the scientific painting method used by the neo-impressionists. He loved brushwork with crawls, very thick and an inherent movement and awareness of colors.
He found emotional spontaneity in painting.

Rembrandt van Rijn (The Netherlands, 1606-1669)
Dutch painter, draftsman, and etcher of the 17th century, a giant in the history of art. His paintings are characterized by luxuriant brushwork, rich color, and a mastery of chiaroscuro. Numerous portraits and self-portraits exhibit a profound penetration of character. His drawings constitute a vivid record of contemporary Amsterdam life. The greatest artist of the Dutch school, he was a master of light and shadow whose paintings, drawings, and etchings made him a giant in the history of art. Vincent van Gogh admired this play of light and dark.

Jean-François Millet (France, 1814-1875)
Millet's modest background had a great influence on the subject matter of his works. "I was born as a peasant and shall die as a peasant", Millet once said (although, after achieving success, Millet did learn to appreciate a more comfortable life). Millet's works are a nostalgic tribute to farmers and laborers. He felt great compassion for people who worked the soil with their own hands--it is here that Van Gogh and Millet connect.

Eugene Delacoix (France, 1798-1863)
The last of the great artists of the Renaissance and the first modern'; thus Baudelaire on Delacroix. For Baudelaire, Delacroix's position as one of the great figures of art history was assured not just by his daring and originality qualities generally considered Romantic - but for the fact that they found expression within a tradition. Another great poet, Paul Valéry restated this paradox: 'The veritable tradition in great things is not to repeat what others have done, but to rediscover the spirit that created these great things - and creates utterly different things in different times.' Vincent learned from him the use of blues and reds.

He starts to draw and paint in Brussels. More of his own. Never the less, it was his start. Later Vincent found in 1882 some encouragement from Anton Mauve (1838-88), his cousin by marriage. Mauve had established himself as a successful artist, and from his home in The Hague, supplied Vincent with his first set of watercolors-thus giving Vincent his initial introduction to working in colors. Vincent was a great admirer of Mauve's works and was deeply grateful for any instruction that Mauve was able to provide.

Vincent's relationship with Anton Mauve was a valuable one, though extremely turbulent as well. Vincent was incapable of accepting any form of criticism about his works and, to make matters worse, Mauve strongly disapproved of Vincent's relationship with the prostitute, Sien. Eventually Mauve would break off communications with Vincent altogether.

Above you see a painting of Mauve. After hard working Vincent made his masterpiece, The Potato Eaters. His Rembrandt. Mauve disliked that painting very much. Too dark, too sad. Even Mauve went to the father of Vincent and said to him it would be better Vincent stops painting. This situation was terribly for Vincent. May-be he never came over it.

First you see the Old Church Tower of Nuenen, made in may 1885. The second painting is made by Jan van Goyen in 1628.

Van Gogh made his paintings in the period before Paris like the Dutch Masters of the 17th century did. Similar technique and colors and the same impression as well. What you see in both paintings:

light parts concentrated (thick),
shadows thin and shining,
a play of light and dark tonal,
the use of a limited number of colors.

Impression:
bit dark and monochrome

On the left you see his light Boulevard de Clichy. The second painting Bridge of Courbevoie, is made by Georges Seurat in 1887. In Paris, Van Gogh discovered color as well as the diversionist ideas which helped to create the distinctive dashed brushstrokes of his later work. It looks like his friend Georges Seurat did influence him. May-be Vincent took over the color pallet of Seurat.

Georges Seurat, called to be the founder of the 19th-century French school of Neo-Impressionism whose for portraying the play of light using tiny brushstrokes of contrasting colors became known as Pointillism. Using this technique, he created huge compositions with tiny, detached strokes of pure color too small to be distinguished when looking at the entire work but making his paintings shimmer with brilliance.

The Boulevard de Clichy was painted using small dabs of paint: one employing short strokes, the other tiny dots. Here we see the influence of the Neo-impressionism movement. Even the painting is more Impressionist in style. Fleeting, spontaneous glimpses of street scenes were a favorite subject of these painters. Using Van Gogh has depicted the people, the buildings and the light reflections on the road.
He makes use of complementary colors the shadow of the houses. And he has employed a short, quick stroke.

What you see in The Boulevard de Clichy painting:
light parts concentrated (not as thick as before),
shadows in complementary colors,
a play of colors,
still the use of a limited number of colors.
Impression: light and again a bit monochrome