8 Famous Paintings: A Look Behind-The-Scenes At Stories & Techniques
Enjoy!
(1) Painting: ’The Scream’ (1893)
Artist: Edvard Munch
Behind-The-Scenes: Edvard Munch has painted five versions of ‘The Scream’ (1893) throughout the years. When he painted The Scream in 1893, Munch was inspired by “a gust of melancholy,” as he declared in his diary. It’s because of this, coupled with the artist’s personal life trauma, that the painting takes on a feeling of alienation, of the abnormal.
Techniques Used: The original was painted in 1893 using oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard. There are four other versions: the pastel version (1893); the lithograph version (1893), the second pastel version (1895) and the tempera version (1910).
Check It Out: https://smar...h-the-scream/
(2) Painting: ‘Guernica’ (1937)
Artist: Pablo Picasso
Behind-The-Scenes: Many art critics regard ‘Guernica’ (1937) by Pablo Picasso as the most powerful anti-war piece in art history, housed in Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. This was painted in response to the carpet-bombing regime to address the injustice of bombing innocent civilians. However, Picasso didn’t witness the bombing firsthand; it is said that the inspiration for this painting was taken from an article written by South African-British journalist George Steer for The Times.
Techniques Used: The dramatic subject is subdued, painted in the grisaille technique, a method using a neutral monochrome palette. Picasso used oil paint in a palette of gray, white, and black colors to bring out a political statement denouncing the unnecessary sufferings brought about by bombings caused by the German Fascist regime.
Check It Out: https://www..../guernica.jsp
(3) Painting: ‘American Gothic’ (1930)
Artist: Grant Wood
(((NOTE: This is the painting, shown above)))
Behind-The-Scenes: ‘American Gothic’ (1930) by Grant Wood has suffered from many misinterpretations over the years. Despite much speculation about the relationship between the two figures featured in the portrait, Wood has confirmed that the characters are father and daughter rather than husband and wife. Wood used his sister and his dentist as models for the portrait. The piece was intended to be a positive representation of rural American values in the face of the Great Depression, according to Wood.
Techniques Used: The technique used to create this piece was very traditional - oil on “beaverboard” (a composite wood panel).
It would have been done in thin layers built up from dark to light with thousands of tiny brush marks much in the manner of a tempera painting.
Check It Out: https://www....erican-gothic
MORE Fun Info On This Art: https://www....f7cf08a09b9fc
(4) Painting: ‘The Last Supper’ (c.1495-1498)
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Behind-The-Scenes: ‘The Last Supper’ (c.1495-1498) by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most renowned pieces of art in the world. The painting depicts the moment Jesus told his Disciples that one of them would betray him the following day. It is filled with symbolic references, but one of the most notable is the container of spilled salt by Judas’ arm, which is commonly considered a bad omen, foreshadowing his treachery.
Techniques Used: Leonardo used an experimental technique- applying tempera paint and mixed media directly to the stone wall.
This technique attributed to the severe deterioration that occurred to the painting within di Vinci’s own lifetime. The work was, nevertheless, highly admired and there were many attempts made to restore it throughout the centuries
Check It Out: https://cena...ci-1452-1519/
(5) Painting: ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ (1962)
Artist: Andy Warhol
Behind-The-Scenes: Andy Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ (1962) is a set of 32 canvases, each representing the 32 varieties of soup that the company sold at the time. Museum of Modern Art in New York exhibited them chronologically, in the manufacturing order in which the soup flavors were introduced to the American public as Warhol never gave instructions on how to exhibit them.
Techniques Used: Warhol made these paintings in a systematic multistep process. First he delineated each can with pencil on canvas. Next he painted the can and label by hand, using a light projector to superimpose the lettering directly onto the canvas, then tracing its form.
Check It Out: https://orig...ent_entity=en
(6) Painting: 'Girl With a Pearl Earring’ (1665)
Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Behind-The-Scenes: Johannes Vermeer's "The Girl with a Pearl Earring" is often referred to as the "Mona Lisa of the North" due to the subject's captivating gaze and the pearl earring that she wears. The true identity of the girl remains a mystery, adding to the allure of this artwork.
Techniques Used: Vermeer was a master of using natural light in his paintings. In this work, he used a technique known as "chiaroscuro" to create the soft, dramatic contrast between light and shadow, making the pearl earring and the girl's face the focal points of the composition.
Check It Out: https://www....earl-earring/
(7) Painting: 'Mona Lisa’ (painted between 1503-1506)
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Behind-The-Scenes: Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is one of the most recognized and debated paintings in the world. The identity of the enigmatic subject, Lisa Gherardini, has fascinated art historians for centuries. Da Vinci's fascination with human anatomy and his obsession with achieving the perfect smile are evident in this iconic work.
Techniques Used: Da Vinci pioneered sfumato, a technique that creates a soft, almost imperceptible transition between colors and tones. This allowed him to give the Mona Lisa her enigmatic, ever-elusive smile. The technique also adds depth and a sense of mystery to the painting.
Check It Out: https://mymo...a-lisa-facts/
(8) Painting: ’The Starry Night’ (1889)
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Behind-The-Scenes: Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" is known for its swirling, turbulent sky and bright, vivid colors. However, few know that Van Gogh created this masterpiece while he was in the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. His mental turmoil and longing for a connection to the cosmos are beautifully reflected in this painting.
Techniques Used: Van Gogh used impasto, a technique where paint is applied thickly and heavily, to create the texture of the swirling stars and sky. The contrast between the thick impasto and the smoother areas of the painting adds depth and movement to the work.
Check It Out: https://www....ry-night.html
*** CREATE YOUR OWN ’STARRY NIGHT’ - Styled Artwork This Fall! ***
Van Gogh's Starry Night - Halloween
October 14th
Join us for this fun twist on Van Gogh's Starry Night - Halloween Edition at Pinot's Palette studio near you! "There is magic in the night when the pumpkins glow by moonlight."
https://www..../event/711420
Join Us For The BLACK LIGHT Version!
October 27
Van Gogh’s Starry Night - Halloween II
Come celebrate Halloween with us while we paint this spooky version of the classic Starry Night scene! For double the fun, paint it under the black lights!
https://www..../event/708366
Starry Nightmare
October 28
A fun painting that combines a well-known spooky Halloween movie with the famous artist, "Van Gogh”.
https://www..../event/714024