What are the types of paintings. Types of painting. Painting: definition and types

In the 17th century, the division of genres of painting into "high" and "low" was introduced. The first included historical, battle and mythological genres. The second included mundane genres of painting from everyday life, for example, everyday genre, still life, animalistics, portrait, nude, landscape.

historical genre

The historical genre in painting depicts not a specific object or person, but a certain moment or event that took place in the history of past eras. It is included in the main painting genres in art. Portrait, battle, everyday and mythological genres are often closely intertwined with the historical.

"Conquest of Siberia by Yermak" (1891-1895)
Vasily Surikov

Artists Nicolas Poussin, Tintoretto, Eugene Delacroix, Peter Rubens, Vasily Ivanovich Surikov, Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev and many others painted their paintings in the historical genre.

mythological genre

Legends, ancient legends and myths, folklore - the image of these plots, heroes and events has found its place in the mythological genre of painting. Perhaps, it can be distinguished in the painting of any nation, because the history of each ethnic group is full of legends and traditions. For example, such a plot of Greek mythology as a secret romance of the god of war Ares and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite depicts the painting "Parnassus" by an Italian artist named Andrea Mantegna.

"Parnassus" (1497)
Andrea Mantegna

Mythology in painting was finally formed in the Renaissance. Representatives of this genre, in addition to Andrea Mantegna, are Rafael Santi, Giorgione, Lucas Cranach, Sandro Botticelli, Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov and others.

Battle genre

Battle painting describes scenes from military life. Most often, various military campaigns are illustrated, as well as sea and land battles. And since these battles are often taken from real history, the battle and historical genres find their intersection point here.

Fragment of the panorama "Battle of Borodino" (1912)
Franz Roubaud

Battle painting took shape during the Italian Renaissance in the work of artists Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, and then Theodore Gericault, Francisco Goya, Franz Alekseevich Roubaud, Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov and many other painters.

household genre

Scenes from the everyday, public or private life of ordinary people, whether it be urban or peasant life, depicts the everyday genre in painting. Like many others painting genres, everyday paintings are rarely found in their own form, becoming part of the portrait or landscape genre.

"Seller of Musical Instruments" (1652)
Karel Fabricius

The origin of everyday painting took place in the 10th century in the East, and it passed to Europe and Russia only in the 17th-18th centuries. Jan Vermeer, Karel Fabricius and Gabriel Metsu, Mikhail Shibanov and Ivan Alekseevich Ermenev are the most famous artists of everyday paintings of that period.

Animal genre

The main objects of the animalistic genre are animals and birds, both wild and domestic, and in general all representatives of the animal world. Initially, animalistics was part of the genres of Chinese painting, since it first appeared in China in the 8th century. In Europe, animalism was formed only in the Renaissance - animals at that time were depicted as the embodiment of the vices and virtues of man.

"Horses in the Meadow" (1649)
Paulus Potter

Antonio Pisanello, Paulus Potter, Albrecht Durer, Frans Snyders, Albert Cuyp are the main representatives of animalistics in the visual arts.

Still life

In the still life genre, objects that surround a person in life are depicted. These are inanimate objects grouped together. Such objects may belong to the same genus (for example, only fruits are depicted in the picture), or they may be heterogeneous (fruits, utensils, musical instruments, flowers, etc.).

"Flowers in a Basket, Butterfly and Dragonfly" (1614)
Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder

Still life as an independent genre took shape in the 17th century. Particularly distinguished are the Flemish and Dutch schools of still life. Representatives of a variety of styles painted their paintings in this genre, from realism to cubism. Some of the most famous still lifes were painted by the painters Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Albertus Jonah Brandt, Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Willem Claes Heda.

Portrait

Portrait - a genre of painting, which is one of the most common in the visual arts. The purpose of a portrait in painting is to portray a person, but not just his appearance, but also to convey the inner feelings and mood of the person being portrayed.

Portraits are single, pair, group, as well as a self-portrait, which is sometimes distinguished as a separate genre. And the most famous portrait of all time, perhaps, is the painting by Leonardo da Vinci called "Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo", known to everyone as "Mona Lisa".

"Mona Lisa" (1503-1506)
Leonardo da Vinci

The first portraits appeared millennia ago in ancient Egypt - they were images of the pharaohs. Since then, most artists of all time have dabbled in this genre in one way or another. The portrait and historical genres of painting can also intersect: the image of a great historical figure will be considered a work of the historical genre, although it will convey the appearance and character of this person as a portrait.

nude

The purpose of the nude genre is to depict the naked body of a person. The Renaissance period is considered the moment of the emergence and development of this type of painting, and the main object of painting then most often became the female body, which embodied the beauty of the era.

"Country Concert" (1510)
Titian

Titian, Amedeo Modigliani, Antonio da Correggio, Giorgione, Pablo Picasso are the most famous artists who painted in the nude genre.

Scenery

The main theme of the landscape genre is nature, the environment is the city, rural or wilderness. The first landscapes appeared in ancient times when painting palaces and temples, creating miniatures and icons. As an independent genre, the landscape takes shape as early as the 16th century and has since become one of the most popular painting genres.

It is present in the work of many painters, starting with Peter Rubens, Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov, Edouard Manet, continuing with Isaac Ilyich Levitan, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and ending with many contemporary artists of the XXI century.

"Golden Autumn" (1895)
Isaac Levitan

Among landscape painting, one can single out such genres as sea and city landscapes.

Veduta

Veduta is a landscape, the purpose of which is to depict the appearance of an urban area and convey its beauty and color. Later, with the development of industry, the urban landscape turns into an industrial landscape.

"Saint Mark's Square" (1730)
Canaletto

You can appreciate urban landscapes by getting acquainted with the works of Canaletto, Pieter Brueghel, Fyodor Yakovlevich Alekseev, Sylvester Feodosievich Shchedrin.

Marina

Seascape, or marina depicts the nature of the sea element, its greatness. Perhaps the most famous marine painter in the world is Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, whose painting The Ninth Wave can be called a masterpiece of Russian painting. The heyday of the marina occurred simultaneously with the development of the landscape as such.

"Sailboat in a Storm" (1886)
James Buttersworth

Katsushika Hokusai, James Edward Buttersworth, Alexei Petrovich Bogolyubov, Lev Feliksovich Lagorio and Rafael Montleon Torres are also known for their seascapes.

If you want to learn even more about how the genres of painting in art arose and developed, watch the following video:

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Animalism (lat. animal - animal)

The animalistic genre arose in antiquity, when the first people painted predatory animals on the rocks. Gradually, this direction grew into an independent genre, implying an expressive image of any animals. Animalists usually show a great interest in the animal world, for example, they can be excellent riders, keep pets, or simply study their habits for a long time. As a result of the artist's intention, animals can appear realistic or in the form of artistic images.

Among Russian artists, many were well versed in horses, for example, and. So, in the famous painting by Vasnetsov “Heroes”, heroic horses are depicted with the greatest skill: colors, animal behavior, bridles and their connection with riders are carefully thought out. Serov did not like people and considered the horse in many ways better than a man, which is why he often depicted it in a variety of scenes. although he painted animals, he did not consider himself an animal painter, so the bears in his famous painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” were created by the animal painter K. Savitsky.

In tsarist times, portraits with pets, which were dear to man, became especially popular. For example, in the picture, Empress Catherine II appeared with her beloved dog. Animals were also present in the portraits of other Russian artists.

Examples of paintings by famous Russian artists in the domestic genre

history painting

This genre implies monumental paintings that are designed to convey to society a grandiose idea, any truth, morality, or demonstrate significant events. It includes works on historical, mythological, religious themes, folklore, as well as military scenes.

In ancient states, myths and legends were considered past events for a long time, so they were often depicted on frescoes or vases. Later, artists began to separate the events from fiction, which was expressed primarily in the depiction of battle scenes. In ancient Rome, Egypt and Greece, victorious warriors often depicted scenes of heroic battles on the shields in order to demonstrate their triumph over the enemy.

In the Middle Ages, due to the dominance of church dogmas, religious themes prevailed, in the Renaissance, society turned to the past mainly in order to glorify its states and rulers, and since the 18th century this genre was often turned to educate young people. In Russia, the genre became widespread in the 19th century, when artists often tried to analyze the life of Russian society.

In the works of Russian artists, battle painting was presented, for example, and. Mythological and religious subjects in his paintings affected,. Historical painting prevailed among the people, folklore - among them.

Examples of paintings by famous Russian artists in the genre of historical painting

Still life (fr. nature - nature and morte - dead)

This genre of painting is associated with the depiction of inanimate objects. They can be flowers, fruits, dishes, game, kitchen utensils and other items, from which the artist often composes a composition according to his plan.

The first still lifes appeared in ancient countries. In ancient Egypt, it was customary to depict offerings to the gods in the form of various dishes. At the same time, the recognizability of the subject was in the first place, so the ancient artists did not particularly care about the chiaroscuro or texture of still life objects. In ancient Greece and Rome, flowers and fruits were found in paintings and in houses to decorate the interior, so that they were already depicted more reliably and picturesquely. The formation and flourishing of this genre falls on the 16th and 17th centuries, when still lifes began to contain hidden religious and other meanings. At the same time, their many varieties appeared, depending on the subject of the image (flower, fruit, scientist, etc.).

In Russia, the heyday of still life falls only in the 20th century, since before that it was used mainly for educational purposes. But this development was rapid and captured, including abstractionism with all its directions. For example, he created beautiful flower arrangements in, preferred, worked in and often “enlivened” his still lifes, giving the viewer the impression that the dishes were about to fall off the table or that all objects would now begin to rotate.

The objects depicted by the artists, of course, were also influenced by their theoretical views or worldview, state of mind. So, these were objects depicted according to the principle of spherical perspective discovered by him, and expressionist still lifes were striking in their drama.

Many Russian artists used still life mainly for educational purposes. So, he not only honed his artistic skills, but also conducted many experiments, laying out objects in different ways, working with light and color. experimented with the shape and color of the line, sometimes moving away from realism to pure primitivism, sometimes mixing both styles.

Other artists combined in still lifes what they depicted earlier and their favorite things. For example, in the paintings you can find his favorite vase, music notes and the portrait of his wife he created before, but he depicted flowers loved since childhood.

Many other Russian artists worked in the same genre, for example, and others.

Examples of paintings by famous Russian artists in the still life genre

Nude (fr. nudite - nudity, abbreviated nu)

This genre is designed to depict the beauty of the naked body and appeared even before our era. In the ancient world, great attention was paid to physical development, since the survival of the entire human race depended on it. So, in ancient Greece, athletes traditionally competed naked so that boys and young men could see their well-developed bodies and strive for the same physical perfection. Approximately in the VII-VI centuries. BC e. Nude male statues also appeared, personifying the physical power of a man. Female figures, on the contrary, always appeared before the audience in robes, since it was not customary to expose the female body.

In subsequent eras, attitudes towards naked bodies changed. So, in the days of Hellenism (from the end of the 6th century BC), endurance faded into the background, giving way to admiring the male figure. At the same time, the first female nude figures began to appear. In the Baroque era, women with magnificent forms were considered ideal, during the Rococo sensuality became a priority, and in the 19th-20th centuries, paintings or sculptures with naked bodies (especially men) were often banned.

Russian artists have repeatedly turned to the nude genre in their works. So, these are dancers with theatrical attributes, these are posing girls or women in the center of monumental plots. This is a lot of sensual women, including in couples, this is a whole series of paintings depicting naked women in various activities, and this is girls full of innocence. Some, for example, depicted completely naked men, although such paintings were not welcomed by the society of their time.

Examples of paintings by famous Russian artists in the nude genre

Landscape (fr. Paysage, from pays - area)

In this genre, the priority is the image of the natural or man-made environment: natural corners, views of cities, villages, monuments, etc. Depending on the selected object, natural, industrial, marine, rural, lyrical and other landscapes are distinguished.

The first landscapes of ancient artists were found in Neolithic rock art and were images of trees, rivers or lakes. Later, the natural motif was used to decorate the home. In the Middle Ages, the landscape was almost completely replaced by religious themes, and in the Renaissance, on the contrary, the harmonious relationship between man and nature came to the fore.

In Russia, landscape painting has been developing since the 18th century and was initially limited (landscapes were created in this style, for example, and), but later a whole galaxy of talented Russian artists enriched this genre with techniques from different styles and trends. created the so-called discreet landscape, that is, instead of chasing spectacular views, he depicted the most intimate moments in Russian nature. and came to a lyrical landscape that struck the audience with a subtly conveyed mood.

And this is an epic landscape, when the viewer is shown all the grandeur of the surrounding world. endlessly turned to antiquity, E. Volkov knew how to turn any discreet landscape into a poetic picture, amazed the viewer with his wondrous light in landscapes, and could endlessly admire the forest corners, parks, sunsets and convey this love to the viewer.

Each of the landscape painters focused on a landscape that fascinated him especially strongly. Many artists could not get past large-scale construction projects and painted a lot of industrial and urban landscapes. Among them are the works of , and other artists. fascinated by monuments, and

The word "painting" comes from the Russian words "live" and "write", the phrase "live writing" is obtained. Painting as means the image of the real world, drawn with the help of improvised materials (pencils, paints, plasticine, etc.) on flat surfaces. We can say that the projection of the real world through the prism of the artist's imagination is

Types of painting

This one is replete with a variety of types and techniques of depicting reality, which depend not only on the technique of performing the work of the artist and the materials used, but also on the content and semantic message of creativity. In order to convey feelings, emotions and thoughts, the artist primarily uses the rules of the game with color and light: the ratio of color shades and the play of highlights and shadows. Thanks to this secret, the pictures are really alive.

To achieve this effect, you need to skillfully use colorful materials. Therefore, painting, the types of which depend on the drawing technique and types of paint, can use watercolor, oil, tempera, pastel, gouache, wax, acrylic, and so on. It all depends on the desire of the artist.

In the visual arts, there are such main types of painting:

1. Monumental painting. From the very name of this type of art it emanates that the creation will live for many centuries. This type implies a symbiosis of architecture and fine arts. Monumental painting can most often be seen in religious temples: these are painted walls, vaults, arches and ceilings. When the drawing and the building itself become one, such works have a deep meaning and carry a global cultural value. Frescoes more and more often fall under this type of painting. They, as a rule, are performed not only with paints, but also with ceramic tiles, glass, colored stones, shell rock, etc.

2. Easel painting. Types of such fine art are very common and accessible to any artist. For a painting to be considered easel, the creator will need a canvas (easel) and a frame for it. Thus, the picture will be independent, and there is no difference where and in what architectural structure it is located.

3. The types and forms of expression of creativity are limitless, and this type of art can serve as proof. has existed for more than one thousand years: these are home decorations, painting dishes, creating souvenirs, painting fabrics, furniture, etc. The essence of creativity is that the object and the drawing on it become one. It is considered bad taste when an artist depicts a completely inappropriate drawing on an object.

4. implies a visual design for theatrical performances, as well as cinema. This type of art allows the viewer to more accurately understand and accept the image of a play, play or film.

Genres of painting

In the theory of art, it is also important to highlight the genres of painting, each of which has its own characteristics:

Portrait.

Still life.

Iconography.

Animalism.

Story.

These are the main ones that have existed for a long time in the history of art. But progress does not stand still. Every year the list of genres grows and increases. So, abstraction and fantasy, minimalism, etc. appeared.

Painting is one of the ancient arts, which over the course of many centuries has evolved from Paleolithic rock paintings to the latest trends of the 20th and even the 21st centuries. This art was born almost with the advent of mankind. Ancient people, not even fully realizing themselves as a person, felt the need to depict the world around them on the surface. They drew everything they saw: animals, nature, hunting scenes. For painting, they used something similar to paints made from natural materials. These were earth colors, charcoal, black soot. The brushes were made from animal hair, or simply painted with fingers.

As a result of the changes, new types and genres of painting arose. The ancient period was followed by the period of Antiquity. There was a desire of painters and artists to reproduce the real surrounding life, such as it is seen by a person. The desire for accuracy of transmission caused the emergence of the foundations of perspective, the foundations of light and shade constructions of various images and the study of this by artists. And they, first of all, studied how to depict three-dimensional space on the plane of the wall, in fresco painting. Some works of art, such as three-dimensional space, chiaroscuro, began to be used to decorate rooms, religious centers and burials.

The next important period in the past of painting is the Middle Ages. At this time, painting was more religious in nature, and the worldview began to be reflected in art. The creativity of artists was directed to iconography and other melodies of religion. The main important points that the artist had to emphasize were not so much an accurate reflection of reality as the transfer of spirituality even in the most diverse paintings. The canvases of the masters of that time were striking in their expressiveness of contours, coloring and colorfulness. Medieval painting seems flat to us. All the characters of the artists of that time are on the same line. And so many works seem to us somewhat stylized.

The period of the gray Middle Ages was replaced by the brighter period of the Renaissance. The Renaissance again made a turning point in the historical development of this art. New moods in society, a new worldview began to dictate to the artist: what aspects in painting should be revealed more fully and clearly. Painting genres such as portrait and landscape would become independent styles. Artists express the emotions of a person and his inner world through new ways of painting. The 17th and 18th centuries witnessed an even more serious growth in painting. During this period, the Catholic Church loses its significance, and artists in their works increasingly reflect the true views of people, nature, domestic and everyday life. During this period, such genres as baroque, rococo, classicism, mannerism are also formed. Romanticism arises, which is later replaced by a more spectacular style - impressionism.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, painting changes dramatically and a newer direction of contemporary art appears - abstract painting. The idea of this direction is to convey harmony between man and art, to create harmony in combinations of lines and color highlights. This art has no objectivity. It does not pursue the exact transfer of the real image, but on the contrary, it conveys what is in the soul of the artist, his emotions. An important role for this type of art are shapes and colors. Its essence is to convey previously familiar objects in a new way. Here, artists are given complete freedom of their fantasies. This gave impetus to the emergence and development of modern trends, such as avant-garde, underground, abstract art. From the end of the 20th century to the present, painting has been constantly changing. But, despite all the new achievements and modern technologies, artists still remain true to classical art - oil and watercolor painting, create their masterpieces with the help of paints and canvases.

Natalia Martynenko

Fine art history

The history of painting is an endless chain that began with the very first paintings made. Each style grows out of the styles that came before it. Every great artist adds something to the achievements of earlier artists and influences later artists.

We can enjoy painting for its beauty. Its lines, shapes, colors and composition (arrangement of parts) can please our senses and linger in our memories. But the enjoyment of art increases when we learn when and why and how it was created.

Many factors have influenced the history of painting. Geography, religion, national characteristics, historical events, the development of new materials - all this helps to shape the artist's vision. Throughout history, painting has reflected the changing world and our understanding of it. In return, the artists provided some of the best records of the development of civilization, sometimes revealing more than the written word.

prehistoric painting

The cave dwellers were the earliest artists. Colored drawings of animals dating from 30,000 to 10,000 BC have been found on cave walls in southern France and Spain. Many of these drawings are surprisingly well preserved because the caves have been sealed off for many centuries. Early people drew pictures of the wild animals they saw around them. Very crude human figures made in vital positions have been found in Africa and eastern Spain.

Cave artists filled the walls of the cave with drawings in rich, vibrant colors. Some of the most beautiful paintings are found in the Altamira cave in Spain. One detail shows a wounded buffalo, no longer able to stand - probably a victim of a hunter. It is painted reddish-brown and outlined simply, but skillfully, in black. The pigments used by cave artists are ocher (iron oxides varying in color from light yellow to dark orange) and manganese (dark metal). They were ground into a fine powder, mixed with a lubricant (possibly fatty oil), and applied to the surface with some kind of brush. Sometimes the pigments took the form of sticks, similar to crayons. The fat, mixed with powdered pigments, made a paint-and-lacquer liquid, and the pigment particles stuck together. The inhabitants of the cave made brushes from animal hairs or plants, and sharp tools from flint (for drawing and scratching).

As early as 30,000 years ago, people invented the basic tools and materials for painting. Methods and materials were refined and improved in the following centuries. But the discoveries of the cave dweller remain the main ones for painting.

Egyptian and Mesopotamian painting (3400–332 BC)

One of the first civilizations appeared in Egypt. From the written records and art left behind by the Egyptians, much is known about their life. They believed that the body must be preserved so that the soul can live after death. The Great Pyramids were elaborate tombs for wealthy and powerful Egyptian rulers. Much Egyptian art was created for the pyramids and tombs of kings and other important people. To be absolutely sure that the soul would continue to exist, the artists created images of a dead person in stone. They also reproduced scenes from a person's life in wall paintings in burial chambers.

Egyptian fine art techniques have remained unchanged for centuries. In one method, watercolor paint was applied to clay or limestone surfaces. In another process, outlines were carved into stone walls and painted with watercolors. A material called gum arabic was probably used to adhere the paint to the surface. Fortunately, the dry climate and sealed tombs prevented some of these watercolor paintings from eroding from dampness. Many hunting scenes from the walls of the tombs in Thebes dating from about 1450 BC are well preserved. They show how hunters chase birds or fish and fish. These scenes can still be identified today because they were carefully and carefully painted.

The Mesopotamian civilization, which lasted from 3200 to 332 BC, was located in a valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East. Houses in Mesopotamia were built mainly from clay. As the clay is softened by the rain, their buildings crumble to dust, destroying any wall paintings that might have been very interesting. What survives are decorated pottery (painted and fired) and colorful mosaics. Although mosaics cannot be considered as painting, they often have an influence on it.

Aegean civilization (3000–1100 BC)

The third great early culture was the Aegean civilization. The Aegeans lived on the islands off the coast of Greece and on the peninsula of Asia Minor at about the same time as the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians.

In 1900, archaeologists began excavating the palace of King Minos at Knossos on the island of Crete. Excavations have uncovered works of art written around 1500 BC. in an unusually free and graceful style of the time. Obviously, the Cretans were a carefree, nature-loving people. Among their favorite themes in art were marine life, animals, flowers, sports games, mass processions. At Knossos and other Aegean palaces, paintings were painted on wet plaster walls with mineral paints, sand, and earthen ocher. The paint soaked into the wet plaster and became a permanent part of the wall. These paintings were later called frescoes (from the Italian word for "fresh" or "new"). The Cretans liked bright yellows, reds, blues and greens.

Greek and Roman classical painting (1100 BC - 400 AD)

The ancient Greeks decorated the walls of temples and palaces with frescoes. From ancient literary sources and from Roman copies of Greek art, it can be said that the Greeks painted small pictures and made mosaics. The names of the Greek masters and little of their lives and works are known, although very little Greek painting survived the centuries and the aftermath of wars. The Greeks did not write much in tombs, so their work was not protected.

Painted vases are all that remains of Greek painting today. Pottery making was a big industry in Greece, especially in Athens. Containers were in great demand, were exported, as well as oil and honey, and for domestic purposes. The earliest vase painting was in geometric shapes and ornaments (1100-700 BC). The vases were also decorated with human figures in brown glaze on light clay. By the 6th century, vase painters often painted black human figures on natural red clay. The details were carved into the clay with a sharp instrument. This allowed the red to show up in the depths of the relief.

The red-figured style eventually replaced black. That is, on the contrary: the figures are red, and the background has become black. The advantage of this style was that the artist could use a brush to create outlines. The brush gives a freer line than the metal tool used in black figured vases.

Roman wall paintings have been found mainly in villas (country houses) in Pompeii and Herculaneum. In 79 AD, these two cities were completely buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The archaeologists who excavated the area were able to learn a lot about ancient Roman life from these cities. Almost every house and villa in Pompeii had paintings on the walls. Roman painters carefully prepared the surface of the wall by applying a mixture of marble dust and plaster. They polished the surfaces to the quality of a marble finish. Many of the paintings are copies of Greek paintings from the 4th century BC. The graceful poses of the figures painted on the walls of the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii inspired the artists of the 18th century when the city was excavated.

The Greeks and Romans also painted portraits. A small number of them, mostly mummy portraits made in the Greek style by Egyptian artists, survive around Alexandria, in northern Egypt. Founded in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great of Greece, Alexandria has become a leading center of Greek and Roman culture. Portraits were painted using the encaustic technique on wood and installed in the form of a mummy after the death of the depicted person. Encaustic paintings made in paint mixed with melted beeswax have a very long shelf life. Indeed, these portraits still look fresh, although they were made as early as the second century BC.

Early Christian and Byzantine painting (300–1300)

The Roman Empire went into decline in the 4th century AD. At the same time, Christianity was gaining strength. In 313, the Roman emperor Constantine officially recognized the religion and converted to Christianity himself.

The emergence of Christianity greatly influenced art. Artists were commissioned to decorate the walls of churches with frescoes and mosaics. They made panels in church chapels, illustrated and decorated church books. Influenced by the Church, artists had to communicate the teachings of Christianity as clearly as possible.

The early Christians and Byzantine artists continued the mosaic technique they had learned from the Greeks. Small flat pieces of colored glass or stone were set on wet cement or plaster. Other hard materials were sometimes used, such as pieces of baked clay or shells. In Italian mosaics, the colors are especially deep and full. Italian artists made the background with pieces of gilded glass. They depicted human figures in rich colors against a background of sparkling gold. The overall effect was flat, decorative, and unrealistic.

The mosaics by Byzantine artists were often even less realistic and even more decorative than those of the early Christians. "Byzantine" is the name given to a style of art that developed around the ancient city of Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey). The mosaic technique perfectly matched the Byzantine taste for the magnificently decorated churches. The famous mosaics of Theodora and Justinian, made around 547 AD, show a taste for wealth. The jewelry on the figures glistens, and the colored court dresses sparkle against the glittering gold. Byzantine artists also used gold on frescoes and panels. Gold and other precious materials were used during the Middle Ages to separate spiritual items from the everyday world.

Medieval painting (500–1400)

The first part of the Middle Ages, from about the 6th to the 11th century AD, is usually referred to as the Dark Ages. During this time of unrest, art was stored mainly in monasteries. In the 5th century AD Varran tribes from northern and central Europe roamed the continent. For hundreds of years they dominated Western Europe. These people produced art in which the main element is the pattern. They were especially fond of the structures of intertwining dragons and birds.

The best of Celtic and Saxon art can be found in manuscripts from the 7th and 8th centuries. Book illustrations, lighting, and miniature painting, practiced since late Roman times, became widespread in the Middle Ages. Lighting is the decoration of text, capital letters, and margins. Gold, silver and bright colors were used. A miniature is a small picture, often a portrait. The term was originally used to describe a decorative block around initial letters in a manuscript.

Charlemagne, who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in the early ninth century, tried to revive the classical art of the late Roman and early Christian periods. During his reign, miniature painters imitated classical art, but they also conveyed personal feelings through their objects.

Very little wall painting has survived from the Middle Ages. Churches built during the Romanesque period (11th-13th centuries) had some great frescoes, but most of them have disappeared. In the churches of the Gothic period (XII-XVI centuries) there was not enough space for wall paintings. Book illustration was the main work of the Gothic painter.

Among the best illustrated manuscripts were the books of hours - collections of calendars, prayers and psalms. A page from an Italian manuscript shows elaborate initials and a finely detailed marginal scene of Saint George slaying a dragon. The colors are brilliant and gem-like, as in stained glass, and the gold shimmers above the page. Exquisitely delicate leafy and floral designs border text. The artists probably used magnifying glasses to complete such intricately detailed work.

Italy: Cimabue and Giotto

Italian artists at the end of the 13th century were still working in the Byzantine style. The human figures were made flat and decorative. Faces rarely showed expression. The bodies were weightless and seemed to float rather than stand firmly on the ground. In Florence the painter Cimabue (1240-1302) tried to modernize some of the old Byzantine techniques. The angels in the "Madonna Enthroned" are more active than usual in the paintings of that time. Their gestures and faces show a little more human feeling. Cimabue added a new sense of monumentality or magnificence to his paintings. However, he continued to follow many Byzantine traditions, such as golden backgrounds and patterned arrangement of objects and figures.

It was the great Florentine artist Giotto (1267-1337), who actually broke with the Byzantine tradition. His fresco series in the Chapel of the Arena in Padua leaves Byzantine art far behind. There is real emotion, tension and naturalism in these scenes from the life of Mary and Christ. All the qualities of human warmth and sympathy are present. People don't seem completely unreal or heavenly. Giotto shaded the outlines of the figures, and he placed deep shadows in the folds of the robes to give a sense of roundness and solidity.

For his small panels, Giotto used pure egg tempera, a medium that was perfected by the Florentines in the 14th century. The clarity and brilliance of its colors must have had a strong effect on people accustomed to the dark colors of Byzantine panels. Tempera paintings give the impression that soft daylight is falling on the stage. They have an almost flat appearance, unlike the sheen of an oil painting. Egg tempera remained the main color until oil almost completely replaced it in the 16th century.

Late medieval painting north of the Alps

At the beginning of the 15th century, artists in Northern Europe worked in a style completely different from Italian painting. Northern artists achieved realism by adding countless details to their paintings. All hair was delicately defined, and every detail of drapery or flooring was precisely set. The invention of oil painting made it easier to detail details.

The Flemish painter Jan van Eyck (1370-1414) made a major contribution to the development of oil painting. When tempera is used, the colors must be applied separately. They can't shade each other well because the paint dries quickly. With oil that dries slowly, the artist can achieve more complex effects. His portraits of 1466-1530 were executed in the Flemish oil technique. All details and even mirror reflection are clear and precise. The color is durable and has a hard, enamel-like surface. The primed wood panel was prepared in the same way that Giotto prepared his panels for tempera. Van Eyck created the painting in layers of a subtle color called glaze. Tempera was probably used in the original undergrowth and for the highlights.

Italian Renaissance

While van Eyck was working in the North, the Italians were moving into a golden age of art and literature. This period is called the Renaissance, which means rebirth. Italian artists were inspired by the sculpture of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Italians wanted to revive the spirit of classical art, which glorifies human independence and nobility. Renaissance artists continued to paint religious scenes. But they also emphasized earthly life and human achievement.

Florence

The achievements of Giotto in the early 14th century marked the beginning of the Renaissance. Italian artists of the 17th century continued it. Masaccio (1401-1428) was one of the leaders of the first generation of Renaissance artists. He lived in Florence, a wealthy trading city where Renaissance art began. By the time of his death in the late twenties, he had revolutionized painting. In his famous mural "The Tribute Money", he places solid sculptural figures in a landscape that seems to stretch far into the distance. Masaccio may have studied perspective with the Florentine architect and sculptor Brunelleschi (1377-1414).

The fresco technique was very popular during the Renaissance. It was especially suitable for large paintings, because the colors in the fresco are dry and perfectly flat. The image can be viewed from any angle without glare or reflections. Frescoes are also available. Usually, the artists had several assistants. The work was done piecemeal because it had to be finished while the plaster was still wet.

Masaccio's full "three-dimensional" style was typical of the new progressive movement of the 15th century. The style of Fra Angelico (1400-1455) is a more traditional approach used by many artists of the early Renaissance. He was less concerned with perspective and more interested in decorative design. His "Coronation of the Virgin" is an example of tempera in the most beautiful performance. Cheerful, rich colors set against gold and accented with gold. The picture looks like an enlarged miniature. Long, narrow figures have little in common with Masaccio. The composition is organized in broad lines of movement that swirl around the central figures of Christ and Mary.

Another Florentine who worked in the traditional style was Sandro Botticelli (1444-1515). Flowing rhythmic lines connect sections of Botticelli's "Spring". The figure of Spring, carried by the western wind, sweeps past from the right. The three graces dance in a circle, the fluttering folds of their dresses and the graceful movements of their hands express the rhythms of the dance.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) studied painting in Florence. He is known for his scientific research and inventions, as well as for his paintings. Very few of his paintings have survived, in part because he often experimented with different ways of creating and applying paint rather than using tried and true methods. The Last Supper (painted between 1495 and 1498) was done in oil, but unfortunately Leonardo painted it on a damp wall, which caused the paint to crack. But even in poor condition (before restoration), the picture had the ability to excite emotions in everyone who sees it.

One of the distinguishing features of Leonardo's style was his method of depicting lights and darkness. The Italians called his semi-dark lighting "sfumato", which means smoky or foggy. The figures in the Madonna of the Rocks are veiled in a sfumato atmosphere. Their shapes and features are softly shaded. Leonardo achieved these effects by using very subtle gradations of light and dark tones.

Rome

The culmination of Renaissance painting occurred in the 16th century. At the same time, the center of art and culture moved from Florence to Rome. Under Pope Sixtus IV and his successor, Julius II, the city of Rome was gloriously and richly decorated by Renaissance artists. Some of the most ambitious projects of this period were started during the papacy of Julius II. Julius commissioned the great sculptor and painter Michelangelo (1475-1564) to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and carve the sculpture for the tomb of the Pope. Julius also invited the painter Raphael (1483-1520) to help decorate the Vatican. With assistants, Raphael painted four rooms of the Pope's apartments in the Vatican Palace.

Michelangelo, a Florentine by birth, developed a monumental style of painting. The figures in his painting are so solid and voluminous that they look like sculptures. The Sistine ceiling, which took Michelangelo 4 years to complete, is made up of hundreds of human figures from the Old Testament. To complete this grandiose fresco, Michelangelo had to lie on his back on the scaffolding. The pensive face of Jeremiah among the prophets that surround the ceiling is considered by some experts to be Michelangelo's self-portrait.

Raphael came to Florence from Urbino as a very young man. In Florence, he absorbed the ideas of Leonardo and Michelangelo. By the time Raphael went to Rome to work in the Vatican, his style had become one of the greatest in beauty. He especially loved his beautiful portraits of the Madonna and Child. They have been reproduced by the thousands and can be seen everywhere. His "Madonna del Granduca" is successful due to its simplicity. Timeless in its peacefulness and purity, it is as attractive to us as it was to the Italians of the Raphael era.

Venice

Venice was the main northern Italian city of the Renaissance. It was visited by artists from Flanders and elsewhere who were aware of the Flemish experiments with oil paint. This stimulated the early use of the oil technique in the Italian city. The Venetians learned to paint on tightly stretched canvas rather than on the wood panels commonly used in Florence.

Giovanni Bellini (1430-1515) was the greatest Venetian painter of the 15th century. He was also one of the first Italian painters to use oil on canvas. Giorgione (1478-1151) and Titian (1488-1515), who is the most famous of all Venetian painters, were apprentices in Bellini's studio.

The oil master Titian painted huge canvases in warm, rich colors. In his mature paintings, he sacrificed detail to create stunning effects, such as in the Pesaro Madonna. He used large brushes to make large strokes. His colors are especially rich because he patiently created glazes in contrasting colors. Typically, glazes were applied to a brown tempered surface, which gave the painting a uniform tone.

Another great Venetian painter of the 16th century was Tintoretto (1518-1594). Unlike Titian, he usually worked directly on canvas without preliminary sketches or outlines. He often distorted his forms (twisted them) for the sake of composition and drama of the plot. His technique, which includes broad strokes and dramatic contrasts of light and dark, seems very modern.

The artist Kyriakos Theotokopoulos (1541-1614) was known as El Greco ("The Greek"). Born on the island of Crete, which was occupied by the Venetian army, El Greco was trained by Italian artists. As a young man, he went to study in Venice. The combined influence of Byzantine art, which he saw around him in Crete, and Italian Renaissance art, made El Greco's work stand out.

In his paintings, he distorted natural forms and used even stranger, more ethereal colors than Tintoretto, whom he admired. Later, El Greco moved to Spain, where the bleakness of Spanish art influenced his work. In his dramatic vision of Toledo, a storm rages over the deadly silence of the city. Cold blues, greens and blue-whites carry the cold over the landscape.

Renaissance in Flanders and Germany

The golden age of painting in Flanders (now part of Belgium and northern France) was the 15th century, van Eyck's time. In the 16th century, many Flemish artists imitated the Italian Renaissance artists. However, some Flemings continued the Flemish tradition of realism. Then genre painting spread - scenes from everyday life that were sometimes charming and sometimes fantastic. Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1515), who preceded the genre painters, had an unusually vivid imagination. He came up with all sorts of strange, grotesque creatures for The Temptation of St. Anthony". Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525-1569) also worked in the Flemish tradition, but added perspective and other Renaissance characteristics to his genre scenes.

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) and Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) were the three most important German painters of the 16th century. They did much to soften the gloomy realism of early German painting. Dürer made at least one visit to Italy, where he was impressed by the paintings of Giovanni Bellini and other northern Italians. Through this experience, he instilled in German painting a knowledge of perspective, a sense of color and light, and a new understanding of composition. Holbein learned even more Italian achievements. His sensitive drawing and ability to select only the most important details made him a master portrait painter.

baroque painting

The 17th century is known in art as the Baroque period. In Italy, the painters Caravaggio (1571-1610) and Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) represented two contrasting points of view. Caravaggio (real name Michelangelo Merisi) always drew inspiration directly from the realities of life. One of his main problems was to copy nature as closely as possible without glorifying it in any way. Carracci, on the other hand, followed the Renaissance ideal of beauty. He studied ancient sculpture and the work of Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian. Caravaggio's style was admired by many artists, especially the Spaniard Ribera and the young Velázquez. Carracci inspired Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665), a famous French painter of the 17th century.

Spain

Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), court painter of the Spanish King Philip IV, was one of the greatest of all Spanish painters. An admirer of Titian's work, he was a master at using rich, harmonious color. No artist could have done a better job of creating the illusion of rich fabrics or human skin. The portrait of the little prince Philip Prosper shows this skill.

Flanders

The paintings of the Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) are the epitome of the baroque style in full color. They are bursting with energy, color and light. Rubens broke with the Flemish tradition of painting small pictures. His canvases are huge, filled with human figures. He received more orders for larger paintings than he could handle. Therefore, he often drew only a small color sketch. Then his assistants transferred the sketch to a large canvas and finished the painting under the direction of Rubens.

Holland

The achievements of the Dutch painter Rembrandt (1606-1669) are among the most outstanding in history. He had a wonderful gift - to accurately capture and convey human emotions. Like Titian, he worked for a long time on creating multi-layered paintings. Earth colors - yellow ocher, brown and brown-red - were his favorites. His paintings are mostly done in dark colors. The importance of the dark layered parts makes his technique unusual. The accent is conveyed by bright lighting in relation to light areas.

Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) was one of the groups of Dutch painters who painted modest scenes of everyday life. He was a master at painting all kinds of textures - satin, Persian rugs, breadcrumbs, metal. The overall impression of Vermeer's interior is that of a sunny, cheerful room filled with iconic household items.

18th century painting

In the 18th century, Venice produced some excellent artists. The most famous was Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770). He decorated the interiors of palaces and other buildings with grandiose colorful frescoes representing scenes of wealth. Francesco Guardi (1712-1793) was very skilled with the brush, with just a few blobs of color he could conjure up the idea of a tiny figure in a boat. The spectacular views of Antonio Canaletto (1697-1768) sang of the past glory of Venice.

France: Rococo style

In France, a taste for pastel colors and intricate decoration in the early 18th century led to the development of the Rococo style. Jean Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), court painter to King Louis XV, and later François Boucher (1703-1770) and Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) were associated with Rococo trends. Watteau wrote dreamy visions, a life in which everything is fun. The style is based on picnics in parks, forest parties where cheerful gentlemen and elegant ladies have fun in nature.

Other 18th-century artists depicted scenes of ordinary middle-class life. Like the Dutch Vermeer, Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin (1699-1779) appreciated simple domestic scenes and still lifes. His colors are sober and calm compared to Watteau.

England

In the 18th century, the British first developed a separate school of painting. The core consisted mainly of portrait painters who were influenced by the Venetian Renaissance painters. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) and Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) are the best known. Reynolds, who traveled in Italy, followed the ideals of Renaissance painting. His portraits, charming and touching, are not particularly interesting in color or texture. Gainsborough, on the other hand, had a talent for brilliance. The surfaces of his paintings glow with a radiant color.

19th century painting

The 19th century is sometimes seen as the period during which modern art began to take shape. One important reason for the so-called revolution in art at this time was the invention of the camera, which caused artists to reconsider the purpose of painting.

A more important development was the widespread use of prefabricated paints. Until the 19th century, most artists or their assistants made their own paints by grinding pigment. Early commercial paints were inferior to hand paints. Artists in the late 19th century discovered that the dark blues and browns of earlier paintings turned black or gray over the course of several years. They started using pure colors again to save their work, and sometimes because they were trying to more accurately reflect sunlight in street scenes.

Spain: Goya

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) was the first great Spanish painter to emerge from the 17th century. As a favorite painter of the Spanish court, he made many portraits of the royal family. The royal characters are outfitted with elegant clothes and fine jewelry, but on some of their faces, all that is reflected is vanity and greed. In addition to portraits, Goya painted dramatic scenes such as the Third of May 1808. This painting depicts a group of Spanish rebels being executed by French soldiers. Bold contrasts of light and dark and gloomy colors, shot through with red splashes, evoke a grim horror of the spectacle.

Although France was a great center of art in the 1800s, the English landscape painters John Constable (1776-1837) and Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) made valuable contributions to 19th century painting. Both were interested in painting light and air, two aspects of nature that 19th century artists explored fully. The constable used a method known as division, or broken color. He used contrasting colors over the main background color. He often used a palette knife to apply color tightly. The painting "Hay Wain" made him famous after being shown in Paris in 1824. This is a simple village haymaking scene. Clouds drift over meadows covered with patches of sunlight. Turner's paintings are more dramatic than those of Constable, who painted the majestic sights of nature - storms, seascapes, flaming sunsets, high mountains. Often the golden haze partially obscures the objects in his paintings, making them appear to be floating in an infinite space.

France

The period of Napoleon's reign and the French Revolution marked the emergence of two opposing trends in French art - classicism and romanticism. Jacques Louis David (1748-1825) and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman art and the Renaissance. They emphasized details and used color to create solid shapes. Being a favorite artist of the revolutionary government, David often painted historical events of that period. In his portraits, such as Madame Recamier, he strove to achieve classical simplicity.

Théodore Guéricault (1791-1824) and the romantic Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) rebelled against David's style. For Delacroix, color was the most important element in painting and he did not have the patience to imitate classical statues. Instead, he admired Ruben and the Venetians. He chose colorful, exotic themes for his paintings, which sparkle with light and are full of movement.

The Barbizon painters were also part of the general Romantic movement which lasted from about 1820 to 1850. They worked near the village of Barbizon on the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau. They drew inspiration from nature and completed the paintings in their studios.

Other artists have experimented with everyday common subjects. The landscapes of Jean Baptiste Camille Corot (1796-1875) reflect his love of nature, and his studies of the human body show a kind of balanced calm. Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) called himself a realist because he portrayed the world as he saw it - even its harsh, unpleasant side. He limited his palette to just a few somber colors. Edouard Manet (1832-1883) also took the basis for his subjects from the outside world. People were shocked by his colorful contrasts and unusual techniques. The surfaces of his paintings often have a flat, patterned brushwork texture. Manet's methods of applying light effects to form influenced young artists, especially the Impressionists.

Working in the 1870s and 1880s, a group of artists known as the Impressionists wanted to depict nature exactly as it was. They went much further than Constable, Turner and Manet in studying the effects of light in color. Some of them developed scientific theories of color. Claude Monet (1840-1926) often painted the same view at different times of the day to show how it changes under different lighting conditions. Whatever the subject, his paintings are made up of hundreds of tiny strokes placed next to each other, often in contrasting colors. At a distance, the strokes blend to give the impression of solid shapes. Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) used the methods of Impressionism to capture the feast of Parisian life. In his "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette", people in brightly colored clothes crowded and danced merrily. Renoir painted the whole picture in small strokes. Dots and strokes of paint create a texture on the surface of the painting, which gives it a special look. Crowds of people seem to dissolve into sunlight and shimmering color.

20th century painting

A number of artists soon became dissatisfied with Impressionism. Artists such as Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) felt that Impressionism did not describe the solidity of forms in nature. Cezanne liked to paint still lifes because they allowed him to focus on the shape of fruits or other objects and their arrangement. The subjects of his still lifes look solid because he reduced them to simple geometric shapes. His technique of placing splashes of paint and short strokes of rich color side by side shows that he learned a lot from the Impressionists.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) and Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) responded to the realism of the Impressionists. Unlike the Impressionists, who said they viewed nature objectively, Van Gogh cared little for accuracy. He often distorted objects to express his thoughts more creatively. He used impressionist principles to place contrasting colors next to each other. Sometimes he squeezed the paint from the tubes directly onto the canvas, as in "Field of Yellow Corn".

Gauguin didn't care about the mottled color of the Impressionists. He smoothly applied color in large flat areas, which he separated from each other with lines or dark edges. The colorful tropical peoples provided much of his subject matter.

Cezanne's method of creating space with simple geometric shapes was developed by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Georges Braque (1882-1963) and others. Their style became known as Cubism. The Cubists painted objects as if they could be seen from multiple angles at once, or as if they had been taken apart and put back together on a flat canvas. Often the objects turned out to be unlike anything that exists in nature. Sometimes Cubists cut figures out of fabric, cardboard, wallpaper, or other materials and pasted them onto canvas to make a collage. Textures were also varied by adding sand or other substances to the paint.

More recent trends have been to place less emphasis on the topic. Composition and image technique began to receive greater emphasis.

Acrylic painting: history, technique, advantages of acrylic

What is painting?

Painting is a type of fine art, the works of which are created using paints applied to a surface.
"Painting is not just some fantasy. It is work, work that must be done conscientiously, as every conscientious worker does," Renoir argued.

Painting is an amazing miracle of turning all available art materials into a variety of visible images of reality. Mastering the art of painting means being able to depict real objects of any shape, color and material in any space.
Painting, like all other forms of art, has a special artistic language through which the artist reflects the world. But, expressing his understanding of the world, the artist simultaneously embodies his thoughts and feelings, aspirations, aesthetic ideals in his works, evaluates the phenomena of life, explaining their essence and meaning in his own way.
In works of art of different genres of fine arts created by painters, drawing, color, chiaroscuro, expressiveness of strokes, texture and composition are used. This allows you to reproduce on the plane the colorful richness of the world, the volume of objects, their qualitative material originality, spatial depth and light-air environment.
The world of painting is rich and complex, its treasures have been accumulated by mankind over many millennia. The most ancient works of painting were discovered by scientists on the walls of caves in which primitive people lived. With amazing accuracy and sharpness, the first artists depicted hunting scenes and animal habits. This is how the art of depicting paints on the wall arose, which had features characteristic of monumental painting.
There are two main varieties of monumental painting - fresco and mosaic.
Fresco is a technique of painting with paints diluted with pure or lime water on fresh, damp plaster.
Mosaic - an image made of homogeneous or different material particles of stone, smalt, ceramic tiles, which are fixed in a layer of soil - lime or cement.
Fresco and mosaic are the main types of monumental art, which, due to their durability and color fastness, are used to decorate architectural volumes and planes (wall painting, plafonds, panels).
Easel painting (picture) has an independent character and meaning. The breadth and completeness of coverage of real life is reflected in the variety of types and genres inherent in easel painting: portrait, landscape, still life, household, historical, battle genres.
Unlike monumental easel painting, it is not connected with the plane of the wall and can be freely exhibited.
The ideological and artistic significance of works of easel art does not change depending on the place where they are located, although their artistic sound depends on the conditions of exposure.
In addition to the named types of painting, there is a decorative one - sketches of theatrical scenery, scenery and costumes for cinema, as well as miniatures and iconography.
To create a miniature or monumental work of art (for example, a painting on a wall), the artist must know not only the constructive essence of objects, their volume, materiality, but also the rules and laws of the pictorial representation of nature, the harmony of color, color.

In a pictorial representation from nature, it is necessary to take into account not only the diversity of colors, but also their unity, determined by the strength and color of the light source. No color spot should be introduced into the image without harmonizing it with the overall color condition. The color of each object, both in the light and in the shade, should be related to the color whole. If the colors of the image do not convey the influence of the color of the lighting, they will not be subject to a single color range. In such an image, each color will stand out as something extraneous and alien to a given state of illumination; it will appear random and destroy the color integrity of the image.
Thus, the natural color unity of colors by the general color of lighting is the basis for creating a harmonic color scheme of the picture.
Color is one of the most expressive means used in painting. The artist conveys on the plane the colorful richness of what he sees, with the help of a color form he cognizes and reflects the world around him. In the process of depicting nature, a sense of color and its many shades develops, which makes it possible to use paints as the main expressive means of painting.
The perception of color, and the artist's eye is able to distinguish more than 200 of its shades, may be one of the happiest qualities that nature has endowed a person with.
Knowing the laws of contrast, the artist is guided by those changes in the color of the depicted nature, which in some cases are hardly caught by the eye. The perception of color depends on the environment in which the object is located. Therefore, the artist, while conveying the color of nature, compares the colors with each other, achieves that they are perceived in interconnection or mutual relations.
“To take light and shade ratios” means to preserve the difference between colors in lightness, saturation and hue, in accordance with the way it takes place in nature.
Contrast (both in light and color) is especially noticeable on the edges of adjoining color spots. The blurring of the borders between contrasting colors enhances the effect of color contrast, and the clarity of the borders of spots reduces it. Knowledge of these laws expands the technical possibilities in painting, allows the artist to use contrast to increase the intensity of the color of paints, increase their saturation, increase or decrease their lightness, which enriches the painter's palette. So, without using mixtures, but only contrasting combinations of warm and cold colors, you can achieve a special coloristic sonority of a painting.