Did Vermeer use a camera obscura? What went wrong with Impressionist oil sketches? When did Klimt paint from photographs? Does any of this really detract from the art in a painting?
optics
The way that distant hills fade in contrast, detail and colour, and how their hue shifts towards cooler colours. From Antonello (1475) to Thomas Girtin.
He developed from the style and optics of Vermeer’s paintings, limiting depth of field to develop bokeh. And he painted ‘problem pictures’ too.
The paintings of Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) were quickly forgotten after his death, and his art fell into obscurity. […]
More jewels and jewellery, including a portrait of Queen Victoria, Salome, Helen of Troy, and two of Klimt’s golden girls.
If you thought glassware was tough, try painting gems and jewellery. Here are a few paintings where this has worked, including two of Rembrandt’s.
More virtuoso glassware as painted by William Holman Hunt, Chase, De Nittis, Vallotton, and others in the 19th century.
One of the great technical challenges in painting, glassware has been used by young and aspiring artists to demonstrate their skills. Antonello and Cranach to Liotard’s pastels.
Rainbows are one of nature’s grand spectacles. How careful, then, have painters been to get their colours in the ‘right’ order?
Understanding the mental processes involved in painting is vital to understanding how reflections could go wrong.
