Palette knife painting
The painting knife, or palette knife, as it is often called, has been a part of painter's tools for many centuries. Originally, it wasn't used to apply paint or to produce impastos but to mix pigments, to superimpose one layer of paint over another to modify it appearance or to remove excess paint from the canvas. Consisting of a curved handle and a flexible steel blade, its shape is comparable to that of a small trowel. It was during the Renaissance that the palette knife began to be used for something other than its original purpose and that artists started to use it to paint. Before that, painters sought to create a realistic and therefore smooth result. But artists such as Rembrandt, Titian or Fragonard noticed that scraping paint to create impasto helped to create eye-catching texture, relief and light.
Gustave Courbet is well-known for having brought palette knives back into fashion in the 19th century, a pivotal period when the art of painting, and art in general, underwent many changes and transformations. He was followed by the Impressionists and the modern painters (Monet, Van Gogh, Turner, etc) who used it to create thick impastos. Impressionists were particularly keen on this tool which was well-suited to the way in which they sought to represent light realistically, as our eyes see it. The invention of the easel and paint tubes allowed them to leave their workshops and to paint outside, enabling them to depict the shimmering reflections of water and the ever changing nature. They applied paint quickly in small thin strokes on the canvas and created texture using the knife. To create this effect, they used oil paint and acrylic, working them as little as possible so as to ensure their thick, dense appearance.
On Artsper, find works by Aude Herlédan and Judith HM, amongst others who have transcribed the use of the palette knife in unique ways in their contemporary practice!
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Composition 01-2022-23
Alain Bécanne
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$712
Bassin Majorelle IV
Agnès Tiollier
Painting - 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,195
La gouvernante anglaise
ShuJie Wang
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$949
Abstract Favelas in violets and ochres
Frank De Blok
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,424
Flowers Painting African Tree Pohutukawa
Olga Nikitina
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$949
Horizon in Silver Steel (Diptych)
Chelsea Davine
Painting - 40 x 80 x 10 cm Painting - 15.7 x 31.5 x 3.9 inch
$3,446
Un Soir de Printemps
Georges R. Quinio
Painting - 46 x 55 x 4 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 1.6 inch
$2,373
The Legends Of Mountains
Sara Margolin
Painting - 90 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$819 $451
Beautiful Honfleur
ShuJie et Frank Wang et De Blok
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$593
The Dream of the Dolphin
Maria Mikileva
Painting - 70 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$2,005
Les belles couleurs du Vallon des Auffes à Marseille
Jiel
Painting - 81 x 65 x 3 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,371
Coquelicot #1
Jean-Philippe Ghiglione
Painting - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$5,932
Verdure printanière - Paysage valloné semi figuratif
Suzanne Vaucelles
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$178
Promenade romantique
Corinne Foucouin
Painting - 38 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 15 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$949
Eclaircie - Série Quelqu'un, quelque part... - paysage entre abstraction et figuration
Marianne Karl
Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
$136
Fond de coquelicots - Champs de fleurs
Fabienne Dalgarno
Painting - 27 x 22 x 2 cm Painting - 10.6 x 8.7 x 0.8 inch
$267
Rayonnement infini
Thibault Vigneron
Painting - 81 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,305
Au seuil du silence
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,966
Environnement chaleureux
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2.4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.9 inch
$949
Désintégraion solaire
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2.4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.9 inch
$949
La musique prend vie
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 89 x 130 x 2.4 cm Painting - 35 x 51.2 x 0.9 inch
$1,542
Melodies de l'océan
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,305
Architecture du savoir
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,017
Peinture abstraite 01-2024-01
Alain Bécanne
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1 inch
$593
Les petits êtres volants
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 60 x 60 x 2.4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.9 inch
$712
Transformation intérieure
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 40 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$652
