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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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Painting, Corals, Shanon Bee

Corals

Shanon Bee

Painting - 50 x 70 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch

$534

Painting, Overlay, Tharwet Kamoun

Overlay

Tharwet Kamoun

Painting - 46 x 62 x 2.5 cm Painting - 18.1 x 24.4 x 1 inch

$949

Painting, Rebel fluid, Jo Sada

Rebel fluid

Jo Sada

Painting - 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch

$130

Painting, Tokyo Bleus, Frank De Blok

Tokyo Bleus

Frank De Blok

Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,424

Painting, Au Cinéma, ShuJie Wang

Au Cinéma

ShuJie Wang

Painting - 70 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,898

Painting, Lemons, Schagen Vita

Lemons

Schagen Vita

Painting - 10 x 10 x 0.2 cm Painting - 3.9 x 3.9 x 0.1 inch

$225

Painting, Lemons, Schagen Vita

Lemons

Schagen Vita

Painting - 15 x 15 x 0.2 cm Painting - 5.9 x 5.9 x 0.1 inch

$225

Painting, Introspection, ShuJie Wang

Introspection

ShuJie Wang

Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,127

Painting, Bibliothèque, ShuJie Wang

Bibliothèque

ShuJie Wang

Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,008

Painting, The seventies, ShuJie Wang

The seventies

ShuJie Wang

Painting - 90 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,424

Painting, Solitude, ShuJie Wang

Solitude

ShuJie Wang

Painting - 70 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,483

Painting, Pure soul, Gillian Brin

Pure soul

Gillian Brin

Painting - 81 x 65 x 3 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch

$712

Painting, Red lips, Schagen Vita

Red lips

Schagen Vita

Painting - 29 x 21 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$297

Painting, Red lips, Schagen Vita

Red lips

Schagen Vita

Painting - 18 x 13 x 0.2 cm Painting - 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.1 inch

$184

Painting, Angel. #26, Schagen Vita

Angel. #26

Schagen Vita

Painting - 29 x 21 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$273

Painting, Angel. #27, Schagen Vita

Angel. #27

Schagen Vita

Painting - 29 x 21 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$261

Painting, Corsaire, Boudier

Corsaire

Boudier

Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,780

Painting, Red fire, Jo Sada

Red fire

Jo Sada

Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$130

Painting, GR104, Anouck Botteron

GR104

Anouck Botteron

Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,780

Painting, Road & Belt, ShuJie Wang

Road & Belt

ShuJie Wang

Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,186

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