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!

Search by Image

Save your search and find it in your favorites

2/31 1 2 3 4 10 20 30 31

Categories

Subcategories

Palette knife painting

La graphiste

L'objet du désert

Partir sans se retourner

Rythme des mots 2

Rhapsodie colorée

Un vent fort

Music

Le bleu de l'océan

Vision du futur

Statue de glace

Nuit froide

Promenade litteraire

Les reliures rouges

L'absence écrite

L'harmonie des espaces

Sans un mot

Peinture 12-2020-118

Pieuvre galactique

Les joies de la recherche

Mouvement dynamique

Le roi perdu

Créatures de l'océan

Trames du temps

Lignes de pensée

Eco di parole

Quiet contrast

Goccia di Luce

Partition interieure

Un profond sommeil

Les fleurs du néant

La nature autrement

Ailes de nuit

Les étages supérieurs

D'or et de bleu (avec de la feuille d'or 24 carats)

Lumiere des labours

Pays caché de l'arc-en-ciel

Le souffle intense

Rose et lumières

Mountains of Majorelle Garden - Les montagnes N°2

Echappée lointaine

Onda Ribelle

Fleurs d'amour

Avalanche

Psychédélique

Luxe aquatique (avec de la feuille d'or véritable 24 carats)

Strates de rivage

Sea Foam and Wind

Le bonheur en couleurs

Les êtres de la nature

Les fées des fleurs

Profondeur

Le vol des âmes

Vision d'un monde

Le calme de l'horizon

Peinture 12-2020-122

Lanterne Veneziane

Lavanda di luce

Noir et lumière

Le tracé des étoiles

Pages triptyque

Sailboat on the lake

Peinture 01-2023-08

Peinture Octobre 2019-77

Peinture 07-2027-36

Peinture 04-2024-35

Peinture 04-2024-25