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

10/31 1 8 9 10 11 12 20 30 31

Categories

Subcategories

Palette knife painting

Automne au parc II

Miroir d'eau

La table d'été II

Azur

Corals

Overlay

Des rochers au bord de la mer

Rebel fluid

Quadruple perspectives

Möbius city in the sky

Frankcolor 2022 - Zone Industrielle en rouge

Structure Architecturale en rouge

Hong Kong up and down

Sidi Boussaid Tunisie

Tokyo Bleus

City waking up in the fog

La vallée urbaine

Régate en Rouge

Chaos Urbais automnal

Ruine industriel intérieur

Infrastructure Abstrait

Blurred Urban Perspectives

Multi-cubical Architectural Landscape in grey

Multi-cubical Architectural Landscape

Anarchie urbaine

Forêt d’eucalyptus arc-en-ciel

Green lake

Soirée en amoureux

Au Cinéma

Lemons

Lemons

Irma La Rousse

La nymphe aquatique

Beauté en robe blanche

Face Caché de l’Amour

Les Trois Rois

Amies dans un Spa

Introspection

Bibliothèque

Les hommes au foyer

Natural beauty

Jeune Lecteur parterre

Jeune Femme avec son Chien

L’autre visage de Honfleur…

Collègues de travail

Led Zeppelin’s era

Pour nous deux bières

Inter-dépendance

Éternel Cycle de Vie

Éternel Cycle de Vie

The Shepherd and his Herd

Bouquet of White flowers in a blue vase on red. Still life

The seventies

L’amour c’est l’amour

La complicité d’un couple…

Solitude et contemplation 2

Amour maternel en temps difficile

Solitude

Cinq petits baigneurs

Neuf fois Henry…

Amore eterno

La felicità è...

Pure soul

Red lips

Woman, Window View

Red lips