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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Le bleu de l'océan n°2
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 81 x 100 x 2.4 cm Painting - 31.9 x 39.4 x 0.9 inch
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Courants des fonds de mer
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2.4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.9 inch
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Un bout de sable dans la mer
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 81 x 130 x 2.4 cm Painting - 31.9 x 51.2 x 0.9 inch
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Diagonale bleue irisée
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 46 x 38 x 1.5 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.6 inch
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Éclat Rose Bleu Foncé
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 60 x 60 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.6 inch
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Petali di luce (1)
Antonino Puliafico
Painting - 115 x 139 x 2 cm Painting - 45.3 x 54.7 x 0.8 inch
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Le mont sacré de l'Atlantique
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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Vaste texture couteau or orange rose iridescente
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2.5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 1 inch
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Vaste éclat or orange violet
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 100 x 100 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.6 inch
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Vaste texture couteau or orange rose iridescente 2
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 116 x 89 x 2.5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 1 inch
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Vaste Eclat Blanc Argenté Rose Violet
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 100 x 100 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.6 inch
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Vaste éclat or orange
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 100 x 100 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.6 inch
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Vaste éclat or gris
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 100 x 100 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.6 inch
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Texture couteau bleue grise iridescente
Jonathan Pradillon
Painting - 50 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
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Addio del giorno
Antonino Puliafico
Painting - 80 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
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Papillons et fleurs de l'eau
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
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Emprisonné dans l'univers
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 24 x 19 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.8 inch
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Suspendus dans le liquide
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
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Lunes d'un autre monde
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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La puissance de la vie
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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Amoncellement de colère
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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Lumière bleutée sur la ville
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 19 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 7.5 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
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La connexion d'êtres lumineux
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 24 x 19 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.8 inch
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Constellation du désert
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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La magie de l'instant
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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Une vague de changement
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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La symphonie des fleurs
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
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La symphonie des fleurs
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 40 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
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Au détour d'une promenade
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
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Les travailleurs des mers
Âme Sauvage
Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
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Reflections in the Haze
Antonino Puliafico
Painting - 113 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 44.5 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
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