Palette knife painting for Sale

The painting knife, or palette knife, as it is often called, has been a part of painters' 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 Richard Dubure, Martta Weg and Ryan Hewett who all use the palette knife in unique ways in their practice!

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Painting, Pulsion, Gilbert Morales

Gilbert Morales

Painting . 50 x 100 x 3 cm Painting . 19.7 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

€980

Painting, Transcendence, Ella Prakash

Ella Prakash

Painting . 150 x 120 x 3 cm Painting . 59.1 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

€8,900

Painting, Turbulence, Olga Nikitina

Olga Nikitina

Painting . 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€800

Painting, Bese triye, Herriot Duplan

Herriot Duplan

Painting . 55 x 41 x 5 cm Painting . 21.7 x 16.1 x 2 inch

€767

Painting, Overthinking, Gillian Brin

Gillian Brin

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

€500

Painting, Reflets d'or, Nadine Pillon

Nadine Pillon

Painting . 116 x 81 x 2 cm Painting . 45.7 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch

€1,650

Painting, Sunrise, Antonino Puliafico

Antonino Puliafico

Painting . 130 x 35 x 3 cm Painting . 51.2 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch

€1,600

Painting, Los Angeles, Olga Nikitina

Olga Nikitina

Painting . 60 x 80 x 0.1 cm Painting . 23.6 x 31.5 x 0 inch

€800

Painting, La glycine, Artize

Artize

Painting . 60 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 23.6 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

€1,950

Painting, Leopard, Gillian Brin

Gillian Brin

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

€500

Painting, Maman nature, ShuJie Wang

ShuJie Wang

Painting . 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

€950

Painting, Protection, Christiane Guerry

Christiane Guerry

Painting . 73 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€4,200

Painting, GR10, Anouck Botteron

Anouck Botteron

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

€1,350

Painting, Sans titre 89, Guntduth

Guntduth

Painting . 65 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€400

Painting, Tropical ocean, Olga Nikitina

Olga Nikitina

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

€2,000