A Classical Method to Make Timeless Art
Tenebrae Studio creates master copies of Renaissance and Baroque paintings using the same methods as the original Masters from those periods. This technique involves painting in stages. These stages are the transferring, underpainting, velaturas, and glazing.
Transferring
The process begins with a careful and accurate transfer of the original painting. This is done in graphite and ink, and it is meant to delinate form, as well as making a map of value changes.
Underpainting
The next stage involves creating a detailed underpainting using two colors- Titanium White, and Asphaltum. Underpaintings are a foundational technique used by Renaissance and Baroque painters. An underpainting is meant to act as a photo negative of the original painting, ignoring all color, and focusing on values and acurate shapes. An underpainting layer gives the finished painting a richness and depth which is the hallmark of traditional painting.
Velaturas
Velatura means “to veil” and is the first color round of a painting. It “veils"’ the underpainting with a general color statement, which will be deepened and refined in subsequent stages.
Glazing
Mulitple layers of translucent and opaque paint is what gives tradional oil paintings their unique glow. The final stages of an oil painting involve painting colors in thin layers of paint and oil. The high ratio of oil to pigment in the glazing layer gives a richness and depth to the finished painting.
Master copy of St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus, original by Guido Reni Painted by Mary Trojack, 2024