Home Forums Explore Media Oil Painting Why do so many people hate IMPASTO?

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  • #989557
    illastrat
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        i get asked so many questions by common people regarding their disapproval in my thick paint application. I was taught by my professor to paint thick and I regard thick painting way harder to do than the blended technique. But time and time again, i get so many common people that tell me they prefer the blended style. Willem de Kooning is one of my favorite artist and he used impasto to show aggression and anger. Its just more expressive. Light can fall on the paint better and the textures created are just hot. Can someone explain this phenomenon. IF not, can you just tell me what you prefer.

        I paint thick as hell btw:

        favorite artists: jean-michel basquiat, chuck connelly, van gogh, matisse, all the expressionist and fauvs from german to neo.

        #1159672
        Anonymous

            my favorite paintings in the world are those painted by van gogh who painted thick as a brick. for myself they are the most unique paintings ever, they somehow look like they are not paintings but are objects that are sculpted from real life and have a compelling presence about them. you are very correct that it is much harder for me to paint thickly. Layered blending is easy as can be for me.
            i like thick, thick elicits a sensual response in me. you should check out brad teare’s stuff and all of his videos on painting thick, just search youtube for “thick paint”

            #1159698
            illastrat
            Default

                the acrylic landscape of brad teares is fabulous. i can never do impasto acrylic. this **** is wonderful.

                favorite artists: jean-michel basquiat, chuck connelly, van gogh, matisse, all the expressionist and fauvs from german to neo.

                #1159668
                Don Ketchek
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                    I think it is safe to say that everyone has their likes and dislikes. I prefer paintings that create at least some illusion of reality. Like a good book or movie, the suspension of disbelief is important. Yes, we know it is not real, but we can get “lost” in the fiction if we are not reminded it is fiction.

                    It depends, of course, on how the impasto is applied and how thickly. Does it help create the illusion of depth by reinforcing various depth in the painting, such as folds in fabric. Do the brush strokes reinforce movement or direction? (van Gogh would be a good example of this, I think)

                    Or does the impasto put the emphasis on the “paint” rather than on the painting? Does it create shadows and texture that depict the paint – without relating to the shadows and texture that are depicted in the subject of the painting? If it does these things than impasto can be a distraction.

                    If it is a distraction, then it’s not my cup of tea.

                    Of course, this is just a purely personal opinion.

                    Don

                    #1159670
                    !becca
                    Default

                        Personally I paint thick and really like paintings that have a variation in them of both thick and thin. I have always have had favorable comments about my technique at my shows…then again those were primarily from other artists. Sid, you are right…brad tear is impressive!

                        Becca “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.” ........ “Not till we are completely lost or turned around... do we begin to find ourselves.” ........ “All good things are wild and free.” ........ “This world is but a canvas for our imagination.” ...... "Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” Henry David Thoreau
                        Becca's Fine Art

                        #1159699
                        illastrat
                        Default

                            i think creating an illusion of reality is fine if that is your aim. But with a lot of abstract expressionists such as the one i mentioned, they are more concern with creating NEW realities. Some of these realities are simply beautiful, but some of these realities are stark and VERY abrasive. Ultimately, paint application in a rather conceptual manner is the end all be all for me, much over representation. I tend to modify reality to express how I see it through my eyes. True, masters of realism used it to a great extent to elicit a sense of exploitation to give a realer dimension to what they saw but that was nearly 400 years ago. Today, we have evolved to have a more existential take on art. “Real” is good but we already have a reality to deal with. I guess I am more into higher forms of creativity than pseudo-realism.

                            favorite artists: jean-michel basquiat, chuck connelly, van gogh, matisse, all the expressionist and fauvs from german to neo.

                            #1159712
                            DaveGhmn
                            Default

                                I enjoy impasto — looking at, sometimes doing — though some of the practitioners mention the down side, that hard-to-remove dust settles into the grooves.

                                You may be running into the growing group of people who want smooth paintings, smooth and realistic. They are not fans of individual expressionistic brushwork or, many of them, open emotionalism.

                                Interestingly, there is a goodly number of painterly, expressionistic painters out there who began as detail-oriented academic painters. It’s as though after a while, emotion will find its way out.

                                Best you can do is thank them for their opinion, set them aside, and move on. Your direction is powerful, your color powerful, your subjects tough and maybe a bit uncomfortable for some. Don’t worry about it.

                                Judging a Manet from the point of view of Bouguereau, the Manet has not been finished. Judging a Bouguereau from the point of view of Manet, the Bouguereau has not been begun.

                                --Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

                                #1159665
                                Ribera
                                Default

                                    illastrat,
                                    I have much admiration for impast-
                                    óed
                                    areas, and have on occasion
                                    attempted such myself, however, the
                                    various impastó mediums have
                                    been ineffective, so I query ya
                                    and whomelse might be aware:
                                    What’s the best addititive to really
                                    attain paint which stands up from
                                    the rest?
                                    If anyone has any recommendations
                                    which are effective, that’ll really
                                    aid me.
                                    Ciao,
                                    r

                                    #1159750
                                    Kory
                                    Default

                                        I agree, I think impasto looks totally awesome.

                                        And personally, I haven’t tried it much. Right now I’m trying to get my technique similar to the Hudson River school of artists. (I haven’t done a ton of painting anyways, I just started in January 2012.)

                                        But I definitely think it looks good.

                                        #1159673
                                        Anonymous

                                            What’s the best addititive to really attain paint which stands up from the rest?
                                            If anyone has any recommendations which are effective, that’ll really aid me.
                                            [I]Ciao[/I],
                                            [I]r[/I]

                                            again, brad teare has a lot of advice on this subject including additives in his series of videos,
                                            one technique he uses that does not relate to adding any particular medium is to simply scoop up a large quantity of paint with his palette knife and then load up his brush from that dollop on the knife.

                                            #1159700
                                            illastrat
                                            Default

                                                illastrat,
                                                I have much admiration for [I]impast-
                                                óed[/I] areas, and have on occasion
                                                attempted such myself, however, the
                                                various [I]impastó[/I] mediums have
                                                been ineffective, so I [I]query[/I] ya
                                                and whomelse might be aware:
                                                What’s the best addititive to really
                                                attain paint which stands up from
                                                the rest?
                                                If anyone has any recommendations
                                                which are effective, that’ll really
                                                aid me.
                                                [I]Ciao[/I],
                                                [I]r[/I]

                                                Well I was lucky learning impasto because that was my professors style of choice. For an effective impasto alla prima paint paint fat over lean, THICK OVER THIN, and LIGHT COLORS OVER DARK COLORS. It should take you anywhere from 1 – 3.5 hours for a completed painting. Anything more is over worked. Also, try aiming for authoritative brush strokes. Don’t keep going over the strokes. Other than that, just have fun.

                                                note: I don’t really do representational art by choice contrary to what people think, but another thing that helped me was the underpainting. Use a wash rather than drawing it. This will give a painterly effect.

                                                favorite artists: jean-michel basquiat, chuck connelly, van gogh, matisse, all the expressionist and fauvs from german to neo.

                                                #1159725

                                                Sorry that this brings out the psychologist in me, but isn’t it interesting to discover why this seems to bother you? (I think there’s a clue in the fact that you call people who don’t like your style “common people”.)

                                                (Feel free to ignore this comment, if you’re not at all interested in exploring yourself :angel: )

                                                #1159701
                                                illastrat
                                                Default

                                                    again, brad teare has a lot of advice on this subject including additives in his series of videos,
                                                    one technique he uses that does not relate to adding any particular medium is to simply scoop up a large quantity of paint with his palette knife and then load up his brush from that dollop on the knife.

                                                    Thats good advice. I do that alot. Also paint with your painting knife directly to the canvas by loading it from the backside. that makes a difference.

                                                    favorite artists: jean-michel basquiat, chuck connelly, van gogh, matisse, all the expressionist and fauvs from german to neo.

                                                    #1159702
                                                    illastrat
                                                    Default

                                                        Sorry that this brings out the psychologist in me, but isn’t it interesting to discover why this seems to bother you? (I think there’s a clue in the fact that you call people who don’t like your style “common people”.)

                                                        (Feel free to ignore this comment, if you’re not at all interested in exploring yourself :angel: )

                                                        When i say “common people” i mean people that don’t make art or know art. of course it bothers me. i aint going to lie and say i don’t care what people think. we all do to a certain extent.

                                                        favorite artists: jean-michel basquiat, chuck connelly, van gogh, matisse, all the expressionist and fauvs from german to neo.

                                                        #1159751
                                                        Antonin2
                                                        Default

                                                            I love impasto and I am a big advocate to paint lights thick. Texture is as important as value, composition and temperature.
                                                            Even guys like Rembrandt painted thick. I feel that if you go to museum often you realize how texture is so important in painting. Their is no stained canvas.

                                                            "The freshness of their canvases has invigorated art. After seeing their unpolished canvases, even the carefully finished paintings seemed boring and old." - Ilya Repin
                                                            http://www.antoninpassemard.com/

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