A painting brush isn't animate. It isn't going to teach me
how to paint or go about painting art when no one is looking. It needs the hand
of the artist to do its job.
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| Penitent Mary Magdalene by Titian, 1560s, oil on canvas. |
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But one thing a brush—by its very nature—is made for is
emphasizing paint texture. Just think back on how early Renaissance artists worked
through decades in which a smooth glossy surface was tantamount. That changed
dramatically when artists like Titian and Rembrandt came on the scene.
All of a sudden, paint techniques grew to encompass how the
paint sat on the surface. Paint texture came to be analyzed like it was true
writing on the wall. The marks of the brush could provide endless painting
lessons for oil painting students and practitioners.
You could look at the dabs of color that dot a painting and
see leaves, pebbles, rain or snow. A long vertical stroke that widens at the
bottom becomes a tree trunk with one controlled swipe. A gestural curving
stroke becomes the shape of a reflected piece of light on a glass bottle.
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Woman with a Pink by Rembrandt,
1660s, oil on canvas.
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But the most important of all painting lessons dealing with
brushwork that I've learned has to do, in a way, with putting form to function.
Make marks that describe the shapes you are painting. Short dabs can be ripples
of water, broad strokes can follow the motion of drapery, whatever you want—the
point is that we are all cognizant of how the stroke in essence becomes the
form. That's the greatest reward to learning how to handle a paintbrush in
varied ways—the stroke you make come together with your intention to (hopefully)
create the object you see in your mind's eye!
American Artist Guide
to Painting Techniques is the resource I started with when starting to
delve into brushwork. There's an informative breakdown of brushwork by medium
and by the kind of painting you intend to make. All in
all, I've found it is a worthwhile guide to keep nearby and reference often.
Enjoy!
