Prestezza
In art, prestezza is a painting technique that utilizes rapid brushstrokes to make impressions of faces and objects as opposed to painting them out in detail. [1] The technique allows for faster painting and makes the undercoat an integral part of the painting itself.
History
[edit]The Italian Renaissance painter Tintoretto first developed the method to increase the output of his workshop.
The prestezza method consists of three steps:
At first the artist applied a brown undercoat, using a color that was used for etching technology, on the canvas. Thereafter he made a rough drawing using white colour, very often like a sketch. Then the actual painting process started.[2]
Tintoretto believed that increased artistic output at lower cost would be more profitable than his meticulous, multi-layered brushwork of his former employer, Titian.[2] Tintoretto relied on quick execution, flexible pricing, and high turnover to fill the market gap left by Titian's exclusively high-end patrons However, the prestezza technique's unfinished look was unsatisfactory to many patrons.[1] For example, the use of the technique in Raising of Lazarus resulted in "...movements [which] are indicated by broad movements of the brush. ...[t]he background area is hidden in shadow, which allows the painter to indicate with minimum definition the presence of twenty figures required by the contract signed by his patron."[3] Giorgio Vasari described the end result as, "[he] has left as finished works sketches still so rough that the brush-strokes may be seen."[4] Tintoretto's refusal to redo his delivered work and led to customer alienation. Still, he enjoyed a level of success comparable to other leading Venetian painters.[3]
Gallery
[edit]The effect can be observed in several of Tintoretto's paintings:
-
Tintoretto's painting shows background figures painted with the prestezza technique. -
Figures on the center right appear almost as outlines. -
Tintoretto's Annunciation, with the ceilings and angels on the upper left showing a lack of detail.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Johnson, Paul. Art: A New History, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003, p. 290.
- ^ a b Martin Kupp, Jamie Anderson, Jörg Reckhenrich, The Fine Art of Success: How Learning Great Art Can Create Great Business, Wiley, 2011.
- ^ a b Nichols, Tom. Tintoretto: Tradition and Identity. Reaktion Books, 2004, p. 107.
- ^ Vasari, Giorgio. The Lives of the Artists. Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford University Press, 1991.