Embedded Files
One of the painting modes of the Renaissance period, cangiante is a painting practice that came about due to restrictions on how art materials could be used at the time. Limitations on color mixing powers were a particular problem and therefore Michelangelo and his contemporaries painted in a certain way to express tonal shifts.
How Michelangelo Painted
Cangiante’s chief feature can be found in how the artist would use a different pigment entirely rather than mix a given pigment with another in order to darken it, or lighten it. In other words, if a pigment cannot be made dark enough or light enough for requirement, a totally different pigment was used instead.
Early Renaissance Painting Method
These shifts in pigment to express various elements in a painting can be seen in some of the scenes depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Rather than darken red to express folds in fabric, for instance, the artist would use a different pigment, which might be violet or blue. In the same way, if a given orange cannot be made pale enough to express highlights, yellow might be used instead. My sampling of Michelangelo’s Delphic Sibyl, one of five pagan prophetesses that foretell the coming of Christ was chosen in order to try out Cangiante myself for my art instruction book.
Old Painting Methods
Unusual Art Technique
Reasons for shifting to an entirely different hue for expressing a feature, such as a shadow might be that mixing a color with black or grey will result in a dirty hue. To retain splendor within a religious theme, the artist might prefer to select a definite hue to express such contours. The result is a sort of painting by numbers, where each element of a painting comprises just one pigment of various tones.
In painting the Delphic Sibyl, I chose my colors carefully so that a wide range of tonal values can be attained. Each area comprised only of one color with various ratios of white. For the figure’s skirt, I used alizarin crimson, although permanent rose, quinacridone violet or carmine could be used instead. When applied neat, these reds produce deep tones, ideal for suggesting folds and shadows. Various ratios of white will create a great array of tones.
How to Paint Cangiante
The other areas of the painting comprised similar pigments that appear deep in tone when applied alone. The sibyl’s blouse consisted of sap green, but Winsor green, Hooker’s green or olive green could be used in its place. The skin tones comprise burnt umber because this pigment provides the deepest tones in all, ideal for providing weight to these important focal points. The scroll and the book were expressed with pthalo blue and various amounts of white. To suggest plaster where frescoes were laid on, I used various scumbles of burnt sienna and white.
Renaissance Art Technique
Successful cangiante is more likely if using colors that have the power to provide deep hues when needed, so that a variety of tones can be achieved with different amounts of white. An array of pigments would be suitable for cangiante, such as Prussian blue, ultramarine, Venetian red, sepia, Vandyke brown, viridian and scarlet lake. Expressing bright colors such as orange and yellow is trickier, as fewer tonal values will be able to be created, but cadmium yellow (deep), Indian yellow or Winsor orange will provide rich hues.
Images taken from my art instruction book: Skin Tones in Oil: 10 Step by Step Guides from Old Masters copyright is asserted 2013
More Articles on Oil Painting from my Other Sites
How to avoid dirty color mixes
Painting chiaroscuro
Painting in sfumato
Can the Mona Lisa be painted in one hour?
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse