From time immemorial, man has strived for perfection, seeking harmony in the world that surrounds him. Finding beauty, he tries to find a way to preserve this beauty and convey it to his descendants. Fine art is one of the few methods invented by man back in primitive times. Then the ancient people painted on rocks and cave walls, depicting scenes of the life of their people. This is how the art of painting began to emerge in primitive society. Over time, artists learned to use a variety of media and painting methods. New genres and types of painting appeared. By passing on accumulated knowledge and experience from generation to generation, people managed to preserve the picture of the world in its original form. And today we have the opportunity to admire all parts of the world, looking at the works of artists from different eras.
Difference from other types of fine art
Painting, unlike other methods of transmitting visual images, is performed by applying paint to canvas, paper or other surface. This type of fine art has an unusual artistic style of expression. The artist, playing with imagination and shades of paint, is able to present the viewer not just with a reflection of the visible world, but by adding fresh images from himself, convey his vision and emphasize something new and unusual.
Types of painting and their brief characteristics
This type of art is characterized depending on what paints and materials are used. There are different types different techniques and types of painting. There are 5 main varieties: miniature, easel, monumental, theatrical and decorative and decorative.
Miniature painting
It began to develop even before the invention of printing, in the Middle Ages. At that time, there were handwritten books, which masters of art decorated with finely drawn headpieces and endings, and also decorated the texts with colorful miniature illustrations. In the first half of the 19th century, miniature painting was used to create small portraits. For this, artists preferred watercolors, because thanks to pure and deep colors and their combinations, portraits acquired special grace and nobility.
Easel painting
This art of painting got its name due to the fact that paintings are made using an easel, i.e. a machine. Canvases are most often painted on canvas, which is stretched on a stretcher. Also, paper, cardboard, and wood can be used as a material basis. A painting painted on an easel is a completely independent work. It can depict both what is imagined by the artist and what is factual in all its manifestations. These can be both inanimate objects and people, both modernity and historical events.
Monumental painting
This kind visual arts represents picturesque creations on a large scale. Monumental painting is used to decorate the ceilings and walls of buildings, as well as various construction structures. With its help, artists identify significant social and historical events that influence the development of society and contribute to the formation of people in the spirit of progress, patriotism and humanity.
Theatrical and decorative painting
This type is used for makeup, props, costume decoration and scenery that helps reveal the plot of the play. Costumes, makeup and scenery are made according to sketches by the artist, who strives to convey the style of the era, social status and personal character of the characters.
Decorative painting
It means decorating the interior and buildings using colorful panels, which create a visual increase or decrease in the size of the room, the illusion of a wall breaking through, etc.
Painting in Russia
We have listed the main types of painting, which differ in the way the painter uses material for creativity. Now let's talk about the features of this type of art inherent in our country. Russia has always been famous for its vast expanses with rich flora and fauna. And every artist sought to capture on canvas all the beauty of nature and convey the splendor of the images to the viewer.
Various types of landscapes in painting can be observed on the canvases of famous creators. Each of them, using their own technique, tried to convey to the viewer their own emotions and their own vision. Russian painting is glorified by such masters as Levitan, Shishkin, Savrasov, Aivazovsky and many others. They used different techniques to paint their famous paintings. And just as diverse inner worlds masters of painting, and ultimately the multifaceted nature of their creations and the emotions evoked in the audience. The most sincere and deep feelings give rise to the famous works of our painters.
So, for example, “Morning in pine forest"Shishkina fills us with refined light and gives us peace. It's like we feel the morning Fresh air, immersing yourself in the coniferous atmosphere and watching the games of the bear cubs. While Aivazovsky’s “Seashore” takes us into the abyss of emotions and anxiety. Levitan's rural autumn landscapes offer a dose of nostalgia and memories. And Savrasov’s creation “The Rooks Have Arrived” envelops us in slight sadness and gives hope.
Russian painting confirms the colossal potential and talent of the Russian people, as well as the love for their homeland and nature. Everyone can verify this by looking at the paintings of our compatriots. And the main task is to preserve the living Russian painting tradition and Creative skills people.
Painting is distinguished by a variety of genres and types. Each genre is limited to its own range of subjects: the image of a person (portrait), the surrounding world (landscape), etc.
Varieties (types) of painting differ in their purpose.
In this regard, there are several types of painting, which we will talk about today.
Easel painting
The most popular and known species painting – easel painting. It is called this way because it is performed on a machine - an easel. The base is wood, cardboard, paper, but most often canvas stretched on a stretcher. Easel painting is an independent work made in certain genre. It has a richness of color.
Oil paints
Most often, easel painting is done with oil paints. You can use oil paints on canvas, wood, cardboard, paper, and metal.
Oil paints
Oil paints are suspensions of inorganic pigments and fillers in drying vegetable oils or drying oils or based on alkyd resins, sometimes with the addition of auxiliary substances. Used in painting or for painting wooden, metal and other surfaces.
V. Perov “Portrait of Dostoevsky” (1872). Canvas, oil
But a picturesque picture can also be created using tempera, gouache, pastels, and watercolors.
Watercolor
Watercolor paints
Watercolor (French Aquarelle - watery; Italian acquarello) is a painting technique that uses special watercolor paints. When dissolved in water, they form a transparent suspension of fine pigment, which creates the effect of lightness, airiness and subtle color transitions.
J. Turner “Firvaldstät Lake” (1802). Watercolor. Tate Britain (London)
Gouache
Gouache (French Gouache, Italian guazzo water paint, splash) is a type of adhesive water-soluble paint, denser and more matte than watercolor.
Gouache paints
Gouache paints are made from pigments and glue with the addition of white. The admixture of white gives the gouache a matte velvety quality, but when drying the colors become somewhat whitened (lightened), which the artist must take into account during the painting process. Using gouache paints you can cover dark tones with light ones.
Vincent Van Gogh "Corridor at Asulum" (black chalk and gouache on pink paper)
Pastel [e]
Pastel (from Latin pasta - dough) is an artistic material used in graphics and painting. Most often it comes in the form of crayons or rimless pencils, shaped like bars with a round or square cross-section. Pastel happens three types: “dry”, oily and waxy.
I. Levitan “River Valley” (pastel)
Tempera
Tempera (Italian tempera, from the Latin temperare - to mix paints) - water-based paints prepared on the basis of dry powder pigments. The binder for tempera paints is yolk diluted with water. chicken egg or a whole egg.
Tempera paints are one of the oldest. Before the invention and spread of oil paints until the 15th-17th centuries. tempera paints were the main material for easel painting. They have been used for more than 3 thousand years. The famous paintings of the sarcophagi of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs were made with tempera paints. Tempera painting was mainly done by Byzantine masters. In Russia, the technique of tempera painting was dominant until the end of the 17th century.
R. Streltsov “Chamomiles and violets” (tempera)
Encaustic
Encaustic (from ancient Greek ἐγκαυστική - the art of burning) is a painting technique in which wax is the binder of paints. Painting is done with melted paints. Many early Christian icons were painted using this technique. Originated in Ancient Greece.
"Angel". Encaustic technique
We draw your attention to the fact that you can find another classification, according to which watercolor, gouache and other techniques using paper and water-based paints are classified as graphics. They combine the features of painting (richness of tone, construction of form and space with color) and graphics (the active role of paper in constructing the image, the absence of the specific relief of the brushstroke characteristic of a painting surface).
Monumental painting
Monumental painting is painting on architectural structures or other foundations. This is the oldest type of painting, known since the Paleolithic. Thanks to its stationarity and durability, numerous examples of it remain from almost all cultures that created developed architecture. The main techniques of monumental painting are fresco, secco, mosaic, stained glass.
Fresco
Fresco (from Italian fresco - fresh) - painting on wet plaster with water paints, one of the wall painting techniques. When dried, the lime contained in the plaster forms a thin transparent calcium film, making the fresco durable.
The fresco has a pleasant matte surface and is durable in indoor conditions.
Gelati Monastery (Georgia). Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fresco on the upper and southern side of the Arc de Triomphe
A secco
And secco (from Italian a secco - dry) is wall painting, performed, unlike frescoes, on hard, dried plaster, re-moistened. Paints are used, ground on vegetable glue, egg or mixed with lime. Secco allows you to paint a larger surface area per working day than with fresco painting, but is not such a durable technique.
The a secco technique developed in medieval painting along with fresco and was especially widespread in Europe in the 17th-18th centuries.
Leonardo da Vinci " last supper(1498). Technique a secco
Mosaic
Mosaic (French mosaïque, Italian mosaico from Latin (opus) musivum – (work) dedicated to the muses) is decorative, applied and monumental art of various genres. Images in a mosaic are formed by arranging, setting and fixing multi-colored stones, smalt, ceramic tiles and other materials on the surface.
Mosaic panel "Cat"
Stained glass
Stained glass (French vitre - window glass, from Latin vitrum - glass) is a work of colored glass. Stained glass has been used in churches for a long time. During the Renaissance, stained glass existed as painting on glass.
Stained glass window of the Mezhsoyuzny Palace of Culture (Murmansk)
The types of painting also include diorama and panorama.
Diorama
The building of the diorama “Storm of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944” in Sevastopol
Diorama is a ribbon-shaped, semicircularly curved pictorial picture with a foreground subject. The illusion of the viewer’s presence in natural space is created, which is achieved by a synthesis of artistic and technical means.
Dioramas are designed for artificial lighting and are located mainly in special pavilions. Most dioramas are dedicated to historical battles.
The most famous dioramas: “Storm of Sapun Mountain” (Sevastopol), “Defense of Sevastopol” (Sevastopol), “Battles for Rzhev” (Rzhev), “Breaking the Siege of Leningrad” (St. Petersburg), “Storm of Berlin” (Moscow), etc.
Panorama
In painting, a panorama is a picture with a circular view, in which a flat pictorial background is combined with a three-dimensional subject foreground. Panorama creates the illusion of real space surrounding the viewer in a full circle of the horizon. Panoramas are used mainly to depict events covering a large area and big number participants.
Panorama Museum "Battle of Borodino" (museum building)
In Russia, the most famous panoramas are the Panorama Museum “Battle of Borodino”, “Battle of Volochaev”, “The defeat of the Nazi troops at Stalingrad” in the Panorama Museum “ Battle of Stalingrad", "Defense of Sevastopol", panorama of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Franz Roubo. Panorama canvas “Battle of Borodino”
Theatrical and decorative painting
Scenery, costumes, makeup, props help to further reveal the content of the performance (film). The scenery gives an idea of the place and time of the action, and activates the viewer’s perception of what is happening on stage. Theater artist strives in sketches of costumes and makeup to acutely express the individual character of the characters, their social status, style of the era and much more.
In Russia, the flourishing of theatrical and decorative art occurred at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At this time, outstanding artists M.A. began working in the theater. Vrubel, V.M. Vasnetsov, A.Ya. Golovin, L.S. Bakst, N.K. Roerich.
M. Vrubel “City of Lollipop”. Set design for the opera by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" for the Russian Private Opera in Moscow. (1900)
Miniature
A miniature is a pictorial work of small forms. Particularly popular was portrait miniature - a portrait of a small format (from 1.5 to 20 cm), distinguished by the special subtlety of writing, a unique execution technique and the use of means inherent only to this pictorial form.
The types and formats of miniatures are very diverse: they were painted on parchment, paper, cardboard, ivory, metal and porcelain, using watercolor, gouache, special artistic enamels or oil paints. The author can inscribe the image, in accordance with his decision or at the request of the customer, into a circle, oval, rhombus, octagon, etc. A classic portrait miniature is considered to be a miniature made on a thin ivory plate.
Emperor Nicholas I. Fragment of a miniature by G. Morselli
There are several miniature techniques.
Lacquer miniature (Fedoskino)
Miniature with a portrait of Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna (Jewels of the Yusupovs)
What is painting?
Painting is a type of fine art, works of which are created using paints applied to any surface.
“Painting is not just some kind of fantasy. It is work, work that must be done conscientiously, as every conscientious worker does,” Renoir argued.
Painting is an amazing miracle of transforming accessible artistic materials into a variety of visible images of reality. Mastering the art of painting means being able to depict real objects of any shape, different color and material in any space.
Painting, like all other forms of art, has a special artistic language, through which the artist reflects the world. But, expressing his understanding of the world, the artist simultaneously embodies his thoughts and feelings, aspirations, aesthetic ideals in his works, evaluates the phenomena of life, explaining their essence and meaning in his own way.
In works of art of different genres of fine art created by painters, drawing, color, light and shade, expressiveness of strokes, texture and composition are used. This makes it possible to reproduce on a plane the colorful richness of the world, the volume of objects, their qualitative material originality, spatial depth and light-air environment.
The world of painting is rich and complex, its treasures have been accumulated by humanity over many millennia. The most ancient works of painting were discovered by scientists on the walls of caves in which they lived primitive people. The first artists depicted hunting scenes and animal habits with amazing accuracy and sharpness. This is how the art of painting on the wall arose, which had features characteristic of monumental painting.
There are two main types of monumental painting - fresco and mosaic.
Fresco is a technique of painting with paints diluted with clean or lime water on fresh, damp plaster.
Mosaic is an image made from particles of stone, smalt, homogeneous or different in material, ceramic tiles, which are fixed in a layer of soil - lime or cement.
Fresco and mosaic are the main types of monumental art, which, due to their durability and color fastness, are used to decorate architectural volumes and planes (wall paintings, lampshades, panels).
Easel painting (picture) has an independent character and meaning. Breadth and completeness of coverage real life is reflected in the diversity of types and genres inherent in easel painting: portrait, landscape, still life, everyday, historical, battle genres.
Unlike monumental painting, easel painting is not connected to the plane of the wall and can be freely exhibited.
The ideological and artistic meaning of works of easel art does not change depending on the place where they are located, although their artistic sound depends on the conditions of exposure.
In addition to the above-mentioned types of painting, there is decorative painting - sketches of theatrical scenery, scenery and costumes for cinema, as well as miniatures and icon painting.
To create a miniature work of art or a monumental one (for example, a painting on a wall), the artist must know not only the constructive essence of objects, their volume, materiality, but also the rules and laws of the pictorial representation of nature, the harmony of color, and color. 
IN pictorial image from nature, it is necessary to take into account not only the variety of colors, but also their unity, determined by the strength and color of the light source. No spot of color should be introduced into the image without matching it with the overall color state. The color of each object, both in light and in shadow, must be related to the color whole. If the colors of the image do not convey the influence of the color of the lighting, they will not be subject to a single color scheme. In such an image, each color will stand out as something extraneous and alien to a given state of illumination; it will appear random and ruin the color integrity of the image.
Thus, the natural color unification of paints by the general color of lighting is the basis for creating a harmonious color structure of the picture.
Color is one of the most expressive means used in painting. The artist conveys on the plane the colorful richness of what he saw, with the help of color form he cognizes and reflects the world. In the process of depicting nature, a sense of color and its many shades develops, which allows the use of paints as the main means of expression painting.
The perception of color, and the artist's eye is able to distinguish more than 200 of its shades, is perhaps one of the happiest qualities that nature has endowed man with.
Knowing the laws of contrast, the artist navigates those changes in the color of the depicted nature, which in some cases are difficult to catch by the eye. The perception of color depends on the environment in which the object is located. Therefore, the artist, when conveying the color of nature, compares the colors with each other, ensuring that they are perceived in interconnection or mutual relations.
“Taking light-and-shadow relationships” means preserving the difference between colors in lightness, saturation and hue, according to how it occurs in nature. 
Contrast (both in light and color) is especially noticeable on the edges of adjacent color spots. The blurring of the boundaries between contrasting colors enhances the effect of color contrast, and the clarity of the boundaries of the spots reduces it. Knowledge of these laws expands technical capabilities in painting, allows the artist, with the help of contrast, to increase the intensity of the color of paints, increase their saturation, increase or decrease their lightness, which enriches the painter’s palette. Thus, without using mixtures, but only contrasting combinations of warm and cold colors, you can achieve a special coloristic sonority of the painting.
Image on a plane of objects of the material and spiritual world. One of the main types of fine art. Painting is divided into numerous types and genres. Oil painting is a work painted with oil paints. Wall painting is a work of painting executed directly on a specially prepared masonry surface of a wall, ceiling or vault of a building. Another name is monumental painting. Tempera painting is the main technique of icon painting in Russia. The basis of tempera paint is the yolk of a chicken egg, diluted with kvass. During the work process, paints are applied gradually, in multi-layers and in a certain order. Since the 17th century To this day, the final layer is sometimes done with oil paints. The icon is written on a specially treated board.
Great definition
Incomplete definition ↓
Painting
Pictores and Pictura.
The art of painting among the Greeks was in close connection with sculpture, sharing with it an ideal worldview and a very for a long time was in this infantile state. Before the Persian Wars, painters seemed to use one-color paint with which they drew outlines, while shadows were indicated by shading. The most ancient place of this art in Greece was, in all likelihood, the Dorian Peloponnese, mainly Corinth and Sikyon; the Corinthian Cleanthes, they say, was the first to draw silhouettes, Ardicus and Telephanes improved linear drawings, Cleophantus invented one-color painting (monochromy), Kiomnus of Cleon was the first to give movement and inclination to his figures and was the first to pay attention to the drapery of the figures. Until the 94th century, when the Athenian Apollodorus introduced the brush, all the art of Jeanne consisted of drawing images using a stylus on a board previously coated with paint; The paints themselves were applied in bulk and not seamlessly using a sponge. In general, in the paintings of the most ancient painters there are only 4 colors ( Plin. 35, 7, 32): white and black, yellow and red. Even Zeuxis himself used these flowers, but if anyone used larger number colors, was in danger of, by enhancing its attractiveness, detracting from the height of art. Works of this type of art included partly wall paintings (mainly alfresco), and partly paintings painted on boards; the former were written on fresh plaster, and the latter on wood and embedded in the walls, for example, of temples. Pictures were painted on boards with glue paints; later encaustic paintings were painted with wax paints, which were ground with dry leads and then melted using a brazier. Age of Pericles, therefore the middle and 2nd half of the 5th century. BC, is considered the time of greatest prosperity of this art, along with the prosperity of all fine arts in general, which served as a support for painting. Large-sized paintings also belong to this time; not only painted halls appeared, but also art galleries(pinakothek). Mention should be made of Pinenus, the brother of Phidias, and the Thasian Polygiotas (who received the right of citizenship in Athens in 463), known from the picture they painted together "Marathon Battle" V??????? in Athens. The latter was famous for his art of painting women in see-through clothes; he eliminated the immobility in facial expression borrowed from the Egyptians by drawing his mouth somewhat open; his paintings were truly portraits (in one, for example, you can easily recognize Elpinika, Kimon’s sister), painted from life, but carried away into an ideal world. Pausanias (10, 25) has an excellent description of one of the most large paintings, located in Leskh ( cm.?????, Lesha) at Delphi, which depicted the conquered and smoking Troy and the Greeks at the Hellespont, laden with booty and surrounded by prisoners, at the moment when they are preparing to sail: “The artist was quite able to depict here the contrast between the groups of Greeks in the foreground and the destruction of Troy, the devastated streets of which are visible through the walls broken in places. The ship of Menelaus stood near the shore, ready to sail; near it one can see Helen, the culprit of the war, surrounded by wounded Trojans; in another group of Greek leaders, Cassandra is visible; almost everyone remains deeply silent, with the exception of Neoptolemus, who still pursues and kills the Trojans. On the other side of Leskha was depicted the entrance to the underworld, to the kingdom of darkness with Odysseus on the bank of the Acheron, Tartarus with his terrible torment and Elisius with the shadows of the blessed. In the first of these paintings more than 100 figures were drawn, in the other more than 80: each figure, according to ancient custom, had a name attached to it". In addition, Polygnotus's father Aglaophon and his grandson were known as painters the last one same name. The latter was mainly credited with two paintings, one of which depicted Alcibiades as a winner at the games. Wed Cic. Brut. 18. Cic. de or. 3,7. Quint. 12, 10. In general, housing complemented architecture; her works served to decorate both private buildings and galleries and temples. While plastic arts quickly advanced in their development, painting developed slowly and reached the height of perfection soon after the Peloponnesian War, that is, only when plastic art, after its highest prosperity, began to decline somewhat. Contemporaries and followers of Polygnotus were: Mykon from Aegina, his remarkable paintings were: "Antinoe", "Argonauts", "Asterope", "Pelius", "Theseus", "Acast" and etc.; he painted partly and ??????? in Athens, where he depicted the Battle of the Amazons and the Battle of Marathon, and he was especially successful in depicting horses; his son; further Onatus of Aegina and Dionysius of Colophon; independently then acted as a decorative painter Agafarch ( cm. Agatharchus, Agatharchus), who also satisfied the requirements of luxury, which had already begun to penetrate the private life of the Greeks; but even more outstanding in this regard is the above-mentioned Apollodorus, called the skiagraph, because in addition to the invention of the brush, art in the distribution of light and shadow was also attributed to him. His primus species exprimere instituit, Pliny says about him (35, 9, 36), primusque gloriam penicillo iure contulit; neque ante eum tabula ullius ostenditur, quae teneat oculos. His disciple Zeuxis from Heraclea in Magna Graecia, who lived c. 397, although, however, he belonged to a different school, namely the Ionian, prone to tenderness and pomp, as opposed to the Attic school; he was especially good at depicting the female body. Proof of this is what he wrote at the request of the Crotonians. "Elena"(was placed in the famous temple of Hera Lakinia), representing perfect beauty in the form earthly woman; in the same way he embodied the highest idea of chaste modesty in the image of Penelope. Zeuxis does not have a variety of epic compositions, like Polygnotus’s, just as expressions of various mental states are not visible in his paintings; his main attention was paid to the picturesqueness, the external side of the object, to the illusion; Compared to later times, he lacked an artistic and varied juxtaposition of colors. About his competition with Parrhasius ( cm. Parrhasius). The latter and Timanthos of Sicyon were his contemporaries; about the paintings of the latter, between which was issued "Sacrifice of Iphigenia", where he depicted Agamemnon with his face covered to express great sadness, already in antiquity the opinion was expressed that they make the viewer guess more than how much is actually expressed in them; the viewer's imagination complements the unsaid, not only because these paintings depicted something ideal, but also because they contain a wealth of motives. The main merit of the Sikyon school, on the contrary, consisted in the strictly scientific execution of the drawing and in its most thorough clarity. The founder of this school was Eupompus of Sicyon, and its main representative was Pamphilus, who was the first to methodically study art and apply his theoretical and geometric knowledge to drawings; His student Melanphius was most outstanding in his skillful arrangement and composition of paintings and contributed greatly to the improvement of color. He is ranked, by the way, among those 4 painters (Apelles, Echion, Nicomachus) who used only 4 colors. During the time of Alexander the Great, Jeanne reached the highest degree of attractiveness and charm, thanks mainly to Apelles, a native of the island of Kos, a student of Pamphilus (356-308). He combined the merits of both schools, while trying to penetrate even deeper into the true meaning of life and breathe the richness and variety of life into his works; he combined loyalty to nature with creative power, which earned him a special favor from Alexander; the latter especially praised his paintings for their grace, ?????; in the foreground he had the perfection of form, and not the ideality of content. In technique, both in relation to the drawing itself and in relation to the choice of colors for spectacular scenes, he was a master of his craft. In the temple of Artemis of Ephesus he painted an image of Alexander throwing the feathers of Zeus, and the raised hand and lightning that appeared on the surface aroused the greatest surprise. He also painted the generals of Alexander in various positions, sometimes separately, sometimes in groups. His exemplary works with ideal content included "Artemis", surrounded by a choir of young women making sacrifices, and Aphrodite Anadyomene emerging from the sea; this last picture, according to the verdict of all the ancients, was considered a model of grace; however, the lower part of this picture remained unfinished, death kidnapped Apelles at work, and none of the subsequent artists dared to take on the task of finishing it. Initially, it was in the temple of Aphrodite on the island of Cos, from where Augustus transferred it to Rome and ordered it to be placed in the temple of Caesar, who was numbered among the gods. More to the Sicyon school belonged: Euphranor, whose glory lay in the subtlety of his depiction of gods and heroes; Echion, from whose works the painting of the newlywed is remarkable (a free imitation of which is, perhaps, the Aldobrandian wedding in the Vatican Museum in Rome) and Pausius of Sicyon, who was the first, they say, to decorate the ceilings in the rooms, mostly with figures of boys, flowers and arabesques, and he was mainly famous for his flower paintings ( Plin. 35, 40 mentions the beautiful Glyceria, skilled in weaving wreaths, whose image he submitted to the competition); he was famous for bringing the encaustic method to a high degree of development. At this time, i.e. approx. 370-330, the Theban Aristides also flourished, remarkable mainly for his art of depicting battles and conquests of cities and his masterful ability to give life and expressiveness to his paintings, although his distribution of colors was not particularly successful. His painting depicting the battle of the Macedonians with the Persians contained up to 100 figures; The sad scene during the destruction of the city was considered his masterful work, and it attracted special attention main group, depicting a dying mother and a baby catching her breast; but she pushes him away for fear that he might suck blood instead of milk. Around this time, Protogenes from the city of Kavna in Caria achieved even greater fame, who until the age of 50 supported his existence with the most ordinary works; but the famous Apelles recognized this and, appreciating his art, bought some paintings from him for a significant sum of money, showing his fellow citizens their inability to appreciate the works of Protogenes and at the same time trying to arouse in them the suspicion that he wanted to pass them off as his own. This helped the poor man make a name for himself among his fellow citizens. Above his best painting, where he depicted Ialisa ( cm. Ialis) a hunter with a dog panting on the side, he worked for 7 or even 11 years. When Demetrius Poliorcetes was besieging Rhodes, he could not decide to attack from the side where he knew this painting was located, and because of this he did not win. He sent guards to guard the artist, whose workshop was in the most dangerous place outside the city walls, and even personally visited him. During the time of Pliny, this painting was in Rome, in the temple of the world, but already during the time of Plutarch it was destroyed by fire. His picture "The Rest Satyr", which he placed on one column, was written by him during the siege, when weapons thundered all around, and was also considered an exemplary work. The main merit of Protogen, as well as Apelles, was not so much in the richness of thought or poetic content, but in the charming artistic execution, and the illusion was brought to the highest degree; but with Apelles this was a consequence of his natural talent, and with Protogenes this was achieved by his greatest patience and remarkable diligence. While everyone was surprised at his diligence and perseverance in his works, in the works of his contemporary, Nicomachus, a native of the city of Thebes, who lived at the end of the 4th century. BC, the son and student of Aristodemus, were most amazed at the speed of execution combined with remarkable artistry. They were written - "The Rape of Proserpina", in the Capitol, in the Temple of Minerva; "Goddess of Victory", riding a four-wheeler, and "Skilla" in the temple of the goddess of peace. Further remarkable are: Theon from the island of Samos, who aroused surprise with the liveliness of his imagination and lived during the time of the Macedonian kings Philip and Alexander; he owns: "Mad Orestes" and kifared "Thamiris", Nicias, originally from Athens (painted animals and battles in an encaustic way; many of his paintings were in Rome; one of the best was "Kingdom of Shadows According to Homer"; they praised the color, position and roundness of figures in his paintings, especially female ones), Antiphilus ( "The Boy Stoking the Fire", "Workshop for woolen work") and Ctesilochus (caricatured the birth of Dionysus from the thigh of Zeus). In all likelihood, Aetion (??????) with his famous painting belongs to the Alexandrian time - "The Marriage of Alexander and Roxana" (Cic. Brut. 18, where some, however, read Echion; Lucian de Merc. cond. 42.imagg. 7). From then on, art begins to decline and is no longer distinguished by grace and ingenuity, but only by care in decoration. Thus, Peyraijk conveyed scenes from everyday life with a brush, depicted with remarkable skill the workshops of shoemakers, barbers, kitchens, markets, etc., which was especially appreciated by the Romans, who respected not so much the intricacy of the composition as the correctness and clarity of the drawing; Thus, he became the best master of real genre painting, the so-called riparography. As for the Romans, we should mainly point out their lack of understanding of works of art; Even the capture of Corinth could not produce a beneficial revolution in art for a long time. Very often there were examples when soldiers and generals not only did not respect, but even destroyed the precious works of J. Mummius did not understand, for example, how Attalus of Pergamon could value so dearly the painting of Aristides depicting Bacchus; Believing that some secret power was hidden in her, he took her with him and placed her in the temple of Ceres. But soon afterwards the Romans, and in this case, quite clearly demonstrated their greedy system of colossal accumulation of other people's treasures; they began to decorate their homes, dining rooms, dachas, etc. with precious paintings. That is why, in general, one can only point to individual names of artists, such as, for example, Timomachus from Byzantium, famous for his ability to touchingly depict curbed passions, as he proved in his painting "Furious Ajax", which Caesar ordered to be installed in Rome; Timomachus lived in the last century BC. During the time of Augustus, Ludius was famous. Meanwhile, during the reign of the emperors, many Greek painters moved to Rome, whose talent and taste can be understood by the elegant decorations in the famous baths of Titus. Mosaics also developed in a similar way for purposes of luxury; point primarily to Coca of Pergamon, who on the floor of one room made an image of a pool with pigeons, but the best work mosaics were considered to be an image of a whole "Iliad" on the floors of the magnificent ship of King Hieron II of Syracuse. Our information about the sources and objects of ancient history is extremely scarce. Rediscovered remains of paintings near Athens in Greek tombstones are not particularly valuable, but numerous drawings on Greek clay vessels already indicate some craftsmanship, and mural paintings found in Herculaneum and Pompeii do not belong to the time when this art flourished and can be considered as more or less light indoor decorations. In general, even in painting, the ancients were distinguished by the choice of beautiful figures, the simplicity of scenes and compositions, and the correctness of drawing, but in the application of the laws of perspective in paintings of large sizes, in the shadows resulting from a certain combination and fusion of colors, and mainly in poetic depth, they were far inferior the latest art. Wed art history Schnaase, Kugler´a, L?bke and others; especially Brunn, Geschichte der. griech. K?nstler, II, p. 3-316 and W?rmann, die Malerei des Alterhums (in Woltmann'a Gesch. der Malerei, vol.?, 1879, p. 32-140).
Great definition
Incomplete definition ↓
The great figure, scientist and artist of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci said: “Painting is poetry that is seen, and poetry is painting that is heard.” And one cannot but agree with him. You truly perceive real art from all sides. We see, contemplate, hear, and store in our souls the works of art we like. And world masterpieces remain in our memory for many years.
Genres and types of painting
When drawing a picture, the master performs it in a certain state, a special character. The work will not turn out to be complete, worthy of love and attention, if only shape and color are depicted on it. The artist is obliged to endow objects with soul, people with charisma, spark, perhaps mystery, nature with unique feelings, and events with real experiences. And genres and types of painting help the creator in this. They allow you to correctly convey the mood of an era, event, fact, and better grasp the main idea, image, landscape.
Among the main ones are the following:
- Historical- depiction of facts, moments of history different countries and eras.
- Battle- conveys scenes of battles.
- Domestic- scenes from everyday life.
- Scenery- these are pictures of living nature. There are sea, mountain, fantastic, lyrical, rural, urban, and cosmic landscapes.
- Still life- illustrates inanimate objects: kitchen utensils, weapons, vegetables, fruits, plants, etc.
- Portrait- This is an image of a person, a group of people. Often, artists like to paint self-portraits or canvases depicting their lovers.
- Animalistic- paintings about animals.
Separately, we can distinguish the plot-thematic genre and include here works whose subject are myths, legends, epics, as well as pictures of everyday life.
Types of painting also imply separate ones. They help the artist achieve perfection in creating a canvas, tell him in which direction to move and work. The following options exist:
- Panorama- image of the area in a large-scale format, general view.
- Diorama- a semicircular image of battles and spectacular events.
- Miniature- manuscripts, portraits.
- Monumental and decorative painting- painting on walls, panels, lampshades, etc.
- Iconography- paintings on religious themes.
- Decorative painting- creation of artistic scenery in cinema and theater.
- Easel painting- in other words, paintings.
- Decorative painting of everyday objects of life.
As a rule, each master of fine art chooses for himself one genre and type of painting that is closest to him in spirit, and primarily works only in it. For example, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Hovhannes Gayvazyan) worked in the style of a seascape. Such artists are also called marine painters (from “marina”, which means “sea” in Latin).
Technicians
Painting is a certain manner of execution of a plot, its perception through the world of colors and strokes. And of course, such reproduction cannot be accomplished without the use of certain techniques, templates and rules. The very concept of “technique” in fine art can be defined as a set of techniques, norms and practical knowledge with the help of which the author conveys the idea and plot of the picture most accurately and close to reality.
The choice of painting technique also depends on what type of materials and type of canvas will be used to create the work. Sometimes an artist can take an individual approach to his work, using a mixture of different styles and trends. This author's approach allows us to create truly unique works of art - world masterpieces.
In technical terms, there are several options for painting. Let's look at them in more detail.
Painting of ancient times
The history of painting begins with rock paintings primitive man. At this time, the paintings were not distinguished by the vividness of their plots or the riot of colors, but they had a peculiar emotion. And the stories of those years clearly inform us about the existence of life in the distant past. The lines are extremely simple, the themes are predictable, the directions are unambiguous.
In ancient times, the content of the drawings became more diverse, more often they depicted animals, various things, and entire biographies were made on the entire wall, especially if the pictures were created for the pharaohs, which was very believed at that time. After about another two thousand years, wall paintings begin to acquire colors.
Ancient painting, in particular Old Russian, is well conveyed and preserved in old icons. They are a shrine and the best example that conveys the beauty of art from God. Their color is unique, and their purpose is perfect. Such painting conveys the unreality of existence, images and instills in a person the idea of the divine principle, of the existence of ideal art, which one must emulate.
The development of painting did not pass without a trace. Over a long period of time, humanity has managed to accumulate real relics and spiritual heritage of many centuries.
Watercolor
Watercolor painting is distinguished by the brightness of its colors, purity of color and transparency of application on paper. Yes, it is on a paper surface that it is best to work in this fine art technique. The pattern dries quickly and as a result acquires a lighter and more matte texture.
Watercolor does not allow you to achieve interesting shimmers when using dark, monochromatic shades, but it perfectly models color if layers are applied one on top of another. In this case, it turns out to find completely new, unusual options that are difficult to obtain with other artistic techniques.
Difficulties in working with watercolors
The complexity of working in such technology as watercolor painting, is that it does not forgive mistakes and does not allow improvisation with radical changes. If you didn’t like the applied tone or you got a completely different color than you wanted, then it’s unlikely to be corrected. Any attempts (washing with water, scraping, mixing with other colors) can lead to either a more interesting shade or complete contamination of the painting.
Changing the location of a figure, an object, or any improvement in composition in this technique is essentially impossible to do. But thanks to the fast drying of paints, painting is ideal for sketching. And in terms of depicting plants, portraits, and city landscapes it can compete with works done in oil.
Oil
Each of the technical varieties of painting has its own specifics. This applies to both the manner of execution and the artistic rendering of the image. Oil painting- this is one of the most favorite techniques of many artists. It is difficult to work in it, since it requires a certain level of knowledge and experience: from preparing the necessary items and materials to the final stage - covering the resulting painting with a protective layer of varnish.
The entire process of oil painting is quite labor-intensive. Regardless of which base you choose: canvas, cardboard or hardboard (fibreboard), it must first be covered with primer. It will allow the paint to adhere and adhere well, without any oil escaping from it. It will also give the background the desired texture and color. There are a lot of types and recipes for different soils. And each artist prefers his own, a certain one that he is used to and which he considers the best option.
As mentioned above, the work takes place in several stages, and the final stage is coating the painting with varnish substances. This is done in order to protect the canvas from moisture, cracks (mesh) and other mechanical damage. Oil painting does not tolerate work on paper, but thanks to a whole technology of applying paints, it allows you to keep works of art safe and sound for centuries.
Chinese fine arts
I would like to pay special attention to the era of Chinese painting, since it has a special page in history. The Eastern direction of painting has developed over more than six thousand years. His development was closely connected with other crafts, social change and conditions occurring in people's lives. For example, after the introduction of Buddhism in China great importance purchased religious frescoes. During the period (960-1127), paintings of a historical nature became popular, also telling about everyday life. Landscape painting established itself as an independent direction already in the 4th century AD. e. Images of nature were created in blue-green colors and Chinese ink. And in the ninth century, artists increasingly began to paint pictures in which they depicted flowers, birds, fruits, insects, fish, embodying in them their ideals and the character of the era.
Features of Chinese painting
Traditional Chinese painting is distinguished by its particular style, as well as the materials used for painting, which, in turn, influences the methods and forms of oriental art. Firstly, Chinese painters use a special brush to create paintings. It looks like watercolor and has a particularly sharp tip. Such a tool allows you to create sophisticated works, and, as you know, the style of calligraphy is still widely used in China. Secondly, ink is used everywhere as paints - Chinese ink(sometimes together with other colors, but also used as an independent paint). This has been happening for two thousand years. It is also worth noting that before the advent of paper, painting was done on silk in China. Today, modern masters of art perform their works both on a paper basis and on a silk surface.
This is not all the technical capabilities of painting. In addition to the above-mentioned, there are many others (gouache, pastel, tempera, fresco, acrylic, wax, painting on glass, porcelain, etc.), including original versions of art.
Epochs of painting
Like any form of art, painting has its own history of formation. And above all, it is characterized by different stages of development, multifaceted styles, and interesting directions. The eras of painting play an important role here. Each of them affects not just a piece of the life of the people and not only the time of some historical events, but a whole life! Among the most famous periods in the art of painting are: the Renaissance and Enlightenment, the work of impressionist artists, Art Nouveau, surrealism and many, many others. In other words, painting is a visual illustration of a certain era, a picture of life, a worldview through the eyes of the artist.
The concept of “painting” literally means “to paint life”, to depict reality vividly, masterfully, and convincingly. To convey on your canvas not only every detail, every little thing, moment, but also the mood, emotions, flavor of a particular time, the style and genre of the entire work of art.
