Re: secrets of the masters$$$ pt 1

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Re: secrets of the masters$$$ pt 1

In Reply to: Re: secrets of the masters$$$ pt 1 posted by Ed on 09/12/00 at 11:51 PM:

: Jewish Bride is an emulsion as well, this time of oil with another watery substance than egg; the cavities in the paint must be interpreted as the traces of water drops emulgated in the oil....

: Can it be assumed from this that past masters were able to mix oil paint with water albeit in an emulsion, which give the cavities and is the layer spongy like that found in water mixable oils when dried? This is not a statement just a question.

Recent scientific research suggests that some 15th and 16th century Flemish and Italian painters used egg tempera emulsions and also interlayered oil and tempera. Caravaggio seems to have used an egg tempera heightening white in his Saint Catherine (?). Now it would seem that Rembrandt may have used an egg-oil emulsion paint at least in the Jewish Bride. This seems to confirm the advocacy by Max Doerner of a half oil-half egg heightening white. The trouble with this is that when I experimented with Doerner's egg-oil white thirty years ago I noticed that it cracked if used on a flexible support i.e. stretched canvas; this was also the experience of another painter who had tried it. I do not recall being able to obtain impastoes with it even remotely resembling Rembrandt's; as a matter of fact, it seemed to offer nothing in terms of handling and interesting effects; its only advantage was that it was hard and fast drying. If one wants to experiment with emulsion whites, I would suggest that it be done on a rigid substrate such as canvas mounted on panel.