April 03 – 04, 2024, 10 am – 12:30 pm
Many thanks to the artist Anna Slobodnik for her workshop EXPLORATIONS OF PAINTING: Color and Light in Oil Painting during the basic course within the Studio Program at BAI | Berlin Artist Residency, Art School, Arts Incubator, and Live Online Courses & Classes.
“How to depict light?” is one of the biggest questions in the history of painting. Opposing and still interconnected with it is the equally important question how to depict color as such, without using it as the color of something.
From its symbolic use in religious paintings to the naturalistic and impressionistic depictions of light to the color paintings of the Abstract Expressionists, the balance between this two poles has been repeatedly shifted and redefined. During this workshop we will familiarize ourselves with the central stages in this development and experience them through our paintings. We will also look at the specific features of oil paint and its use, examine how light and shadow can be depicted through this medium and how this differs from the depiction of pure color.
In this workshop, participants will learn how to depict different light situations and colors in oil painting and how to distinguish between the representations of color as such and color as a depiction of light. Moreover: in several practical sessions, they themselves will develop a feeling for the ways in which light and color can be best represented in their work. The workshop participants will also accquire knowledge on the use of oil paint/water-based oil paint and the corresponding solvents. (Text by courtesy of Anna Slobodnik)
Day 1
10.00 – 10.15 am
We begin with an introduction to the subject of light in painting and the presentation of artistic positions on this subject.
Together we will talk about the meaning and use of light in exemplary works and discuss oil paint as a painting medium.
10.15 – 11.15 am
In the first exercise unit, we will capture the current light situation in the room or in front of the windows and reproduce it in painting.
11.15 am – 12.10 pm
In the second practicall session of the day, each participant is asked to depict a light situation of their own choice.
12.10 – 12.30 pm
At the end of the first day, we will have a feedback session about the created works, the difficulties and advantages of using oil paint and the specific implementation of the different lighting situations.
Day 2
10.00 – 10.15 am
On the second day we will begin with a lecture on the subject of the representation of pure color in contrast to the representation of color as light in oil painting. In addition to presenting various artistic positions, Anna Slobodnik will also talk about her own work.
10.15 – 11.15 am
In the first practicall session of the second day, each participant picks a ticket with a color, that they will represent as the main element in their painting. The aim is not to paint a painting with only one color, but rather to develop a painting based on this color and a desired color effect.
11.15 am – 12.10 pm
In the second practicall session the participants receive both a light mood/situation and a color specification. Starting from this each participant developes an oil painting and unites the differences between the depiction of light and the depiction of color in one piece of art..
12.10 – 12.30 pm
Finally we speak about the insights gained in the workshop and discuss the works of the individual participants, so everybody has the possibility to benefit from the shared experiences and the opportunity to receive feedback on their works.
Anna Slobodnik (*1990 in Moscow) studied painting and drawing with Mark Lammert and Art in Context with Julia Grosse at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions, including Brussels, Olevano Romano, Italy, Gdansk, Oklahoma City, Munich, Heidelberg, and Berlin. She was a recipient of the Initial Stipend of the Akademie der Künste, the Schulz-Stübner-Award for Painting of the UdK Berlin, the Förderpreis für Junge Kunst of the Kunstverein Centre Bagatelle in Berlin and received scholarships of the Junge Akademie, AdK, Berlin in the Villa Serpentara in Olevano Romano, Artists Unlimited, Bielefeld and took part in the Goldrausch Künstlerinnenprojekt. She lives and works in Berlin.
