Methods and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) [Paperback]

Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Fine Art, History of Art | Publication Date: March 30, 2001

Greek and Roman art methods, medieval techniques, tempera painting, van Eyck's revolutionary use of oil paints, Flemish methods of preparing colors, methods of 18th-century British artists, technical secrets of Italian schools, including such masters as Leonardo, Raphael, Correggio, Andrea del Sarto, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1024 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (March 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486417263
• ISBN-13: 978-0486417264
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #356,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars METHOD PREVAILS OVER SPECIFIC TECHNIQUE, January 13, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Jacobson "jakeleg" (Coos Bay, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Methods and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) (Paperback)

I have and keep a number of copies to provide to friends and students. I am so glad to see another release. If you enjoy reading historical treatises or are just an art ecclectic, this book is for you. Covering major schools of thought regarding painting from the Southern and Northern renaissance to contemporary practises (of the 1850's), this book covers one overlooked component of sucessful painting- namely method.
The steps necessary of how to consider building a painting are detailed. We all know of additive and subtractive color methods, but how about the most powerful? The dynamic method! Most colleges are telling students about "glazes", which is a poor illustration and obvious that the the entire process is not well understood nor adequately experienced by the professor of "glazes". This book blows away the semantic myth of direct painting as currently understood with the unrealized potential of lead white, veiling with white, "hot" underpaintings, typical pigment mixtures and a wealth of history.
I found my first used copy almost 30 years ago and have found it to be the an indispensable tool for the artist who "seeks further light" from an original source without the meddling of art supply manufactures, convenience influenced art education, and those terrified of heavy metals. If you have the courage to look, read and the iniative to comprehend, the info is invaluable. Take notes as read, for the ideas are simple yet profound in their power and applications. This is not just "a substitute token".

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filled with the secrets of western art's great masters., August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Methods and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters, Volume One (Paperback)

This classic treatise on the painting methods of western art's great masters is an indispensible resource for the artist and connossieur. The current crop of "how-to" books that have taught artists for most of the 20th century look pathetically infantile after reading just a few pages of Sir Charles' book. Eastlake's readers were not ignorant hobbyists, but fellow scholars and masters of the art of oil painting. This volume is what it says it is -- a book of secrets. While you may be a master (not by the 20th century definition), you may not be privy to the secrets of Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Velazquez, etc. If only modern books explaining art materials and techniques would treat today's reader as one possessing a few "secrets" of his or her own, maybe western art would still be building on the legacy of the great schools and masters instead of trying to jump-start a nearly dead tradition. More than being a "must-read", this book is a "must-have.&quo

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thorough History of the Use of Oils in Painting, April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Methods and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters, Volume One (Paperback)

Eastlake traces the use of drying oils and resins from the early Greeks through the perfection of these substances for use as mediums by the brothers Van Eyck. He discusses preparation of materials, execution, and technical difficulties faced in the use of an oil vehicle. This work will make you rethink everything you know about oil painting. A must read for the serious painter.