| 1. The
Artist's Palette
The best way to make people understand properly
the methods which de László employs
in his work is to follow him through the evolution
of a portrait, explaining stage by stage how he
arrives at his results. Let us, by putting questions
to him, get this explanation from him in his own
words and induce him to tell us what he is aiming
at as he builds up his pictures and what is the
purpose of the various technical processes he
employs.
First of all, it would be well to know something
about the materials he uses, so the most appropriate
question to begin with would be:
Q: What is your palette? May I have a list
of the colors on which you mainly depend ?
"It is not a very long list. Here they are,
in the order in which I put them on my palette-ultramarine,
madder, rose madder, zinc white, light cadmium,
dark cadmium, yellow ochre, burnt sienna. These
are the chief colors I use and ordinarily they
are sufficient for any work, but sometimes, when
there is a particular reason, I add to them ivory
black, Veronese green, lac garance and orange
cadmium."
Q: I notice you choose zinc white. Why is
that ?
"Because it is more brilliant than flake
white and is not supposed to darken. I may say,
too, that I have it specially prepared for me
with poppy oil; I like it thin as it would not
work freely if it were too stiff."
2. The Medium
Q. What is your reason for having it prepared
with poppy oil?
"Poppy oil is a slow drier and that is the
reason why I prefer it. I like my painting to
keep wet as long as possible so that I can finish
straight away the part of the picture I am working
on before the paint dries; the slow drying is
helpful, it enables me to finish more deliberately
and it makes the consistency of the paint more
pleasant to handle. Work finished while the paint
is still wet always looks fresher and more direct."
Brushes used by de László. The
artist allows himself a
wide range so that a clean brush is always at
hand.
3. Brushes
Q: You have there a remarkable sheaf of brushes;
do you really use them all?
"I do use most of them because I am very
anxious to keep my color always clean, and for
a clean touch a clean brush is necessary. I have
my sheaf beside me and I can pick a fresh brush
from it whenever I want one. By the way, too,
I would like to mention that for the sake of purity
of color I avoid, as far as possible, mixing more
than two colors together at any time."
|
he
brilliant Hungarian artist, Philip Alexius de László,
1869-1937, was the successor (in 1907) to Sargent's portrait
practice in London. In 1933 de László demonstrated
his dashing technique in a series of photographs, while answering
questions posed by the writer A.L. Baldry. The photos and
text were published in 1934 by The Studio Publications of
London, in volume six of their "How to Do It" series.