| 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.