Everyone who studied at an art school, attended drawing courses or photography, probably heard the word "plein air" more than once. What it is, and how it differs from ordinary fine art, teachers had to tell in detail. The same article is intended for those who are not familiar with this concept.
What is a plein air
Not all artists compose their paintings while sitting in a workshop. And not everyone has the opportunity to draw from photographs, especially since the camera cannot convey the volume and feeling of space, no matter how hard it tries. To solve this problem, there is an open air - drawing in nature. And the object of creativity can be anything: plants and landscape, panoramas of the city and individual buildings, portrait, sky and much more that can only come to mind.
Plein air for artists is another opportunity to test your strengths, feel the natural light and transfer it all to the canvas. The main thing is to learn how to draw quickly before the light changes. Often in the open air, etudes and sketches are created, and not full-fledged paintings. Photographers also work in nature. For many of them, plein air is the main direction in creativity.
How hard is it
To paint in the open air is much more difficult than in the studio. The weather can change at any moment - the wind blows away all art supplies, insects interfere, and the sun quickly changes its position in the sky, radically changing lighting. It would seem, why so tormented, because you can take a picture of the scene and paint everything at home. But not so simple. Any artist will answer that the pictures drawn from a flat photograph will look flat themselves. And the artist’s task is to create a sense of space. No matter what they say about the open air (that, for example, it is a waste of time, effort and nerves), no standing master will refuse the opportunity to create in nature.
History
They painted for a long time in nature, but the open air as a painting style appeared only at the beginning of the 19th century, thanks to the work of the British Richard Parks Bonington and John Constable. The original genre, which implies quick drawing in nature, appealed to many. He was picked up by such famous artists as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Baptiste Camille Corot and Jean-Francois Millet. Later, one of the most famous artists who painted nature from nature, became Claude Monet.
Plein air was especially popular in Russia from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. K. Korovin, I. Grabar and V. Serov regularly worked in nature. Many stunning sketches in this genre were created by the famous landscape master Isaac Levitan.
At present, drawing in nature is often included in the compulsory program of art higher and secondary educational institutions. And professional painters arrange an international plein air. This is a group trip to nature, designed to exchange experience and knowledge between artists from different countries.
How to prepare
You discovered the concept of “open air” - what is it, where did it come from and why is it necessary. Now it remains to learn how to plunge into the world of plein air painting yourself.
You will need a sketchbook. This is a special folding case in which you can carry brushes, paints and other accessories. It is mounted on a tripod and replaces the artist with an easel. Do not forget pencils and paints, paper, an eraser, water in which you will rinse your brushes, and a container for it.
Surely, warm clothes will come in handy, because the weather can change at any moment, a hat for protection from the sun and an insect repellent. You need to take preparation seriously, otherwise the desire to create will disappear within half an hour after the start of work.
So what did you learn about plein air? What is painting in nature, an original type of painting that appeared in England at the beginning of the 19th century. It still remains popular. Now you yourself are ready to start drawing in nature along with the greatest artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.