Painting

From Almeopedia

Painting (X. šukecudo, Ver. fäbát) is the art of creating two-dimensional representations. In Xurno the term includes sketching or drawing, but in Verduria these are a separate genre (risunát). Painting is one of the nine Salons of the Xurnese state.

There are a variety of techniques, and a bewildering number of variations, but it can be said that the characteristic painting of Eretald is tempera and fresco, while that of Xurno is oil painting, which originated there, closely associated with the rise of Revaudo.

Techniques

Given with their Xurnese name.

• Primitive (ediri) painting, as among the Cuzeians or Wede:i, uses a very small variety of colors— e.g. blue from copper oxides, black from charcoal or soot, red from iron oxide. Greens and yellows from vegetable matter were used, but these faded over time. (The disappearance of these colors gives a particular palette which is today associated with ancient times and expressly imitated.) The colors were mixed with dissolved glue and with chalk or wax to make them spreadable. Over time more colors were discovered— the use of color for decoration was in fact a prime motivator for mining, metallurgy, and alchemy.
• Tempera (šuke) is so ancient that its X. name simply means ‘color’ or ‘paint’. The typical medium is egg yolk mixed with some acidic substance such as vinegar or even rye beer. The paints were applied to a ground, generally white plaster, or chalk mixed with sizing; in Skouras the ground included red clay. Gold leaf might be applied to add brilliancy to the colors, and as a color in itself; there were substitutes for this when gold was not available. Tempera has the advantage of being nearly permanent-- though this is more true of Eretald than of the damper climate of Xengiman; but very dark colors are difficult to achieve, and because the medium dries very quickly subtle variations of color are impossible, being approximated by stippling or cross-hatching. Tempera paintings may be varnished to deepen the colors and protect the surface.
• Enamel painting (nozau) uses powdered glass melted and chemically bonded to an enclosing metal frame. It was known to the Wede:i, and due to its expense has always been associated with rulers, temples, and the richest nobles. It is extremely durable, the colors being preserved over thousands of years.
• Fresco (šudaudzu) is painting on plaster; the best technique uses only pigment mixed with water applied to wet plaster; the pigment is absorbed into the plaster, leaving a very durable surface. Only as much plaster as can be painted in a day must be used. Fresco proper was first invented in Caďinas; it should not be confused with tempera painting on dry plaster, which is less exacting and less durable.
• Wax painting (čijan) or encaustic uses beeswax (or other waxes) as the medium. It was known from ancient times in both the north and south of Ereláe; it is noted for its durability— the surface is waterproof, and colors do not fade or change. However, it is cumbersome to work with, as well as slower and more expensive than tempera.
• Varnishes were long used to protect paintings and deepen the color; oil painting proper (yúseč) was invented (around 3020) in Xurno, when it was discovered that pigments could be directly mixed with oil. With experimentation, techniques were found to give the oil more body and to make it colorless— at least to begin with; oil paintings darken with time. Oil painting requires much skill— improper technique, such as insufficient drying, causes the painted surface to crack. Oil painting allows a luminous transparency of color, a greater range of colors, and fine shading.
• Watercolor (myúnuc) uses water as the chief medium, though other materials are added to increase its body. In Ereláe it is chiefly associated with Skouras; the Xurnese consider it only suitable for drawing. Black-and-white watercolors, however, have a long history in Eretald, though they are considered part of risunát.

Painting as a craft

In modern terrestrial cultures, painting can be anyone's hobby— the materials are available ready-made even in the smallest of towns, and are readily used even by amateurs. On Almea, painting is a craft requiring much skill and study, chiefly because the materials must be prepared from raw ingredients. Recipes vary, none are entirely satisfactory, and painters often experiment to find a personal blend.

In Eretald, painting is organized into guilds (e.g. the Fäbomie in Verduria city). An apprenticeship lasts at least six years, often ten; apprentices (ebrakî) are responsible for the drudge work of painting: preparing panels or surfaces, mixing pigments, moving paintings out to dry. In their spare time they learn to draw. A workshop will have several journeymen (lebomî), who make preliminary sketches, apply primer coats and flat colors, varnish tempera works, fill in details, and supervise the apprentices. In a small shop the master (osän) theoretically does the actual painting; in a larger shop there will be several neronomî or guild members, students of the master, who will execute some of the work, or execute entire works for lesser clients.

Before the Revaudo revolution, painters were an elite profession— theoretically, ascetic artists who did all the stages of work themselves, though in practice they would have family members or students to do the tedious work. In the artist-run state, members of the Salon have a wide variety of options, from solitary work to running a workshop to teaching to devoting themselves chiefly to affairs of state, painting only the key elements of the works attributed to them.

Xurnese schools

By convention Xurnese schools are named for regions; however, the connections are often stretched or tenuous. The schools below are all contemporary, but are listed in order of historical development.

Bolongri 

primitive or naive styles... produced expressly by sophisticated Xurnese artists, though they may be based on actual foreign or outsider works. After Bolon, considered a backwards area.

Jeori 

very stylized works, typically tempera on a base of gold leaf. After Jeor, since the basic style dates back to ancient Jeori art.

Inegri 

in the style of ancient Axunai; subjects are usually mythological or patriotic. After Inex, the capital.

Rajjari 

exceptionally elaborated styles, rococo. After its originators, who were from Rajjay.

Idestri 

evocative sketches, something like Chinese brush painting; influenced by the watercolors of Eretald. After the Idéis.

Taneli 

conventionalized tempera, usually on Endajué but pre-Revaudo themes. After Tanel, whose tastes ran to the conservative.

Proneli 

intricate patterns, often non-pictorial. After Pronel, which in turn absobed its interest in geometric patterns from Skouras.

Čeiyu 

fantastical or allegorical subjects, at first stylized, later drawn with elaborate realism. After Čeiy, notorious for its eccentricity, though the style is only a minority interest there.

Coralaur 

the style that introduced oil painting, and with it careful portraiture, elaborate shading, and realistic backgrounds. Themes were at first linked to Revaudo. After Curau, the early capital of Xurno.

Evangri 

mostly figure drawing, featuring an intensive study of anatomy. The subjects are usually nude, and there is a large sub-school of erotic art, such that evangri in popular terms refers to erotica. After an academy in Inex named for lake Van.

Xazengri 

art influenced by modern Eretald, often using northern media as well (such as fresco and tempera). Nature and exotic foreigners are favorite subjects, and the technical imperfections of northern art are consciously imitated; this style has some of the feeling to the Xurnese that Persian or Turkish art has for us. After the Xazen river, the ancient trade route to the north.

Bidari 

notable for introducing perspective; to exploit this, subjects are often architectural, or feature trompe l'oeil or foreshortened figures. After the city of Bidau in the Delta.

Incomplete

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