Paint and Its Surface
Giotto
Madonna and Child
about 1310–15
Tempera on poplar panel, 85.4 × 61.8 cm (painted surface). National Gallery of Art, Washington
In the flesh, a green underpaint sets the shadows, then fine hatching and broader strokes model the form.
- Under the gold is red bole, a layer of clay that warms the gold's color.
- The dotted patterns in the halos were drawn freehand with a point, not stamped with punches.
Concepts
Image: NGA Open Access (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC0