Description of the technique, history and examples of work done with encaustic paints.
What is encaustic?
AT fine arts term "encaustic"(from Greek word"burnt") refers to a technique in which wax acts as a binding element of color pigments. After applying a hot layer of paint to the surface (which was usually wood panels or walls), the work was reheated, which helped to eliminate all visible brush strokes and roughness. Encaustic was first used by Greek craftsmen who applied wax paint with brushes and spatulas, and ordinary torches were used as a heating tool. Currently, special lamps, heat guns and other devices are used as a heating element, which give the artist more time to work with materials. Thus, the encaustic recipe consists in mixing wax (for example, beeswax) or various resins with the appropriate pigments, and then heating the work to give a specific surface effect.
The technology is quite versatile and has a number of textural and color advantages, making it an excellent choice in many situations. Created wax work you can polish it to a mirror shine, as well as combine some elements into collages, complement other compositions with them.
Origin and history
Encaustics originated in ancient times. According to the Roman historian Pliny, whose writings date back to the first century AD, the technology was invented by Greek craftsmen between 480 and 323 BC. Encaustic paints are gaining popularity in Egyptian, Roman and Byzantine art. Pliny also mentions the use of these colors in the decoration of terracotta and marble sculptures.
Fayum portraits
Encaustic paint was widely used in the creation of paintings in classical and late Hellenistic Greek painting. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the wooden panels, no Greek or Roman panels from that time have been preserved. One of the most early examples the use of techniques that have survived to this day are the Fayum portraits dated to the 1st-3rd centuries AD. and created by Greek artists in Egypt. After the conquests of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) a large number of Greeks settled in Egypt. Wealthy families that inhabited cities west of the Nile (Cairo, Khawara, Antinopol, Akhmim, etc.) ordered portraits of deceased loved ones, it was they who were found during archaeological sites and became one of the most famous examples use of encaustics.
Byzantine art
As part of religious art Byzantium, icons and paintings were created using wax paints, mainly on wooden panels. One of the most large collections such works are located in the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai, founded in the sixth century by Emperor Justinian.
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages in Western Europe(c. 400–800) encaustic paint was replaced by tempera, which was cheaper and easier to work with. However, the technique has been widely used in Eastern Europe in particular, s Constantinople.
Nowadays
European artists, such as Vincent van Gogh and Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld, added wax to oil paints, which helped to make it easier to separate transparent areas of color. In the twentieth century, the technique was used in the work of the Mexican Diego Rivera, as well as the American Jasper Johns.
Encaustic in painting updated: September 16, 2017 by: Gleb
Encaustic Encaustic
(Greek enkaustiki, from enkaio - burn, burn out), wax painting, performed in a hot way - with molten paints.
(Source: Popular art encyclopedia." Ed. Field V.M.; M.: Publishing house " Soviet Encyclopedia", 1986.)
encaustic(from Greek enkáiō - I burn), technique wax painting. Binder for colorful pigments is wax. Wax paints have been known since Ancient Egypt, but encaustic painting was widely used and developed in Greco-Roman art, especially from the 5th century BC. BC e. Most famous works made in this technique are Fayum portraits.
Melted paints were applied to the board with a brush or a caestrum - a metal rod with a spatula at the end. The wax hardened quickly, forming an uneven surface, which intensified the impression of three-dimensionality of the image. Sometimes, when depicting eyelashes or to deepen the shadow, deep grooves were made with the edge of the caestrum. Encaustic works are characterized by a special texture of writing. In some Fayum portraits, the scrupulous elaboration of the face is combined with a broader pictorial manner in the transfer of clothing, written in more liquid strokes. The authors of other works resorted to melting paints to create a smooth, as if varnished surface (a brazier with hot coals was kept at some distance from the portrait, from which the paints warmed up and fused into a single mass).
The Hellenistic encaustic technique was also used in early examples icon painting, later giving way to tempera painting.
(Source: "Art. Modern Illustrated Encyclopedia." Under the editorship of Prof. A.P. Gorkin; M.: Rosmen; 2007.)
Synonyms:
See what "Encaustic" is in other dictionaries:
- (Greek). The ancients had the art of covering letter boards with melted wax, also a kind of painting with colored wax. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. ENCAUSTIC painting with paints diluted with wax. ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
encaustic- and, well. peinture a l encaustique. Painting, carried out with heated wax paints. encaustic technique. Encaustic masters. The use of encaustics. BAS 1. Ordered to write in rica en caustique paintings for the Tsarskoye Selo Red Cabinet. ... ... Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language
- (Greek enkaustike, from enkaio I burn, I burn), wax painting, performed in a hot way with melted paints ... Modern Encyclopedia
- (from the Greek enkaio I burn out) wax painting, performed in a hot way, with melted paints ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Exist., Number of synonyms: 1 painting (41) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary
- (enkaustikh) among the ancient Greeks and Romans, the method of painting with wax paints. What exactly was the technique of this now lost method remains unclear. Based on the testimony of Pliny the Younger (Histor. natnr., XXXV, 11, 39 and 41) and ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Encaustic- (Greek enkaustike, from enkaio I burn, I burn), wax painting, performed in a hot way with melted paints. … Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary
- (from other Greek ἐγκαυστική [art] burning) a painting technique in which wax is the binder of paints. Painting is done with paints in molten form (hence the name). A type of encaustic is wax ... ... Wikipedia
Encaustic- (Greek enkaustike, from enkaio I burn) painting with wax paints, where as paint binder substances used wax. Painting can be done in a hot way, in which the encaust artist paints with melted wax paints, and they ... Architectural Dictionary
- (from the Greek. enkáiō I burn), wax painting, performed in a hot way, with melted paints. * * * ENKAUSTIKA ENKAUSTIKA (from the Greek. enkaio I burn), wax painting, performed in a hot way, with melted paints ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Encaustic is a growing female hobby. It cannot be called new, but for many this word is still unfamiliar. What is encaustic, how and why to master it?
Encaustic takes pride of place - a type of painting that was used back in Ancient Rome, Egypt and Greece. Only then did people take colored wax and polished wooden planks as a basis. Today everything is much easier. As a canvas, ordinary glossy cardboard is used, and wax pencils, which can be easily purchased at an office supply store, are perfect instead of colored wax.
What is the drawing technique
At first glance, painting a picture with an iron may seem like a strange and impossible task. However, in fact, everything is much simpler and not more complicated than usual.
The iron in the encaustic painting technique acts as a brush. Of course for modern technology encaustics have already invented a special professional iron, but it is quite expensive, and it is not so easy to get it.
For work, it is necessary to heat the iron to the melting temperature of the wax. It is not difficult to determine this, just take a pencil and touch it to the sole. The chalk should flow smoothly over the hot surface. Do not allow "boiling wax".
As soon as the temperature regime is set, you can safely take on the creation of a masterpiece. Wax melts on the hot soleplate of the iron desired color and with light movements is applied to glossy cardboard.
Mastering the secrets of encaustics is quite simple, it is not at all necessary to be an artist, and the beauty of this activity lies in the fact that you can create both alone and with your child. And age special significance does not have. So, for example, if the baby is 2 or 4 years old, then he can search for and give a pencil of the desired color.
Thus, the mother will calmly draw, and her baby will study colors and shades. If the child is already older, then he can safely be connected directly to the process, having previously explained all the safety rules (after all, the iron is hot).
If a party is planned or guests unexpectedly come to you, then drawing with an iron can be great fun. Each participant will be able to express their fantasies on a piece of cardboard, and positive emotions that will certainly arise in the process will create an atmosphere of joy and lightness.
The appeal of encaustics
Encaustic drawing technique has many positive aspects. First of all, it is a great way to calm down, a kind of antidepressant. The women and girls who are in maternity leave or have a lot of free time, often start to mope from the monotony and routine work around the house. Drawing will help you get distracted and leave all your experiences on cardboard.
Second positive side this wonderful craze is the availability of materials. Glossy cardboard and wax crayons do not need to spend a lot of money, but you can buy them at the nearest stationery store.
You don’t need to buy a special iron; old-fashioned Soviet-made equipment will do just fine. Yes, the most common iron with a smooth sole. Such a tool is probably in the bins of every hostess. If this is not the case, then you can purchase a small road-type iron. Here it is fundamentally important that the sole is smooth, that is, without the steaming function.
The third advantage of encaustics is cleanliness and order. Everyone knows how much effort a woman spends on cleaning and maintaining order in her house, so drawing pictures with hot wax using the encaustic technique perfect activity for leisure. After it, you do not need to wipe the paint off the walls and floor, you do not need to run to the bath and wash your hands.
Wax does not splash around, does not spoil the manicure, and even if a drop falls on the surface of the table, it will quickly cool down, turn into a solid state, and it can be easily removed like a mote.
And one more plus to fascinating. It doesn't take long to create a masterpiece. One painting will take only 10 to 30 minutes.
In addition, your hobby can be turned into an additional source of income, so to speak, to combine business with pleasure. Why not? But if you doubt the quality of your works, arrange a mini exhibition for relatives and friends. Give them the opportunity to evaluate your creation, listen to their criticisms, correct the shortcomings and go ahead, create your own small business.
from the Greek enkaio - I burn), wax painting technique. The binder for colorful pigments is wax. Wax paints were known in ancient Egypt, but encaustic painting was widely used and developed in Greco-Roman art, especially from the 5th century BC. BC e. The most famous works made in this technique are the Fayum portraits.
Melted paints were applied to the board with a brush or a caestrum - a metal rod with a spatula at the end. The wax hardened quickly, forming an uneven surface, which intensified the impression of three-dimensionality of the image. Sometimes, when depicting eyelashes or to deepen the shadow, deep grooves were made with the edge of the caestrum. Encaustic works are characterized by a special texture of writing. In some Fayum portraits, meticulous elaboration of the face is combined with a broader pictorial manner in the transfer of clothing, written in more liquid strokes. The authors of other works resorted to melting paints to create a smooth, as if varnished surface (a brazier with hot coals was kept at some distance from the portrait, from which the paints warmed up and fused into a single mass).
The Hellenistic encaustic technique was also used in early icon painting, later giving way to tempera painting.
The modern world never ceases to amaze us with new types of art and creativity, in which any person can realize himself. But it also happens that many types of art that have become popular and accessible only today are experiencing their second birth. One of these types of creativity is encaustic - a painting technique, which will be discussed in my article.
Encaustic (from the Greek for “burn out”) is an ancient technique for creating paintings using molten colored wax. This art originated more than 2500 years ago and was known to the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.
Wax paintings have earned a reputation for their durability: some have been around for over two millennia! There are many portraits made with wax on wood in museums around the world. The most famous examples of ancient encaustics are the so-called "Fayum portraits" - posthumous pictorial images of the deceased. They got their name from the Fayum oasis in Egypt, where they were first found and described in 1887 by a British expedition. Scientists were struck by the fact that over the centuries they have not faded or cracked. They are also the first true "portraits" in history.
Many early Christian icons created using this technique still retain their brightness. One example is the image of Christ Pantocrator, which is currently in the Sinai monastery.
Encaustics is so exciting and exciting that you get used to it very quickly and for a long time. It does not require the ability to draw, but fantasy, a sense of color and creativity will definitely be needed. Also paper or cardboard, wax pencils and an iron. It's the iron! You do not need brushes and pencils - they will be replaced by a small iron, with which you will melt the colored wax and apply the paper. Encaustic masterpieces are easy to create: we take the right color wax pencil(two or three colors are possible at once), we apply it to a warm, slightly heated iron, which we then run over the surface of the paper. Depending on what needs to be depicted, we draw the entire surface of the soleplate of the iron or only the edge. For example, you can draw leaves, grass with the tip of an iron.
The effect exceeds all expectations! Having mastered simple tricks, you can create drawings incredible beauty: whimsical abstractions and mesmerizing landscapes. In this way, you can make postcards and souvenirs that will delight you and your loved ones.
Encaustic is very ancient and at the same time simple technique painting, which allows each person to create stunning paintings with unusual effects. Everyone can do it, the main thing is to get down to business and you will get amazing, no matter what similar paintings, which can be created in minutes, and for this it is not at all necessary to be able to draw! All it takes is a little effort and perseverance! One application - and as a result, moments remain in bright wax on cardboard. For centuries. After all, wax paints do not fade over time and will last for many years.
