Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Eliot Hodgkin's Switch to Tempera


Eliot Hodgkin (1905-1987) was an English botanical artist who switched from oil to tempera in 1937. He said he liked opaque, water-based paints because: "It is the only way in which I can express the character of the objects that fascinate me." 

"With oil paint I could not get the detail without getting also a disagreeable surface: moreover I should have to wait while the paint dried before continuing."

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1 comment:

  1. Susan KrzywickiFebruary 10, 2024 at 12:00 PM

    I think he makes a good point. That flatness seems somehow more botanical. More as a scientific observation. Oils seem to have a bravado of observation - even the most finely detailed.

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