What is this method of painting method called?

December 27, 2013 9:29 AM

I have a couple small (approximately 3"x5" in) paintings that I picked up in a thrift store. Likely not worth much, but I like them and would like to find out more about them. Here is one, here is the other.

In the second photo, you can see a small chip in the upper left corner, exposing what is likely a copper plate. The back looks like this. It appears that that artist(s) painted directly on the copper plate, then possibly baked them, because the paintings have a shiny, lacquered look to them. I've tried searching for more information about this style, but it's been ol' fail.

What is this method of painting called? Is it common? Is it still in use? What makes it special from acrylic or watercolor painting? Any idea where I can find more like these?

Thanks MeFites!

posted by BeBoth to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Best answer: The style is (roughly) pointillism; the technique is painted enamel.
posted by bricoleur at 9:39 AM on December 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I found this blog entry about painting on copper. And I second pointalism as the technique.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:42 AM on December 27, 2013

Best answer: It's pointillism! It's an impressionistic style, that was similarly used by Seurat, Signac, even Van Gogh.
posted by floweredfish at 9:45 AM on December 27, 2013

Best answer: I'm not sure it's quite accurate to call this pointillism, actually. That refers to a specific style of brushwork which I don't think applies here. The dots are not distinctly applied, they look more like spatters, and the dots also do not appear over the entire image, just in certain areas- there are several fields of pure color. I would say rather that the dots are an example of stippling.
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:27 AM on December 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Pointillism refers to creating images out of little dots of "pure" colors specifically to take advantage of the eye's tendency at a distance to "blend" a collection of colored dots into a distinct and different color. That does not seem to be at play in these paintings, nor do they give the impression that the various dots were individually applied. I would agree that it's simple stippling.
posted by slkinsey at 1:21 PM on December 27, 2013 [1 favorite]