The heart of Impressionist and Plein Air Painting.

I read this passage some time ago and I re-read it periodically because it guides me in my work. I think it is very good guidance for my style of painting, and for that matter, really any style of painting. It is a quote of Rewald, from LeBail’s unpublished notes of 1896-97.

“Look for the kind of nature that suits your temperament. The Motif should be observed more for the shape and color than for drawing. There is no need to tighten the form which can be obtained without that. Precise drawing is dry and hampers the impression of the whole, it destroys all sensations. Do not define too closely the outlines of things, it is the brushstroke of the right value and color which should produce the drawing.

In a mass, the greatest difficulty is not to give the contours in detail, but to paint what is within. Paint the essential character of things, try to convey it by any means whatsoever, without bothering about technique. When painting, make a choice of subject, see what is lying at the right and at the left, then work on everything at once. Do not work bit by bit, but paint everything at once by placing tones everywhere, with brushstrokes of the right color and value, while noticing what is alongside.

Use small brushstrokes and put down your impressions immediately. The eye should not be fixed on one point, but should take on everything, while observing the reflections the colors produce on their surroundings. Work at the same time, upon the sky, water, branches, ground, keeping everything going on an equal basis and unceasingly rework until you have got it. Cover the canvas at the first go, then work at it until you can see nothing more to add.

Observe the aerial perspective as well, from the foreground to the horizon, the reflections of the sky, of foliage. Do not be afraid of putting on color, refine the work little by little. Do not proceed according to rules and principles, but paint what you observe and feel. Paint generously and unhesitatingly, for it best not to lose the first impression. Do not be timid in front of nature, one must be bold, at the risk of being deceived and making mistakes. One must have only one master - nature; she is the only one always to be consulted.” Rewald, Impressionism, pgs. 456-61, from LeBails unpublished notes of 1896-97. This guidance can also be found in Cezanne, A Life, pgs. 192-193.

Additional guidance can be found in Balzac’s novel, The Hidden Masterpiece. “Line is the means by which man accounts for the effect of light on objects, but in nature there are no lines - in nature everything is continuous and whole ….. hence, I never fix an outline; I spread a clouds of warm blond half-tones over the contours - you can never put your finger right where the contours blend into the background. At close range, such labors look blurred and seem to lack precision, but at two paces everything congeals, solidifies and stands out; the body turns, the forms project, you feel the air circulating around them.” From The Hidden Masterpiece, by Balzac. Cezanne said that every painter should read Balzac’s, The Hidden Masterpiece, at least once a year.

I try to follow this advice.