Paul Klee
Paul Klee was a Swiss-born German artist and Bauhaus teacher whose highly experimental work combined color, geometry, symbols, humor, music, and observations of nature.
Paint Type
Traditional Tempera
Traditional tempera is an artist paint made from pigment and an emulsion binder, with egg yolk the best-known binder among several historical formulations.
Traditional tempera surface compatibility
Traditional tempera is generally associated with stable, rigid supports prepared with an absorbent ground, although the exact preparation depends on the binder and recipe.
| Surface | Compatibility | Preparation | Primer or ground | Finish | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Painting Board | Excellent when rigid and prepared for the selected tempera recipe | Use a clean, stable, rigid board and prepare it for the chosen binder and technique. | Use a smooth absorbent ground compatible with the tempera recipe. | Build controlled layers and allow the painting to dry and mature before any optional protective treatment. | — |
| Wood Panel | Excellent with suitable preparation | Use a dry, stable panel and prepare it to receive an even absorbent ground. | Traditional gesso or another ground compatible with the selected tempera binder. | Keep the paint film relatively thin and avoid unnecessary flexing of the support. | — |
Sources: Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus: Tempera, National Gallery: Tempera, and National Gallery: Egg Tempera.
Painters who used traditional tempera
Explore painters in the PaintZeal reference whose documented materials include tempera without requiring an egg-tempera assumption.
Joan Miró
Joan Miró was a Spanish artist known for poetic symbols, biomorphic forms, vivid color, playful abstraction, and a highly personal visual language associated with Surrealism.
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for psychologically intense self-portraits and paintings exploring identity, family, physical pain, relationships, and Mexican culture.
Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli was a Florentine Renaissance painter known for elegant line, graceful figures, religious paintings, portraits, and mythological works including The Birth of Venus and Primavera.
Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn was an American painter and graphic artist known for socially engaged imagery, expressive line, and paintings made with tempera.
Mark Tobey
Mark Tobey was an American painter known for atmospheric abstractions built from dense networks of gestural marks and for working in casein, tempera, and other media.
Traditional tempera articles
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