Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
Jean Arp
Jean Arp was a German-French Dada artist who developed organic abstraction through chance collage, oil-and-cord canvases, gouache studies, and sculptural reliefs.
Jean Arp quick facts
Arp helped establish Zürich Dada and developed chance-based collages, biomorphic painting, wooden reliefs, and sculpture.
| Born | 1886 · Strasbourg, German Empire (now France) |
|---|---|
| Died | 1966 · Basel, Switzerland |
| Nationality | German-French |
| Movements | Dada; Surrealism (association) |
| Paint types | Oil Paint · Gouache Paint |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Paper |
| Painting methods | Chance arrangements of paper shapes, rounded biomorphic silhouettes, oil paint combined with lengths of cord, and gouache color studies |
| Common subjects | Abstract leaves, navels, organic shapes, imaginary heads, silhouettes, and rhythmic compositions |
| Notable works | Two Heads · Leaves and Navels · Mountain, Navel, Anchors, Table · Untitled (Collage with Squares Arranged according to the Law of Chance) |
| Other supports | Mountain, Navel, Anchors, Table is gouache on board with cutouts; the board's exact type is not specified |
Sources: MoMA: Two Heads, oil and cord on canvas, MoMA: Leaves and Navels, oil and cord on canvas, MoMA: Mountain, Navel, Anchors, Table, gouache on board, MoMA: Gouache and pencil drawing for Le Siège de l'air, Guggenheim: Jean Arp biography.
Paint types used
MoMA identifies oil with cord on canvas in Two Heads and Leaves and Navels, plus gouache in abstract works on board and in paper book designs.
Gouache Paint
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, drying to a matte finish that can be reactivated with water.
Surface types used
Arp's paintings and colored compositions include oil on canvas and gouache drawings on paper, while another collage is cataloged on unspecified board.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support, commonly cotton or linen, used for painting and sold either raw or prepared with a compatible ground layer.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made from pressed fibers, with weight, sizing, and surface texture controlling moisture tolerance and paint behavior.
Painters similar to Jean Arp
Taeuber-Arp collaborated with Arp on geometric compositions; Ernst also used experimental collage in Dada and Surrealism.
Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Sophie Taeuber-Arp was a Swiss Dada artist whose precise geometric abstractions moved freely between gouache, oil painting, textiles, and painted sculpture.
Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a German-born painter associated with Dada and Surrealism, known for uncanny scenes, collage, frottage, and scraped paint textures.