Oil painting has a special relationship with the landscape: its texture, transparency, layering, and ability to make corrections allow for a subtle rendering of the variations in light and the atmosphere of a place.

In Venice, this practice takes on a unique dimension. Light reflects off the lagoon, glides across facades, transforms in the mist, and constantly shifts the colors of the architecture. The Venetian landscape thus becomes a veritable laboratory for understanding the relationships between light, color, texture, and space.

This workshop offers an exploration of oil painting through the study of landscape, drawing in particular on the Venetian pictorial tradition, from Giorgione and Titian to the landscape painters and vedutisti of the 18th and 19th centuries. The goal is to understand how to construct a landscape while developing a sensitive and personal approach.

Over the course of three days, participants will alternate between observation, preparatory studies, and painting practice, in order to learn how to capture light, depth, or atmosphere rather than simply reproducing a subject.

Learning Objectives

• Discover or deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of oil painting.
• Understand the specific qualities of light in landscape painting.
• Study the relationships between color, value, and atmosphere.
• Understand the composition of a painted landscape.
• Work on depth and the different planes.
• Explore the possibilities of painterly texture.
• Learn to mix and harmonize colors.
• Study the effects of light on water and architecture.
• Develop a personal approach to the Venetian landscape.
• Understand the major stages of oil painting.
• Develop an independent working method.

Skills Acquired Upon Completion of the Course

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Prepare their canvas and organize their workspace.
• Create a coherent landscape composition.
• Identify the major areas of light and shadow.
• Create a color palette suited to a given atmosphere.
• Mix and adjust colors.
• Use different thicknesses and levels of transparency in the paint.
• Depict the effects of light on water and buildings.
• Create a sense of depth.
• Simplify a landscape to enhance its pictorial impact.
• Create a personal oil painting inspired by the Venetian landscape.

Day 1 — Building the Landscape and Its Light

Morning — The Fundamentals of Oil Painting

• Introduction to materials and surfaces.
• Preparing the canvas.
• Organizing the palette.
• Mediums, brushes, and different textural possibilities.
• Basic principles of oil painting.
• The concept of layers and layering.
• Studying values before applying color.
• Building a composition from a landscape.
• Simplifying forms and prioritizing elements.
• Creating preparatory studies inspired by Venice.

Afternoon — Observing Light

• Direct light and diffused light.
• Cast shadows and self-shadows.
• Light reflected by water.
• Relationships between sky, water, and architecture.
• Warm and cool color ranges.
• Study of values and contrasts.
• Exercises based on the same view under different lighting conditions.
• Work on small, quick studies.
• Initial pictorial exploration of a Venetian atmosphere.

Day 2 — Water, Architecture, and Atmosphere

Morning — Painting the Space

• Organizing foregrounds, midgrounds, and backgrounds.
• Atmospheric perspective.
• Contrast diminishes with distance.
• Color and depth.
• Depicting facades without going into detail.
• Bridges, palaces, canals, and city skylines.
• Composing a view of the Grand Canal or the lagoon.
• The sky as a major element of the composition.
• Exercises in synthesis and simplification.

Afternoon — Texture and Transparency

• Different ways of applying paint.
• Blends, brushstrokes, flat areas, glazes, and impasto.
• Creating effects of transparency.
• Painting the reflections and ripples on the water.
• Capturing mist and atmospheric changes.
• Omitting certain details to emphasize the light.
• Study of Venetian landscape painting.
• References to Giorgione, Titian, and the vedutisti.
• Beginning of a more accomplished personal composition.

Day 3 — Interpreting the Venetian Landscape

Morning — From Observation to Interpretation

• Analysis of the studies completed.
• Choosing a final composition.
• Setting up the preparatory drawing.
• Building the major forms.
• Establishing the main values.
• Seeking color harmony.
• Gradual refinement of the light.
• Emphasizing key areas.
• Balancing observation and personal interpretation.

Afternoon — Finalization

• Continuation and completion of the painting.
• Work on the final layers and essential details.
• Harmonizing colors.
• Enhancing contrasts where necessary.
• Working on reflections and light.
• Adjusting the painting technique.
• Individual review of the artwork.
• Presentation of artwork.
• Discussions about compositional choices and color palette.

Summary: Painting a landscape involves organizing light as much as it does forms.

• Illustrated theoretical and artistic presentations.
• Technical demonstrations.
• Progressive practical exercises.
• Studies of landscapes and references from Venetian painting.
• Direct observation or observation based on photographic materials.
• Preparatory studies and color studies.
• Work on composition, values, and light.
• Individual guidance.
• Experimentation with various techniques specific to oil painting.
• Group analysis of the artwork.
• Exploring the connection between art history and painting practice.

• Regular communication with interns.
• Observation of exercises and preparatory work.
• Progressive assessment of technical skills.
• Analysis of compositions and color palettes.
• Individualized guidance during the creation process.
• Assessment of progress in mastering light and materials.
• Presentation and discussion of the final work.
• Self-assessment of acquired skills.
• Issuance of a training certificate.