MoMA Courses
The Materials and Techniques of Postwar Abstract Painting
Corey D’Augustine

Syllabus:

Week 1. Preparing a canvas: how to select linen vs. cotton duck, how to stretch a canvas, the role of a size adhesive, the role and application of a ground

Week 2. How to use paint: oil vs. acrylic, tube vs. pigment, additional medium, solvent, glazes, scumbles, brush vs. palette knife, how to choose a brush

Week 3. Barnett Newman: how to apply flat color, selecting color relationships, masking technique

Week 4. Robert Ryman: the difference in opacity and tone in various white pigments, the difference between different types of oil (linseed, poppy, etc) and solvent, the purpose of different types of brushstrokes

Week 5. Action Painting (Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock): mixing varnish into paint, using egg in oil, using enamel paint, latex paint, gestural and dripping techniques

Week 6. Yves Klein: using other synthetic media (polyvinyl acetate), stretching a canvas over board, using a roller, how to achieve various effects with roller technique

Week 7. Agnes Martin: how to glaze with acrylic paint, how to combine dry media and paint, relation of trembling line to texture and dry point, use of string vs ruler

Week 8. Ad Reinhardt: introduction of his specific method for making matte paint, how to mix close-value hues, how to apply matte paint to form a smooth surface

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