The Role of Underdrawing
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In Cézanne’s L’Hermitage at Pontoise (L’Hermitage à Pontoise) (1881) we can see the underdrawing beneath the thin washes of paint, especially in the foreground. Close examination reveals that he has used the underdrawing not only to outline principal parts of the composition, but also to block in some of the broader masses of color. In this picture Cézanne has covered these broader masses with thin washes of paint, in contrast to the more thickly painted areas where the drawing outlines forms, including the houses.
