Now I do not aspire to go underground or “non-legit” with my painting techniques, but art forgery is quite a fascinating topic. One of the best ploys Eric Hebborn suggests is to purchase an artistically worthless old painting, say, from an antique shop or art auction. Wood panel or canvas, each would be naturally aged and seasoned, ready to scrape, sand and paint a fresh layer atop. The most finicky technique to apply at this point is to use era appropriate pigments. If you are setting out to hoodwink collectors with a Van Gogh then some of the more modern pigments such as viridian, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, are acceptable.
However if you are shrewdly forging a 17th Century Dutch, Rembrandt, Titian, Caravaggio or any artist of that era or before, choice of colors is a critical component. Stick with the earths, vermilion, lapis, flake white, ivory black, malachite, and azurite, and you might get away with your ruse.
Another intriguing ploy Hebborn describes is his use of a yellow called chrome. Chrome was developed in modern times to replace orpiment which became obsolete because of poisonous and fugitive (non-permanent) properties.
I have read recent studies that show chrome yellow was less than desirable also because of tendencies to darken. Today, Winsor & Newton makes a chrome yellow that has a light fastness rating of Permanence A.
Orpiment was popular because of its bright golden nature and was widely used. However, the slow drying orpiment mixed badly with other colors and altered the hue over time. Hebborn’s trick was to “damage the area where orpiment should be then skillfully retouch with chrome yellow mixed with white.” Experts would then surmise the particular passage would naturally have been repaired with a modern pigment because of orpiment’s notorious reputation.
So, for those of you who do have desires for dupery, plunge right in and try some of Hebborn’s surreptitious ideas. Just remember, unless you want to sit for a very very long period in a 7 foot cubicle with bars on the window dreaming of painting, sign your work with your own name and “copy after Titian” or whomever. I think I will stick to that policy too.
Coming in March, 2011
Lessons from the Pharaoh’s Tomb, Part ll, Galerie Gabrie, Pasadena