Synopses & Reviews
"Monumental book . . . Mr. Vicat Cole is a born teacher."—
Contemporary Review"Mr. Vicat Cole's ability as a landscape painter is well known, and he unites to his executive talents the qualifications of an accomplished teacher."—Connoisseur
"The name of the author is itself a guarantee that the subject is adequately treated. It is handled in a systematic and lucid way, which the novice . . . can follow with ease."—Studio
For years greatly admired and widely used, this excellent text by one of Britain's foremost art instructors has achieved the status of a classic in its field. The author, also a noted landscape painter, offers complete and accurate instruction in painting and drawing trees to all serious artists—beginner or advanced, amateur or professional. Its extremely comprehensive and detailed coverage has earned this volume a permanent place in the libraries of landscape painters, students, and teachers.
Every aspect of trees and how to depict them—in any style—is covered with unusual clarity and precision; problems of balancing tree groups, relations of light and shade, delicacy and weight, distance, sky apertures and their patterns, curves and straight lines in tree branches, tree color, the influence of special environmental factors (age, frost and snow, wind, moonlight), the effects of bud arrangements on the anatomy of trees, etc. Of special value is the very thorough and lucid analysis of tree anatomy: the proportion of boughs, branches, and twigs; the positioning of leaves on twigs; the form, texture, and color of leaves; leaf patterns; flower arrangement; stipules, bracts, buds, scales, spines, seedlings, the bark, and all the other essential details of structure. Specific information is given for each tree discussed: oaks, sycamores, willows, pines, maples, etc.; abstract and inaccurate generalizations are avoided. Nearly 500 illustrations by the author accompany the text, demonstrating all the anatomical features discussed. In addition, there are 48 full-page plates: magnificent landscape paintings and drawings by Giorgione, Rubens, Rembrandt, Van der Neer, Watteau, Hobbema, Turner, Gainsborough, Dupré, and many others, showing their compositional use of trees, their details in rendering, and similar material.
Unabridged and unaltered republication of second edition.
Synopsis
Covers every aspect of trees and how to depict them: balancing tree groups, relationship of light and shade, trees seen against the sky, lines of the branches, and much, much more. 515 illustrations. Bibliography. Indexes.
Synopsis
Art students at every level will benefit from this profusely illustrated guide. It covers every aspect of trees and how to depict them with unusual clarity and precision. Topics include problems of balancing tree groups, relationship of light and shade, delicacy and weight, distance, tree color, and more. 515 illustrations.
Synopsis
Covers every aspect of trees and how to depict them: balancing tree groups, relationship of light and shade, delicacy and weight, distance, tree color, and more. 515 illustrations.
Table of Contents
GENERAL INTRODUCTION-Painting and drawing
PART I TREES CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO PAINTING
I. "The painting of trees illustrated by a chronological series of pictures, with some descriptive notes"
II. What to look for in trees:
Balance
Single trees
Trees in masses
In groups
Composition
III. "Balance of dark spaces with light, and of large masses with small"
Weight of masses and delicacy
Trees seen near and far off
IV. Trees seen against the sky
Patterns formed by sky apertures
V. The outline of a tree
VI. Lines of the branches
Curves
Straight lines and elbows
VII. Variety in light and shade
Variety in colour
Some causes of this
VIII. Influence of situation
How trees adapt themselves to it
"Effect of age, wind, frost, and snow"
Moonlight
IX. Associations connected with trees
PART II THE ANATOMY OF A TREE
X. Introductory
XI. Outline forms of trees
A short comparison of some species
XII. The likeness between twig and bough
The difference between shoot and twig
The arrangement of buds on the shoot:
(1) opposite buds
(2) buds arranged singly
(3) buds crowded in groups
XIII. The effects produced on the branch anatomy of a tree by
(1) "opposite buds, the constant failure of buds"
(2) (a) buds arranged singly in two rows
(2) (b) in three or more rows
(3) (c) buds clustered in groups
Twigs arrested in growth
Additional buds
Different branch systems of young and old trees
XIV. How a tree is built up
PART III THE DETAILS OF TREES
XV. Introductory
XVI. Leaves
How they are set on the twigs:
(a) right-angled pairs
(b) arranged singly in two rows
(c) in more than two rows
(d) leaves clustered
The position of old and young leaves
Leaf-stalks and how leaves are set on the twigs
Durtion of leaves
XVII. Leaves (continued)
Forms of young leaves
Texture of leaves
Their colour
Leaf patterns
The margin
The veins
The planes of a leaf
XVIII. Flowers
The way flowers are arranged :
(1) " Indefinite "
(2) " Definite " inflorescence"
" Raceme" " catkin," " capitum," " corymb," " umbel," " cyme "
XIX. Flowers (continued)
"Shapes of flowers: " complete," " incomplete," " male," " female," " bisexual," " unisexual "
"Trees that are " monœcious," " diœcious," " triœcious," " polygamous"
The construction of flowers
XX. Fruits
Winged fruits
"Cones: " drupe," " pome," " nut," " berry "
Construction of fruits
XXI. Lesser details:
Stipules
Bracts
Buds
Scales
Spines
Seedlings
The bard
APPENDIX-The Distribution of Trees in Europe
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX TO DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR
to the Pictures reproduced in this Volume
to Letterpress