Tonal Harmony: Old Master Approaches

To an extent difficult to understand today, the traditional oil painting techniques aimed to achieve a harmony in tones, i.e. a pleasing pattern in the balance between light and dark. Yellowing varnish has spoilt many of these effects, and we now prefer livelier colors anyway, but tonal value remains an essential element in most pictures.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Leaving aside the strong chiaroscuro effects of Velazquez, Rembrandt and other 17th century masters, traditional paintings cannot escape implying a light source and showing how objects appear under that source. Depictions have to make sense, and be convincing. And, once tonal elements appear in a painting, they assume an aesthetic dimension of their own, which means that tone is inescapable element of composition.

Contemporary work is often in a high key, of course, but unless abstract or a colored drawing, its pale shadows still need to form a pattern and to say something meaningful. Most traditional paintings display a greater tonal range, and the common advice (certainly in direct painting, to which most the suggestions below apply) is to quickly set the range by laying in the lightest and darkest of tones at the very outset of painting.

Beyond that — pleasing patterns, variety, maintenance of mood, good balance — it is difficult to lay down principles. A sense for tonal harmony comes with experience, and by looking at masterworks. The notes below are more in the nature of practical hints in traditional oil painting techniques.

Source: www.oil-painting-techniques.com