Materials and Techniques

Abstract

The African American artist Horace Pippin (1888-1946) was injured in battle during World War I, causing limited use of his right arm. Nevertheless, Pippin learned to paint by supporting his arm with his left hand. He overcame obstacles such as lack of formal training as well, eventually achieving critical acclaim. He retained his home in West Chester, Pennsylvania, painting scenes of war and of African American history and home life. The authors examined over 60 of Pippin's paintings, using infrared reflectography, optical microscopy, and x-radiography to understand the singular painting methods of this self-taught artist. Pippin usually began his paintings with a pencil underdrawing, over which he methodically applied numerous layers of paint, with frequent use of flat shapes, sharp outlines, and repeated short brushstrokes. The artist's early palette of earth tones became brighter in his later works. The paint was generally applied over white or pale gray grounds, but occasionally Pippin utilized black grounds or no grounds at all. The artist occasionally painted on wooden panels after burning in designs with a hot poker. Other supports include a variety of fabrics and canvas-covered boards of commercial manufacture. Pippin made numerous changes in his compositions as the work progressed. Pippin sometimes used readily available but poor quality materials for his paints and supports. His sometimes unconventional materials and methods have resulted in paintings which exhibit strong cracking and have proven difficult to clean. The authors also discuss frames used by Pippin, his various styles of signature, and forgeries of his work.