The sugar-beet industry was chosen as the subject matter for this Thesis since Boulder is in the heart of the sugar-beet territory.
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The composition portrays a group of beet workers who are busy weeding the beets. A background of farm houses and mountains provides a suitable or typical setting for the workers.
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The panel thirty-three inches by forty-five inches was made of '1 Presdwood' 1 treated with a casein size and ground which affords the best surface for the medium used. Egg tempera was selected as the medium because of its numerous possibilities in soft-textured surfaces and luminous color quality.
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This Thesis problem afforded a splendid opportunity for the application of principles of composition, color theory, and techniques in medium learned in academic work.</p

Nieweg, Frances Elizabeth

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PASCAL ·: ' - . 378.788B N55941:, c·or- 2 111111111111 111 11 11111 1111 11~l1[1l 1~~11111  Dep Mod Ran Sect She P 1 03 28 2~ THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO LIBRARY ~anuscript Theses Unpublis :hed theses which have 1)een approved for master's and doctor's degrees and deposited in the University of Colorado Libra?"'IJ are open for inspection. They are to be used only with due regard for .the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but passages may not· ,be copied from a thesis except by per-mission of the major department and, when possible, by that of the author. In every case proper credit must be given both to the author and to the University in all subsequent written or published work. Extensive copying or pub~ication of a thesis as a whole or in part requires also the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado. The University Library or any other library which borrows this thesis for the use of its patrons is expected to secure the signature and home address of each user. This th0sis by Miss trances EJizabetb ~;wt~~n used by the ~r~rer OaJ arada, o ow!ng persons whose signatures indicate their acceptance of the above restrictions. Signature Address Date ~~\)~~ J,,.. l:;e_ ( \IA,11~ c:<;,~ iba. . ('r1C? ~/~/_ u y (!_ 11« -~ t'a \ ~~.,, r ·---BEET WORKERS OF COlDRADO by Frances Elizabeth Nieweg B.A., Hastings College, 1933 A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Fine Arts. Department of Fine Arts 1941 This Thesis for the ~ . F.A. degree, by Frances Elizabeth Hieweg not proof-read, has been approved for the Department of Fine Arts by i. Table of Contents Intro duct ion Historical Background of Egg Tempera Egg Tempera as a r.t edium . Formulas Procedure Organizing the Composition Neutral Value Study Color study Preparation Conclusion Page 1 2 3 4 5 5 8 9 11 12 11. TABLE OF CHARTS Composition Line Analysis Neutral Value Study Melodic Minor Color Chart Color study Page 7 8 10 11 iii. Nieweg, Frances Elizabeth (M.F.A., Fine Arts) Beet ,Norkers of Colorado iv. The sugar-beet industry was chosen as the subject matter for this Thesis since Boulder is in the heart of the sugar-beet territory. The composition portrays a group of beet workers who are busy weeding the beets. A background of farm houses and mountains provides a suitable or typical setting for the workers. The panel thirty-three inches by forty-five inches was made of '1Presdwood'1 treated with a casein size and ground which affords the best surface for the medium used. Egg tempera was selected as the medium because of its numerous possibilities in soft-textured surfaces and luminous color quality. Thie Thesis problem afforded a splendid opportunity for the application of principles of composition, color theory, and techniques in medium learned in academic work. This abstract of about one hundred twenty-five words is approved as to form and content. I recommend its publication. Signed ~-v> ~ cZ: 7., ~ ...,._,__p..,._ e--"-: Professorn charge of dissertation 1. Introduction The Thesis problem for the degree Master of Fine Arts was a creative thesis rather than a written thesis. This problem consisted of an easel painting thirty-three inches by forty-five inches painted in egg tempera on "Presdwood ''. The panel, which is reproduced here, will become the property of the Colorado University Fine Arts Department. This written analysis accompanies and explains the thesis problem. The sugar beet industry was chosen as the subject matter of this thesis because Boulder is in the heart of the sugar-beet territory. The sight of the workers in their colorful costume dotting the countryside as they go about their labors has long been a source of challenging material to the artist. The panel size thirty-three inches by forty-five inches was chosen as a suitable size for adequate expression of the composition in a pleasing rectangular shape. "Presdwood" made by the Masonite Corporation of Chicago was recommended as a suitable base for tempera painting. It contains no binder but is made by exploding wood fiber under steam pressure which makes it very durable. Egg tempera was selected as the medium. Its numerous possibilities lie in its beautiful soft-textured surfaces and luminous color quality. I 1 2. Historical Background of Egg Tempera One of the most ancient methods of preparing paint is to use various binding materials with the powdered colors. The mummy cases of the early Egyptians were painted with this same medium. In China silk was used by the artists as a base for tempera painting. It was very popular with the Italian Primitives who used a gesso ground on wood panels. The detailed work of the fresco murals done during the Henaissance was carried out in tempera since this medium is so capable of por-traying the precise pattern of costume in vogue at that time. Interest in tempera painting waned when oils and a combination of oils and resins became so popular in the fifteenth century; but it was revived early in the nineteenth century. Even the oldest paintings done in this medium that have survived to the present day are as bright and clear in color as the day they were painted. Cennino d'Andrea Cennini, an artist of the above century who studied under Agnolo Gaddi in Florence was a great craftsman. He wrote a book about his various findings to which many painters refer at the present time. The translation of this book did much to revive an interest in this medium. Egg· Tempera as a rl edium The binding material in tempera painting causes the naint to harden and adhere to the canvas or board wnen it is dry . The pain ting is then ·•tempered"; hence the name tempera painting. Various kinds of binders are used as; hide glue, fig juice or gums, rice paste, and the ~airy products -- milk, eggs, and the casein from cheese. Tempera 1s a very precise medium demanding extreme care in design and execution. It requires clarity and cannot be used in a vague or indefinite fashion. This medium is not readily adapted to the smooth fusion of tones and atmospheric possibilities of oils . The characteristic brush strokes of tempera constitute part of its charm. It has a delicately glossy mat surface of beautiful texture and a luminous color quality . Mistakes are very difftcult to rectify in the tempera medium. Design is of extreme importance and every area must be well planned . In some of the old paintings we see evidences of mistakes which have been covered up but which now protrude through the top surface of paint making an extra limb or two heads for a person as the case may be. In order to correct an area the paint should be removed down to the ground and the area repainted. 4. Tempera painted on the white ground has the luminous quality of the white shining through the transparent pig-ment especially if some passages are pa inted rather thinly. The proper balance of opaque and transparent areas gives the finished product a luminosity that can be obtained in no other medium. The pa int dries almost immediately and can be worked on without the delay required for the drying of the oil pigment. Tempera is insoluble as the first coats are not picked up by overpainting as in water color. :F'ormulas Th~re is quite a variety of medium and technique. The color may be used with the egg alone to give a trans-parency or white may be mixed with the paint as did the early ltalians to give a more opaque effect. The color may be applied very thinly or with a thick impasto. casein tempera is used in an opaque manner and dries with a dull mat surface. The egg yolk alone or the entire egg may be used as the binder. An emulsion is made by adding oil or varnish to the water and- e'gg and. tho roughly mixing it . A natural emulsion is fig milk, but there is also a synthetic fig milk which may be used. It is better not to use preservatives i n the egg mixture, but so me painters have very elaborate formulas including such things as; formalin, vinegar, and soap. All of these methods are included under the heading of tempera but each gives a slightly different result. Procedure Many sketching trips were made to the surrounding territory of Greeley, Longmont, and Layfayette, Colorado to beco me acquainted with this problem. Numerous figure sketches were ma.de. The most expressive of these figure sketches were organized into a composition. Research material is invaluable in the organization of a composition. The artist made sketches in black and white and color of all manner of material connected with the beet fields such as; farms, rows of beets, cultivated ground, machinery, mountains, and various sky textures. This became the source materia l used in organizing a background for the group of figures. Organizing the Co mposition A central group of figures arranged in a circle around an invisible pole or axis became t he most forceful 6. handling of the foreground workers. A smaller opposing circle is seen in the farm houses to the left. The most distant farm again repeats this same circular shape. Lines of radiation are found in the rows of beets. The horizontal plane of the earth leads one's eye into the picture with a natural stop in the vertical planes of the distant mountains which form the background for the workers. The various planes made by the figures in the position of their legs and arms and the thrust of their bodies carries the eye in and out and back and forth among the various shapes distributed throughout the design. This is repeated by the horizontal, vertical, and oblique planes made by the group of farm houses. Composition Line Analysis Neutral Value Study A study in neutral v~ lues forms an i mportant basis for the placing of the color values in the painting. 8 . It clarifies especially the flow or pattern of light and dark throughout the picture. The value analysis of this design was based on the three values; dark, light, and middle value. Each color in the color study was matched carefully to the value sketch. When changes were made in the color sketch they were first made on the value study. Neutral Value Study Color Study In determining the color scheme of t he design a tonic color of yellow was chosen. A tonic color permeates the whole picture. It seems to be the basis of the color scheme. There is a bit of the tonic color found in every other color in the painting. Yellow in this case seemed to afford a greater opportunity for the warm earthen qua lity re qu ired by t he subject matter. According to the color theory based on the melodic minor scale on the basis of twelve colors the half steps appear between the second and third tone and the fifth and sixth. A mask arranged with holes for the seven tones placed over a color wheel in which one color is run right into t h e next will show the seven tones which appear in their sequence in the minor scale. Various combinations may be used such as; tones 1,3,5, or tones 1,4,6. One tone is chosen to become the do illinant color and the other is sub-dominant . A dominant color is the most important color in the painting and a sub-dominant becomes second in ir.nportaiice. The co mbination 1,4,6 was chosen. Yellow or color 1 is the tonic color; consequently the mask made for the minor scale is placed with tone 1 on the yellow color on t h e color wheel. Color 4 is a blue which was selected to be sub-do minant. Color 6 or red became dominant . The other colors were green, orange, violet, and blue-green. 0 I I I I I 0---0 I I '(EL.WW 0 I I \l\OL"E:T Melodic Niner Color Chart 10 . 11. Color Study Preparation A tempered ''Presdwood II panel three eighths of an inch in thickness was prepared with a size of casein g lue . This prepares the surface of the panel for the proper adherence of the ground. A white porous surface is the best for tempera painting . In order to obtain this surface a ; 12. ground was made of equal amounts of whiting, zinc oxide, and casein applied in five coats. To insure an even surface each coat was brushed on in opposite directions and smoothed down with a sandpaper before the application of the next coat. The first thumbnail sketch was enlarged to the size of the final panel and traced onto the ground with charcoal. Carbon often bleeds into or discolors the finished painting and should be avoided. The binder for the powdered colors was the egg yolk emulsion as the yolk alone mixed with water contains enough albumen for a properly balanced tempera painting. When the whites are added the paint has a tendency to dry too rapidly, and it becomes increasingly difficult to handle the brush strokes. In painting the final panel the artist could give most of the time and attention to the ~ctual painting as the problems of value and color were already .solved •. Some difficulty was experienced in doing the details of the figures so a studio model was used to make the figures more expressive. Conclusion The artist has thoroughly enjoyed working on this problem and feels that it has provided the i mpetus for future experiences and research. BIBLIOGRAPHY Doerner, r,~ax, The Materials of the Artist and their use in Painting,1937, pages 211-243. Mayer, Ralph, The Artists Handbook, 1940, pages 180-240. Thompson, Daniel,V., The Materials of Medieval Painting, 1936, pages 61-64. Thompson, Daniel,V., The Practice of Tempera Painting, 1937, pages 1-137. PERIODICALS Arnold, Richard, "Planning a r:ural Design .. , Bulletin State Art Association, April, 1941. Puccinelli, Dorothy, ,;A W .P.A. Mural", Art News, 37:18-19, October 22, 1938. 578. 7888 N5594b cop.2 

Beet Workers of Colorado

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Beet Workers of Colorado

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