Paris on Cartón

"Child Playing"
43.8 x 57.8 cm, Oil on Cardboard
Édouard Vuillard

For my recent trip to Paris, I packed a stash of cartón panels. What, you might ask, are cartón panels? They are the modern day equivalent of the tan cardboard that was used by some great painters of the past. I love painting on cartón! The paper panels are very lightweight, and the color is fantastic. The warm brownish hue really suits me, and saves me from the toning process that I would usually need with other forms of oil painting paper. (For fellow painters: I order them here).

"Vase of Flowers on a Mantelpiece"
Oil on Cardboard, 36.2 x 29.5 cm
Édouard Vuillard, 1900

Another benefit of using cartón when traveling is that the surface is rather absorbent, which causes the oil paint to dry more quickly. Always a big plus when you are on the move!

Cartón was an especially appropriate choice for Paris, because it speaks of a past era of Parisian paintings. Who can think of Édouard Vuillard without remembering his wonderful use of that brown cardboard? I am always intrigued by the way parts of the cardboard are left showing through in the finished painting. It unifies the painting, and I think it helps show the hand of the artist, because we see what was left un-painted.

"Woman Curling her Hair"
Oil on Cartón, 56 x 39 cm
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, 1876-1900

While in Paris, I saw a wonderful Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit, which featured a number of works on cardboard or cartón. The surface lends itself to paintings that are quasi-unfinished, or with a lot of background showing. Love these!

"Woman with Black Boa"
Oil on Cartón, 53 x 41 cm
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892

I'm concluding with one of my own paintings on cartón. One image shows the cartón margins, and the other shows what the painting would look like if matted to cover the cartón. Which approach do you prefer? I'd love to hear from you...

"View from Pont Sully"
Oil on Cartón, 10.5 x 7.5 inches
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(SOLD)