easel
An easel is a frame, usually made of wood or metal, which the painter uses when making his pictures for fastening by setting them up. A painting made in this way is also called an easel painting , in contrast to wall and ceiling painting . The word comes from the outdated term “ Staffel” for a ladder rung , as in some areas of the German-speaking area the ladder is still often referred to as an easel. In the artistic field, however, the easel is there to keep the painting surface in an elevated position that is ideal for working.
nature
Academy easels, easels and luggage box easels are to tipping to avoid, usually three-legged and have at the back of a moving support to achieve an arbitrary oblique position. At the front there is a movable crossbar to adjust the height of the picture, which is done by iron or wooden bolts . These are inserted into parallel openings on which the transverse timber rests. There are also so-called H-frame easels. Their struts are arranged in parallel so that they have a rectangular stand in an H-shape. The angle to the floor can be adjusted on some H-frame easels. The third form is a mixture of tripod and H-frame. The easel in the "multi-purpose design" has many extra options for individual adaptation. For example a rotating work surface.
species
Easels are distinguished not only by type of construction but also by type. Studio easels are usually heavy and therefore stable enough to hold large canvas paintings. Due to their stable construction, they are suitable for stationary use. However, they are only conditionally suitable for transport and installation in the wild. For this purpose, lighter, foldable and foldable field easels are used. A lower form are French suitcase easels with an integrated compartment for painting utensils. Collapsible artist easels are also rather narrow and space-saving . Just like paint stations , which are well suited for painting work at the table - even in miniature areas. Slightly shorter and often equipped with extras such as a whiteboard or chalkboard, there are easels especially for children.
For presentation purposes , the market offers presentation easels for picture exhibitions, mini easels for menus, photos and the like, as well as moderation easels that are used, for example, in seminars for visualization. Easels are also used in photo laboratories , where they hold the photo paper in position during exposure.
use
Numerous painters portray themselves painting at the easel. Some artists like Goya or Diego Velázquez (this in his work " Las Meninas ") presented themselves on large commissioned paintings behind their easel as a subjective observer of the people to be painted . The painters who were friends Camille Pissarro , Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir often presented theirs Easels next to each other and painted the same motifs together, but each kept his own style.
useful information
The Painter constellation was introduced in 1752 by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille . On older star maps it is usually represented as an 'easel with a brush .
