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The [[underline in off white]]white chalk ground[[/underline]] from a dealer is cream colored. if thinly varnished, it assumes a darker tone midway between the cream and the light umbrish grey tone of WNs prepared grey oil ground.
The latter oiled in before painting gets slightly browner or darker. But the Cremnitz White of WN unthinned, but thinly and solidly put on makes a fairly good white, which a little cadmium much enhances. L. Oil coated thinly on the chalk ground penetrates thro and greys it destroying all white, much more so than a thin oil varnish. Pearce: whitening = powdered chalk = calcium carbonate is so light and porous that Oil makes it brown and transparent.
The laborious underpainting of this landscape in 2 colors comes near to the portrait, which requires (also flowers, cattle etc) minute work and drawing. But the physiognomie of a landscape of a sand quarry here, is similar to that of a portrait.
[[underlined]] Idealistic generalization [[/underlined]] is usually only [[underlined]] Verflachen [[/underlined]] des specifichen, originellen. An old womans face needs to show all the wrinkles. That is character and life and must furnish the pictorial effect. Man muss die Natur wie die eigene Arbeit belauschen, um der Seele der Schonheit zu entdecken.

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