A legacy of Post-Impressionism: Smooth Impasto paint

In the swirling, often chaotic canvases of van Gogh, emotional and psychological responses to nature are depicted with bold colours and a technique called impasto, where paint is applied thickly in short brushstrokes that remain visible.

For van Gogh and his contemporaries, nature and people living amongst it formed the basis for the body of their works, which sought to articulate the intricacies of the natural world and established a movement that later became known as post-impressionism.

The use of impasto became a defining feature of the movement, with pieces that rapidly became recognisable the world over for their sense of movement and bold, bright colours that from a distance appear homogeneous but which, on closer inspection, reveal each individual stroke.

It is this technique of applying paint thickly to create visible strokes and movement on a two dimensional surface that inspired a collection by Porter’s Paints known as Smooth Impasto.

“The range has a velvety softness to it with solid colours that appear to have depth and movement to them. While they are solid colours, the highs and lows of the colour are clearly visible once applied to a surface,” Porter’s Andrew Gray explains.

“It is characterised by a lack of uniformity, a distinct layering of pigment and subtle but visible brush marks that are harmonious as a whole. The very matt, non-reflective sheen level is easy on the eye and the super smooth texture is a pleasure to touch.

“Smooth, velvety and beautifully opaque, this finish creates a sense of depth and gives walls a unique character that enables styling to be pared back while creating a beautiful background for fabrics, leather and other interior design elements.”

Like van Gogh’s paintings, the closer you get to a surface painted with Smooth Impasto, the more depth and detail becomes visible.

The first coat is applied with a roller and the second is applied with random brushstrokes to ensure the texture of the strokes remains visible to an extent, creating the illusion of depth and difference in tone.

“The finish is beautifully textural. It's akin to brushing a velvet fabric one way and then the other and the fabric changes colour slightly; this is how Smooth Impasto appears, with light picking up the subtlety of the highs and lows in the colour,” Andrew says.

“The ultra matt finish absorbs light to create a beautiful, moody surface that is quite different to many acrylic paints that have a tendency to reflect light. That sheen that is created by reflecting light is completely absent with Smooth Impasto. When you have a paint like this, which is completely flat and absorbs rather than reflects the light, you have a beautiful continuity of colour and a rich depth.”

The Smooth Impasto range is available in 44 unique colours across a range of rich, deep tones. “The paint lends itself to gorgeous, deep colour tones that dance with depth and movement, for example the Prussian Green is a bold, deep colour that enhances the properties of the paint.”

The Smooth Impasto range is a delicate one that is not generally suitable for everyday, high traffic areas, Andrew explains. “It’s a gentle product that is soft to touch and could get scratched or knocked in high-use areas. We recommend using it instead in areas where this is unlikely to happen such as bedrooms, studies or for feature walls and to use it in conjunction with other more hardwearing paints in high-use areas.

“You can apply a sealer over Smooth Impasto to protect it but the sealer does take away the beautiful softness of finish you can achieve without a sealer, although it will retain that striking sense of movement and depth when used in conjunction with a sealer.”

In commercial settings, Smooth Impasto is popular for feature areas or key visual draw cards such as behind reception areas or on a wall where a company logo or branding is displayed. “We’ve seen a number of these types of walls painted in Smooth Impasto and the results really are stunning.”

Like van Gogh’s pieces, Smooth Impasto is characterised by a lack of uniformity, a layering of pigment and visible brush marks that are harmonious as a whole.

Find out more about how to create a striking feature in your home or commercial premises with Smooth Impasto paint.