Fumage

Fumage is a surrealist painting technique invented by Wolfgang Paalen in which impressions are made by the smoke of a candle or kerosene lamp on a piece of paper or canvas.

It was later employed by Salvador Dalí, who called it "sfumato"[1].

Both Paalen and Dali used the technique as a basis for their oil paintings. Paalen's elongated surreal landscapes and Dali's elongated, wavy treatment of animals and objects reveal the influence of the technique on their imagery.

Hugh Parker Guiler, the husband of author Anaïs Nin, began his art career as a fumage artist. Some of his fumage work, under the name "Ian Hugo", was used as cover art for Nin's books. The 1987 film Henry and June briefly depicts Guiler experimenting with fumage. A living artist who is using fumage is the Turkish-American painter Burhan Doğançay (one example being his Cones Series).

See also