View source for Easel

{{Short description|Upright supporting frame used for displaying and/or fixing something resting upon it}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Tripod easel.jpg|thumb|An example of a tripod design easel with an inclining mechanism built in.|alt=Wooden easel standing in empty room.]]
[[File:StateLibQld 1 102016 Interior of Brisbane Technical College Signwriting class, ca. 1900.jpg|thumb|[[Brisbane]] Technical College Signwriting class, ca. 1900]]
{{wikt | easel}}
An '''easel''' is an upright support used for displaying and/or fixing something resting upon it, at an angle of about 20° to the vertical.<ref>{{cite web |last1= Eldridge |first1= Alison |title= Art History: The Origins of 7 of Your Favorite Art Supplies |url= https://www.britannica.com/list/art-history-the-origins-of-7-of-your-favorite-art-supplies#:~:text=Painting%20on%20easels%20was%20the,more%20popular%20than%20wall%20painting. |website= Britannica.com |publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |access-date= 9 April 2021}}</ref> In particular, [[painters]] traditionally use an easel to support a painting while they work on it, normally standing up; easels are also sometimes used to display finished paintings.  Artists' easels are still typically made of wood, in functional designs that have changed little for centuries, or even millennia,<ref>{{cite web
|url= https://scottishritenmj.org/blog/masonic-trestle-tracing-boards
|title= Masonic Tracing Boards and Trestle Boards: Their History and Significance Today
|author= Supreme Council, AASR, NMJ
|date= July 9, 2020
|website= scottishritenmj.org
|publisher= Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
|access-date= 2022-07-29
|quote= One of Freemasonry’s oldest symbols is the Masonic trestle board. Often confused with its similar counterpart, the tracing board, the trestle board is, literally and figuratively speaking, the blueprint of which our ancient fraternity was built upon. In the days of the stonemasons' guild, a trestle board was a board, sometimes on an easel, where the plans for construction were laid for apprentice masons to follow. In the 21st century, the trestle board remains a signature emblem of a man's journey through life and Freemasonry. In this blog, we'll walk you through the significance of the Masonic trestle board, as well as explore the history of Masonic tracing boards.}}
</ref>
though new materials and designs exist. Easels are typically made from [[wood]], [[aluminum]] or [[steel]].
'''Easel painting''' is a term in [[art history]] for the type of midsize painting that would have been painted on an easel, as opposed to a [[fresco]] [[wall painting]], a large [[altarpiece]] or other piece that would have been painted resting on a floor, a small [[cabinet painting]], or a [[miniature (illuminated manuscript)|miniature]] created while sitting at a desk, though perhaps also on an angled support. It does not refer to the way the painting is meant to be displayed; most easel paintings are intended for display framed and hanging on a wall.
In a [[photographic]] [[darkroom]], an easel is used to keep the [[photographic paper]] in a flat or upright (horizontal, big-size enlarging) position to the [[enlarger]].
==Etymology==
The word ''easel'' is an old [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] synonym for [[donkey#Other uses|donkey]] (compare similar semantics). In various other languages, its equivalent is the only word for both the animal and the apparatus, such as {{Langx|af|esel}} and earlier {{Langx|nl|ezel}} (the easel generally in full {{Langx|nl|schildersezel}}, "painter's donkey"), themselves cognates of the {{Langx|la|asinus}} (ass).
==History==
Easels have been in use since the time of the ancient Egyptians. In the 1st century, [[Pliny the Elder]] made reference to a "large panel" placed upon an easel.
==Design==
[[File:Hframe easels.jpg|thumb|Two examples of H-frame easels.]]
There are three common designs for easels:
* '''A Frame designs''' are based on three legs. Variations include: crossbars to make the easel more stable; and an independent mechanism to allow for the vertical adjustment of the working plane without sacrificing the stability of the legs of the easel.
* '''H-Frame designs''' are based on right angles. All posts are generally parallel to each other with the base of the easel being rectangular. The main, front portion of the easel consists of two vertical posts with a horizontal crossbar support, giving the design the general shape of an 'H'. A variation uses additions that allow the easel's angle with respect to the ground to be adjusted.
*<!-- Comment out due to undisclosed [[WP:COI]] [[File:Artist painting with a Multi Media fully adjustable easel.jpg|thumb|Artist painting with a canvas attached to a Multi Purpose Easel ]] -->'''Multiple purpose designs''' incorporate improved tripod and H-frame features with extra multiple adjustment capabilities that include finite rotational, horizontal and vertical adjustment of the working plane.
==Differences==
[[File:Pissarro mit Familie an seiner mobilen Staffelei, Éragny, 1901. Archives Musée Camille Pissarro.jpg|thumb|Pissarro with his family at his mobile easel, Éragny, 1901 Archives Musée Camille Pissarro]]
An easel can be full height, designed for standing by itself on the floor. Shorter easels can be designed for use on a table.
* '''Artists' easels''' typically are fully adjustable to accommodate for different angles. Most have built-in anti-skid plates on the feet to prevent sliding. They are collapsible and overall very slim in stature to fit in small spaces around the studio. The simplest form of an artist's easel, a [[tripod]], consists of three vertical posts joined at one end. A pivoting mechanism allows the centre-most post to pivot away from the other two, while the two non-pivoting posts have a horizontal cross member where the canvas is placed. A similar model can hold a blackboard, projection surface, placard, etc.
*'''Pochade boxes'''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Raybould|first=Barry John|title=A 2021 Guide To The Best Pochade Boxes For Plein Air Painters|date=28 May 2020|url=https://www.virtualartacademy.com/pochade-box/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420145210/https://www.virtualartacademy.com/pochade-box/ |archive-date=2020-04-20 }}</ref> are a type of artists' easel that is mounted on top of a camera tripod. They include both a support for the painting, as well as a palette. They may or may not include a box for supplies.
* '''Paint stations''' are meant as more stationary consoles. These are usually equipped with various holsters, slots and supporting platforms to accommodate for buckets, brushes and canvas styles. Most of the components can be broken down for easy cleaning and storage.
* '''Children's easels''' are intended to be more durable. They are typically shorter than standard easels and usually come equipped with [[dry erase boards]] and/or [[Blackboard|chalkboards]] attached.
* '''Display easels''' are for display purposes and are meant to enhance the presentation of a painting.
* '''Facilitation easels''' are for capturing audience or participant input and are meant to involve the participants with the content.
* '''Darkroom easels''' keep [[photographic paper]] in a flat or upright (horizontal, big-size enlarging) position to the [[enlarger]].
[[File:Maskownica.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Photographic easel mask]]
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==Use==
It is most often used to hold up a painter's [[canvas]] or large [[sketchbook]] while the artist is working, or to hold a completed painting for [[Art exhibition|exhibition]].
Here are some common uses for easels:
* '''Studio easels''' are meant for use in the artist's studio with limited need for the easel to be portable. Studio easels may be simple in design or very complex, including [[winch]]es, multiple masts and [[caster]]s. The largest easels are studio easels, with some being able to support panels weighing over 200&nbsp;pounds and measuring over 7 feet in height.
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* '''Field easels''' or '''plein air easels''' <ref>{{Cite web|last=Raybould|first=Barry John|title=Plein Air Easels: 2021 buyers' guide to the best easels|date=6 May 2021|url=https://www.virtualartacademy.com/plein-air-easel/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420165349/https://www.virtualartacademy.com/plein-air-easel/ |archive-date=2020-04-20 }}</ref> are meant to be portable for the creation of ''[[en plein air]]'' work. These easels are usually midsize or small, have telescopic or collapsible legs and are based on the tripod design. ''French box easels'' include a compartment in which to store [[art supplies]] conveniently along with a handle or straps so that the French box may be carried like a [[briefcase]] or a [[backpack]].
* '''Display easels''' are meant for the display of finished artworks. These easels tend to be very simple in design with less concern for the stability needed by a working artist. Display easels vary in size and sturdiness depending upon the weight and size of the object to be placed on them.
* '''Facilitation easels''' hold large pads of paper and have trays for holding markers of varying colors
* '''Mini easels''' are similar in design to display easels but scaled down to accommodate photos or flyers
* '''Darkroom easels''' hold [[photographic paper]] perfectly flat during exposure. Some of these easels are designed with adjustable, overlapping, flat steel "blades" to crop the image on the paper to the desired size while keeping an unexposed white border around the image.
==References==
{{Commons category|Easels}}
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==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2024-04-28|En-Easel-article.ogg}}
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[[Category:Furniture]]
[[Category:Painting materials]]
[[Category:Photography equipment]]