Ms. Lang, you are a fantastic artist and a great and thoughtful teacher. I do agree 100% with your emphasis on the critical importance of master copies. I do disagree with your analogy not to be contrary but because a beginner may, wrongly, be discouraged from working from nature or imagination in exchange for copying. Allow me to explain: when someone practices piano by playing a piece by Mozart, their other choice is not just walking around and play what they hear. Our environment does not play classical music. But a visual artist can walk around and look at things and paint them. Music is an extreme abstraction of nature in a way that visual are is not (abstract art notwithstanding). You can’t learn the piano by just sitting and playing from scratch because you have no point of reference in your environment. That’s not the case w painting. I had a professor who recommended two things: alternate between master copies and your own because you get to do better in your work and conversely in understanding masters, secondly, he recommended that whenever you hit those difficult times in your work, set your painting aside for a short time, copy a master (choosing one the same way you recommended) and then go back to your own. My apologies for the long windedness. And thank you for sharing your insight and talent and skill.
Sounds good, to "chew gum and walk at the same time", we should have enough time to do both copies and original work, since most of us already do that. For me it's Edgar Payne for landscapes, and Vermeer for figures. I try to copy the stye more than the actual piece of a master, living or deceased, depending on the genre. For example, some of the masters' posing for portraits, or choice of scenery is great to mimic, and many masters have mimicked the masters that went before to get insights into their working method if not by doing actual copies. Renoir for example is said to have said, after a visit to the museums in Rome, where he saw many master works. "I cannot draw, nor can I paint", and worked hard afterward I guess on both. So, the proof is in his body of work, like it or not. I'm not a "great fan" but do have his "great bathers" (a few naked young women in a river) as a print, hanging in my bathroom; they seem "appropriate" for the setting, LOL!!
Food for thought; where in nature do you find two dimensional pictures of three dimensional objects? It takes time for the human brain to learn to understand two dimensional pictures. Especially impressionistic ones. That’s why a lot of people only enjoy hyper realistic paintings. Their brains don’t know how to fill in the blanks.
Hey Chelsea. I'm a hobby artist, & honestly I'm not great, but not bad. I've progressed & improved quite a bit anyway. But I'll never cease to be so damn impressed & just in awe by the artists like yourself who have put in the time & effort to become so gracefully proficient at creating something beautiful. Thanks for your videos!
You are a great inspiration to me ! and I love it when the painter includes the reference while painting. This for me, is the best way to see into an artist's method 🙂
You are so incredibly talented! I started drawing realistic pencil drawings about 2 years ago, then I wanted to start painting. I'm getting better..I even sold a painting at our local Christmas Market! It was a landscape. That really encouraged me. My goal is to paint faces like this one. The problem is that I'm a perfectionist and it's hard for me to paint loosely, but I'm getting there!
Just wanted to say that I always enjoy looking at your videos and look forward to them! Bouguereau is one of my favorite painters so this video especially was a joy. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, I can't wait to see the end result next week. 😊
That analogy of learning piano is so real, I never felt any resistance to learning other already existing pieces when I was learning guitar, but its never felt the same painting other artists' works when really it is the same
Four years of art school and I'm only now finding such amazing old masters in my second year after graduating. Not to mention finding more RUclips artists to learn from.
Ms. Lang, you are a fantastic artist and a great and thoughtful teacher. I do agree 100% with your emphasis on the critical importance of master copies. I do disagree with your analogy not to be contrary but because a beginner may, wrongly, be discouraged from working from nature or imagination in exchange for copying. Allow me to explain: when someone practices piano by playing a piece by Mozart, their other choice is not just walking around and play what they hear. Our environment does not play classical music. But a visual artist can walk around and look at things and paint them. Music is an extreme abstraction of nature in a way that visual are is not (abstract art notwithstanding). You can’t learn the piano by just sitting and playing from scratch because you have no point of reference in your environment. That’s not the case w painting. I had a professor who recommended two things: alternate between master copies and your own because you get to do better in your work and conversely in understanding masters, secondly, he recommended that whenever you hit those difficult times in your work, set your painting aside for a short time, copy a master (choosing one the same way you recommended) and then go back to your own. My apologies for the long windedness. And thank you for sharing your insight and talent and skill.
Sounds good, to "chew gum and walk at the same time", we should have enough time to do both copies and original work, since most of us already do that. For me it's Edgar Payne for landscapes, and Vermeer for figures. I try to copy the stye more than the actual piece of a master, living or deceased, depending on the genre. For example, some of the masters' posing for portraits, or choice of scenery is great to mimic, and many masters have mimicked the masters that went before to get insights into their working method if not by doing actual copies. Renoir for example is said to have said, after a visit to the museums in Rome, where he saw many master works. "I cannot draw, nor can I paint", and worked hard afterward I guess on both. So, the proof is in his body of work, like it or not. I'm not a "great fan" but do have his "great bathers" (a few naked young women in a river) as a print, hanging in my bathroom; they seem "appropriate" for the setting, LOL!!
Food for thought; where in nature do you find two dimensional pictures of three dimensional objects? It takes time for the human brain to learn to understand two dimensional pictures. Especially impressionistic ones. That’s why a lot of people only enjoy hyper realistic paintings. Their brains don’t know how to fill in the blanks.
This is exactly how I became a portrait artist. Love bougueureau . Thanks for your video
Hey Chelsea. I'm a hobby artist, & honestly I'm not great, but not bad. I've progressed & improved quite a bit anyway. But I'll never cease to be so damn impressed & just in awe by the artists like yourself who have put in the time & effort to become so gracefully proficient at creating something beautiful. Thanks for your videos!
You are a great inspiration to me ! and I love it when the painter includes the reference while painting. This for me, is the best way to see into an artist's method 🙂
I've been looking for a video like this foreverrrrrr
I suppose some others have tooooooooooo! LOL ;D
You are so incredibly talented! I started drawing realistic pencil drawings about 2 years ago, then I wanted to start painting. I'm getting better..I even sold a painting at our local Christmas Market! It was a landscape. That really encouraged me. My goal is to paint faces like this one. The problem is that I'm a perfectionist and it's hard for me to paint loosely, but I'm getting there!
He was the most stunning artist especially his religious paintings. I have large prints of his works hanging in my home.
Just wanted to say that I always enjoy looking at your videos and look forward to them! Bouguereau is one of my favorite painters so this video especially was a joy. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, I can't wait to see the end result next week. 😊
That analogy of learning piano is so real, I never felt any resistance to learning other already existing pieces when I was learning guitar, but its never felt the same painting other artists' works when really it is the same
Can you mention the colors you are using in the painting?please
our museum (New Orleans) has several Bouguereaus, silky!
so stunning you are such an inspiration 😊😊
Four years of art school and I'm only now finding such amazing old masters in my second year after graduating. Not to mention finding more RUclips artists to learn from.
I adore Bouguereau! I think it was his paintings that cemented my desire to be an artist 🎨
What colors do you usually use on your pallette?
I really enjoy your videos.
For old master technique one requires a dry brush too.
Stunning stuff... maybe breath in between sentences....
I think that's what they call "editing"!! Get it?! ;D LOL