On Painting

Sargent and Impressionism

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:21:00 +0000

The following is in response to being told of an art critic who criticized Sargent for not being an innovator:

That's a very interesting topic because Sargent incorporated Impressionism into his own way of painting which was the classical style that he received from the training from Carolus Duran, but he didn't take it on the way the Impressionists did, he retained his brushstroke (massing as it is called or in the art history books they will call it "long brush strokes" and the Impressionists "short brush strokes" ) and the classic shadow system but he used it in incorporating color into his portraits and especially in his landscapes. It's nothing new, Walter Sickert criticized Sargent as not being a real painter, I think he said he was too classical and not open to experimenting with new ways of color. Also he was criticized by the famous Impressionist Pissaro who said he was not a real painter, he was well and good as a boring classicist but didn't do the serious kind of painting that he did. He had been helpful to his son, financially I believe, and I believe Pissaro's statement concerning Sargent was an aside to his son. What is really interesting though is that Sargent was totally impressed with Impressionism and was totally affected by it, he just didn't paint like the rest of them, it probably wasn't a conscious decision, after learning such great classical technique, wouldn't it be better to incorporate it into his painting rather than abandoning the wonderful classical technique he had learned. I say this because he did love the work of Monet. I don't use the word lightly, he was really impressed and told all his friends about how great is was. He helped put Monet's paintings in museums and galleries and found the first American buyers for Monet which are now in important collections and museums in the US. He was so enamored he sought him out to learn from him. You're probably familiar with the famous painting he did of Monet painting at Giverny. And there has been recent scholarship that has come out in the past year or so showing that it went even further than had previously been known. The Adelson Gallery in New York worked with getting this out, they bought many of the letters that went up for auction, well they bought all but one in fact which I'll mention about, all the letters from Monet that they exchanged and mostly it's Sargent being effusive about how great Monet was. The one letter which they didn't buy the Musee d'orsay bought because it referred to Olympia. Sargent was also enamored of Manet's paintings. What he liked about it was the reduction of values which was Manet's innovation - reducing the use of half tone, which like Monet he incorporated into his own painting. He petitioned a group of people including artists to raise money for the Musee d'orsay to purchase the painting by Manet which he was able to do. I know all this because last year when the Spanierman gallery had a Sargent show titled Sargent and Impressionism I was lucky enough to get a catalog for the show which they were giving away for free which they quickly ran out of and in it is all this information. So I would say Sargent DID jump on the bandwagon but he was too talented and skillful to paint like the others but rather added it or grafted it onto the way he was already painting which of course was magnificent at early age in his 20's. And he was criticized even in his own day for not being a "real" painter which I think came out of misunderstanding and maybe jealousy. So to that charge (by the art critic) I would say, do some homework but he would still probably say Sargent wasn't a real painter which I think comes down to really having an eye for painting and an eye for art, which you don't need any critic to explain to you.

Passionate Painter in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:33:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:15:00 +0000

Photo of the Artist at Work at Pier 16

Here I am painting a subject matter inspired by my hero John Singer Sargent and I couldn't help but notice a similarity between me and the famous photo of Sargent painting a watercolor with his umbrella and tripod easel. Such a giant and I am a meager beginner compared to him truth be told but I enjoyed seeing this photo to laugh at the similarities, first of all: painting subject matter just like him, then with an umbrella, same exact easel for painting with watercolor, trying to paint a size worthy of Sargent (14x20") and then sitting on a stool rather than standing, HAH!!! The only thing missing is the rope around my leg, which might have helped!

Thank you to Hubert Larose of Hubert Larose Photographe (Davy Eagle) for taking this wonderful photograph. Visit his facebook page at facebook.com/hubertlarosephotographe

Masters of Color and Light

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:40:00 +0000

Sargent
Pomegranates
Transparent watercolor with touches of opaque watercolor over graphite on cream, medium-weight, moderately textured wove paper, 21 1/4 x 14 7/16"

I'm reading (and enjoying the reproductions of) a wonderful book entitled Masters of Color and Light: Homer, Sargent and the American Watercolor Movement by Linda S. Ferber and Andrew W. Mellon. The book accompanied the exhibition held at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1998 which I was fortunate enough to have attended. Aside from the artists and what went into the making of the watercolors themselves, the book goes into the historical context of where and when the paintings were shown, peoples' reactions to the paintings and coverage by the press - the critics, both pro and con, and the history of acquisitions of paintings, much of which is centered around The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences which became the Brooklyn Museum of Art. As a resident of Brooklyn for over 20 years, I find the history fascinating, which again, is a wonderful bonus to the text concerning the artists themselves and the wonderful reproductions of the paintings. In addition to Sargent and Homer, other artists covered are William Trost Richards, Thomas Moran, Francis Silva, Edwin Austin Abbey, Thomas Eakins and earlier and more contemporary artists. (The text focuses most prominently on the first three of those mentioned.)

Here is an interesting direct quote found in the book by critic Royal Cortissoz concerning an exhibit of Sargent's watercolors:

It is hard to say which is the more impressive, the freshness and individuality with which each subject is invested or the technical mastery everywhere disclosed. Mr. Sargent has made himself free of the very genius of water color. It is suggestive to note, by the way, that in one respect he is, indeed, more felicitous in his handling of the medium than in his oil paintings. The color in the latter is not always rich in quality. As has more than once been pointed out in these columns, Mr. Sargent's color is frequently wanting in deep transparency, in timbre. But in these sketches of his the color is beyond praise, it is true and it is beautiful. Best of all, it is gloriously saturated in light. Turning his back on the studio in which he has produced so many masterpieces of portraiture, he has plunged into the open air as into an element. Nature, living and breathing, is reflected in these water colors. They vibrate with energy. And, running through the riot of light and color, you feel the force of a great artist's knowledge. How magnificently sure and right it all is! Only a man of genius could have done this work.

Anatomy of Movement

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:18:00 +0000

I would like to bring to light a little known anatomy book, little known it seems because I've never heard any of my artists friends refer to it or speak about it. The book is called Anatomy of Movement and it's by Blandine Calais-Germain. I had heard about it in an article by Chris Landreth, a well-known filmmaker/animator in the field of computer graphics. The book anyway, is really wonderful; individual muscles are shown and actions explained with really wonderful illustrations showing isolated muscles, showing their function with the bones they act upon and many terms and concepts are explained throughout the book

Statement

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 05:20:00 +0000

Painters paint, they don't generally speak or write, they paint and say things that words can't express. There are painters who do write beautifully and who may be great public speakers, nonetheless what is expressed through the art of painting can only be expressed in that medium. Yet, as artists seeking to support themselves through their art, we are expected to explain ourselves. When we meet someone, and are asked, what kind of art do you do, we should be able to formulate a thought or an idea about what motivates us as an artist - this is our "statement".
On my computer I have about 15 statements that I've saved as I try to refine my statement. I think I've finally hit upon a fairly good one that summarizes my thoughts about how I go about this pursuit of being an artist.

"God’s glorious creation, the natural world, and its never ending, ever changing, harmonious, multitudenous array of visual delights is always a wonder to behold and is my greatest inspiration as an artist. Also I am inspired by and feel a kinship for the “brotherhood” of great artists of the past, and present, who motivate me to strive for greater artistic excellence. The highest aim of an artist is move the viewer, to elicit an emotion. Toward that end I use the artistic principles handed down from the Renaissance to my teachers, Frank Mason, Maynard Stewart, and Thomas Torak. The goal of these principles is the representation of three-dimensional form revealed by light through the veil of atmosphere. One common factor among the artists I most admire, which includes among others, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Frans Hals and John Singer Sargent is that their works is suggestive rather than literal. In other words, I seek the essential, to paint with “the fewest strokes possible to express a fact”.*

*from the notes of Miss Heyneman

John Sargent With Reproductions from His Paintings and Drawings

WAH Salon Art Club Show

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 06:54:00 +0000

I have two paintings on view at the WAH Center in Brooklyn, the opening of which is tomorrow night. I painted the facade of the Kings County Savings Bank (now home of the WAH Center) when I moved to Williamsburg in the summer of 1989.

Business Card

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 06:06:00 +0000

Designed a new business card.

Rembrandt's Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:57:00 +0000

Supper at Emmaus
Paper mounted on panel, 37.4 x 42.3 cm

I finally finished it, I think it took me over a year, and I stopped in the middle of it, but once I got toward the end of the book, I found it harder and harder to put down. I would say this biography on Rembrandt is probably the best biography on an artist that I have read and may be the best one out there, period. It goes into great detail and gives historical context, and starts out telling the story of Ruben's parents and goes into Ruben's life for a good portion of the book as Rubens was the most influential artist of the age and Rembrandt's greatest influence as well, at least certainly in his early career. Rembrandt's earliest religious compositions took from Rubens, Carravagio and his own teacher, Pieter Lastman, but his own meditations on the Bible brought him to interpretations that were uniquely his own. For instance, in the painting The Supper at Emmaus in the Musée Jacquenmart Andre, Jesus is completely in shadow, silhouetted against an intense light. After his ascension Jesus appeared, disappeared and reappeared to his disciples* (to illustrate that he is present among us even when he doesn't appear to be so) and Rembrandt is playing upon this idea in the painting.

*Luke 24:13-36, other examples: John 20:19, 20:26, and 21:1-7

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:34:00 +0000

In the 90's I worked as a graphic designer using Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark to make a living. In 2000 I left that world to pursue painting full time. Recently I decided to see if I could use Photoshop to create fine art. This image represents my first effort in that regard, it's my first digital painting.

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:50:00 +0000

I got it at the stage where I felt like I wanted to start adding color. I made a new layer in Photoshop and set the blending mode to color. This allowed me to quickly colorize the image. Although you get quick results this way, it has the look of a hand tinted photo similar to what you would see in an old National Geographic magazine or vintage post card. To counter this effect I used the desaturate tool (sponge) to selectively desaturate areas. To continue to refine it further I'll use normal brushes to develop the color more closely rather than using the color blending mode.

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:09:00 +0000

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 07:48:00 +0000

Worked on it a bit more, getting closer to having the values and drawing where it should be.

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:16:00 +0000

This represents the progress I was able to make working on it tonight. Once I get the values worked out I'll start going for color. Looking forward to getting to that stage.

Bruno Lucchesi

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 02:48:00 +0000

Recess
Bronze

Today I was honored to receive the book Modeling the Figure in Clay from Bruno Lucchesi which he graciously signed for me. If you are a sculptor you no doubt are familiar with it however I highly recommend his book to any painter or student of anatomy or 3D artist interested in representing the human figure. The book documents as he creates the skeleton in clay and then beginning with deep muscles, building up, muscle by muscle, the entire anatomy of the body and finally the fat and skin covering the underlying anatomy.

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:10:00 +0000

Worked a bit more on it. Just working on getting the values in the right range before working on refining drawing.

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:46:00 +0000

A little bit further along. Developed drawing just a little more and wanted to get a feel for color so just jumped in and started throwing color. But I'm going to slow down from this point and work out just the black and white on one layer and get that refined before moving in and really focusing on the color.

Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 06:33:00 +0000

I just got a Wacom tablet and this is my first image that I've started working on. This shows the progress of one day's worth of work from the conception. After I worked out my own composition and idea from imagination, I looked to various reference, mainly Murillo's Adoration of the Shepherds. I find working with the tablet in Photoshop I wonderful diversion and intend to continue working this image up.

How to Become a Famous Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:16:00 +0000

Les Miserables

I'm in the first few pages of what appears to be a really good book. It's by an artist named W. Joe Innis and the title is How to Become a Famous Artist and Still Paint Pictures
.

Belvedere Castle, July 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Belvedere Castle, July 2010
oil on panel on canvas, 12 x 16"

When I scanned this and looked at it I didn't think it was too good because it was so "loose", too loose and sloppy I thought. But now that I look at it I think it has a unity and harmony, what you would call "envelope" meaning an atmosphere that holds it together. I've painted this scene many times. The first time I painted it in '89 or so Dick Cavett and some Japanese tourists were behind me having a conversation and watching me as I painted.

Lydia entered in Boldbrush contest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 03:00:00 +0000

If you like my painting please give it a vote. Thanks.

Please support me
by voting
for my art!

September 2010

Painting Contest by

BoldBrush

Sponsor:

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Artist Websites

Man with a Glove

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:02:00 +0000

Titian
Oil on canvas, 39.4 x 35"

The more loosely and boldly a portrait is painted, the more life it possesses.
Frank Slater

Practical directions for portrait painting

Horse at Artisans Gate, Central Park

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:50:00 +0000

watercolor & gouache, 10 x 14"

This started out as a pure watercolor but then I wanted to make a correction which forced me to use gouache so I dove in and used white gouache alone and with mixtures selectively. So this painting has areas of "pure" or transparent watercolor and some areas of opaque watercolor.

The "True" Color Wheel (part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 May 2010 07:43:00 +0000

I'm going to give simple instructions here to learn the Munsell color wheel. The Munsell color wheel has a different set of complimentary colors than the traditional color wheel of 3 complimentary and 3 secondary colors. In the Munsell Color wheel there are 5 primaries rather than three and a total of 10 colors rather than 6, but this is not important so don't worry about that. Our goal here is to be able to recall the complimentary color pairs to aid us in color mixing and neutralizing and for creating complimentary color harmonies in our paintings. So here we go (this should be fairly quick and simple, and painless I might ad.)
In college students use acronyms as an aid in memorizing different topics. I've come up with a few memory tricks of my own to aid in remembering the Munsell color wheel. In the traditional color wheel consisting of 3 primaries and 3 secondaries we have red, yellow and blue along with orange, green and purple. With the exception of orange these are the "primaries" of the Munsell color wheel. Orange in the Munsell system is called yellow-orange. You'll notice that some of the colors are "one-name" and some are "two-name" (example: yellow is a "one-name" and yellow-green is a "two-name") (the "one-names" are considered the primaries and the "two-names" are considered the secondary colors)
To begin with, the aforementioned orange (or red-yellow as it is called) has as it's complimentary blue and this pair of complimentaries is the only pair which matches the traditional complimentary colors. For every set of complimentary colors, a "one-name" is the opposite of a "two-name" (which orange being called red-yellow helps maintain consistency).
OK, now for the memory trick to remember the remaining compliments, for every "one-name" it's opposite is a cool variation of the traditional compliment. For example the opposite of green is not red but it's cool variant, red-purple. OK, that's it, apply that trick to each color and you've got it.
Continuing with the remainders we'll find that
the opposite of yellow is not purple but purple-blue
the opposite of red is not green but blue-green
the opposite of purple is not yellow but yellow-green
and that's it, we're done, we've named the five set of complimentary colors of the Munsell color wheel.
I devised this memory trick myself, I haven't come across it anywhere else, I hope it will help you remember the Munsell color wheel and aid you in your painting and color mixing.

Review

Blue is opposite of Yellow-Red
Green is opposite of Red-Purple
Yellow is opposite of Purple-Blue
Red is opposite of Blue-Green
Purple is opposite of Yellow-Green

John Singer Sargent

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 May 2010 06:21:00 +0000

Portrait of Mme. Reytiens
Oil on Canvas, 29 x 19 14&frac;"