Work in Progress - Studying an Old Master

I'm posting an update on study project that I am leading a student through.

It's an age old tradition of artists studying (copying) the works of masters before them.

The main advantage to doing this, is the master artist has already done all of the hard work of simplifying the subject for you. Unlike a camera, the painter can choose which details to keep or lose.

As a painter, you can massage the image to lead the viewer's eye. Here in lies the lessons from the masters.

Other lessons also include the choice of colours (palette), composition and brush technique.

With my student working beside me, I often noted their tendency to use their tools in set ways, such holding the brush or the type of brush strokes they use. Yes, such things do play an important role in the end result.

Think of it like handwriting. Each of us hold our pens or pencils in a particular way, which gives us our unique handwriting. So to with brushes and paint, one creates a handwriting on the canvas surface with the paint. With the correct flick of the hand, the illusion of detail can be created, rather than laboriously created in detail.

A certain amount of experience and insight is required to deconstruct a painting. Most beginners will miss these flourishes and still fall into the illusions that the master has conjured in paint.

This is something that is completely lost in AI "artists". They think it is all about the image, because they want the end result right NOW and more, more, more! True artwork is about experiencing and understanding, the process. It is a journey of discovery into your own perceptions and that of others.

Those that seek instant gratification without the discipline of (self) learning will never gain any level of (self) mastery, rather, they (their perception) will be mastered (manipulated) by the tools they use.

Studying the Masters is as much about learning from them as it is about learning about yourself. You have to be self-aware, and be able to self-reflect to understand the difference in your own work and that you study. With such insights you can then practice modifying your technique and thereby make progress.

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