Learning From The Masters
Copying is part of the learning experience.
Hey @Garyvee challenge accepted!!
I went to the School of Visual Arts and had alot of great instructors that taught me techniques in drawing, painting, composition, tools of the trade and so much more. But, my greatest lessons came to me on the museum floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and Uffizi. My journey began in 1992 when I started taking watercolor class with Irwin Greenberg a white haired man with a beard and one eye half closed that did these small intricate watercolors on bristol paper.
The morning of that first class we had a few hours of drawing the model from life where he would walk around and help us in our craft. During our breaks “Greeny” as we called him took out large books with reproductions of master artists and he would discuss in detail specific pieces in the book. This became a tradition in his class and each week he would show us artists such as Sargent, Bougereau, and Valazquez to name a few.
When at an impasse, look at the work of masters.
(Irwin Greenberg)
The first assignment from Greeny was to go to the Metroplotan Museum of Art and copy a drawing or painting in our sketchbooks and report what we have learned the next week in his class. A small group of us with easels and sketchbooks in hand traveled to the Met, we walked around looking for works that inspired us to be better artists. As we walked around we saw many other copyists at the Met looking, sketching, painting and studying. What finally caught my eye was Rembrandt and I sat down with my sketchbook in hand and started to sketch and boy did the final drawing suck…terrible.
The next week Greeny did a sketchbook review walking around looking at everyones work, giving critiques, advice and support. Each week Greeny would stress how we should copy as many master artists as we can in the museums and buy high quality art books so that we can copy and draw as much as possible.
As week’s and month’s went by I noticed how much I improved by copying the Old Masters, looking at their techniques, the way they bagan a painting, how a brushtroke was applied, color theory and so much more. Greeny stressed taking what we learned from them and make it our own, find our style.
IPad Painting After Robert Henri
Unfortunatly, I do not paint as much as I used to but the lesson of copying from the masters has stayed with me throughout my life. Now I search out the masters in what I want to do, read, learn and imitate in the hopes of learning as much as I can and find my own style. No matter what your business, dream or craft is make sure to copy from the masters in your field, learn what they did and make it your own.
