Master Copies

Through the ages artists have copied the work of others. Artists then and now copy mostly to learn: how did the master mix a certain color, how did he make those brush strokes, what went into the composition, the figure or face, and on and on. Rubens copied daVinci. Manet copied Velazquez. Van Gogh copied Japanese prints. I am no exception. Over the years I've copied artists from daVinci to Freud, including Durer, Velazquez, Hals, Fragonard, Kathe Kollwitz, and even Andy Warhol. Here are a few.

"After daVinci," digital drawing

In copying Leonardo (above) my interest was centered not only on his flawless technique but also on continuing to practice using a digital art program called Sketchbook. This particular drawing was done using an old technique called chiaroscuro. 

"The Large Turf, after Albrecht Durer," watercolor and ink, 2012

One of the true art masters of the last several centuries is Albrecht Durer  (1471-1528). In particular, his watercolors of seemingly mundane subjects--a rabbit, a lump of grass and weeds--simply sing, even after half a millennium. When I copied The Large Turf my interest was simply to understand what could have been involved in making such an image. This work is a large one at something like 11x14, bigger than many watercolors I'd done up to then. 

"Rene Descartes (after Hals)," oil on panel

Probably one of the greatest portraitists in history is Franz Hals (1580-1666), the great Dutch painter. Arguably, his bravura brushwork has never been equalled. His portrait of the famous mathematician and philosopher has been a particular favorite of mine and I copied it simply out of an enduring respect for the work.

"Self Portrait (after Kollewitz)," oil on panel

In making a copy of Kathe Kollwitz' self portrait bust the point was to capture an emotional likeness. Ms. Kollwitz (1867-1945) was more graphic artist than painter, and her self portraits are particularly poignant. She grew up in Germany and suffered through several of that nation's wars, in particular World Wars I and II. She was a brilliant artist and the first woman elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts, but the wars took her son Peter in 1914 and the Nazis took her professorship and prevented her from exhibiting. This is a monochromatic oil but the original was a bust.

"George Washington (after J.C. Leyendecker)," oil on panel

This profile portrait of George Washington is a copy of an illustration by the great J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951), who illustrations reached millions in the early 20th century. His way with color, brushwork, and composition are wonderful. I did this copy some years ago to study how he put this particular portrait together. The original was a painting of a framed portrait with a white background, but I added the red and white strips as an allusion to the U.S. flag.