Master Copies

Through the ages, probably since people have been making images, new artists have learned the craft in  part by making copies of works by their masters. Studios in the Renaissance (and probably earlier) kept drawings and paintings for their apprentices to study and reproduce. Although my own learning experiences are not based in the ancient atelier system, I've spent time with many old paintings and drawings, doing my best to emulate what I saw.

These are all my copies of originals by artists of the past. 

"Patton (after JCL)," oil on panel, 11x14

This painting is a copy of a work by the peerless J.C. Leyendecker, a gifted illustrator whose works a century or so ago were the envy of many, even Norman Rockwell. In this work my interest was in discovering how Leyendecker managed to render the general's leather jacket. I think this was a work supporting World War II war bonds.

"After Fragpmard." oil on panel, 11x14

This one, an 18th century work by the French rococo paint Jean-Honoré Fragonard, "A Young Girl Reading," is one of a famous series of tronies he made--that is, studies of expression, body types, situations, and so on that are not portraits in the traditional sense. In this particular work, Fragonard's genius with color is clear. My interest was in the beauty of the dress.   

"Achilles and Chrion," (after Herculaneum mural), oil on panel

This one was painted after a mural discovered in the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum, The image shows Chiron, the "wisest of the centaurs" teaching Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, how to play a lyre. Although damaged, the image was clear enough to copy.

"Rockwell," after NR, charcoal on paper 20x16

Finally, here's a copy of a Norman Rockwell self portrait, done in charcoal on newsprint. It's a portion of a Saturday Evening Post cover the artist made of a visit to a newspaper office, published in 1946, My main interest was in Rockwell's self portrait, though he placed it to the very far right edge of the painting to give space to the staff of a country newspaper.

Making copies of other artists' work is an exceptionally useful way to study on one's own, In my case not only do I make copies of the images in question but I often also experiment with media that are different from that used for the originals.