Copying the 19th-Century Nude Studio Course (Cahir Arts)

Master Copy Painting Tradition

“When the Louvre was first opened to the public in 1793, it set aside five of every ten days exclusively for artists to study and copy its collection…. When the first American museums were formed nearly a century later, they adopted the Louvre’s policy; giving artists and students permission to paint or model from the works in their galleries became a fundamental means of museum education. As the tenets of modernism finally began to be incorporated into professional art education in the 1930s, copying as a basic learning tool lost ground.”

– Source: The Art Museum as Education

French Neoclassical Painting

In this short course you will learn the time-honoured steps and techniques involved in painting the figure in oils. To do this you will reproduce one of two famous works by the French Neoclassical masters, Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). Both of these painters followed in the tradition of Raphael and had a profound influence on future artists including Degas, Matisse and Picasso. Copying the masters has been the traditional way of learning how to paint for centuries. It is how they learned and mastered their craft. The artists in focus will be:

• David Patroclus (1780)
• Ingres The Valpinçon Bather (1808)

Figure Painting Methods & Techniques

There are many brands of realism and representation, all equally valid yet different, and being aware of different approaches will help to broaden your own palette. Many painting techniques will be discussed, explained and demonstrated, including:

• Dry brush technique
• Paint handling and brushwork
• Blending, handling transitions, and edge quality
• Glazing and sfumato
• Understanding and using different solvents and mediums

You will learn how to capture the gesture and spirit of any pose as well as understanding the fundamental structure and anatomy of the human body. Our study of anatomy, however, will be limited to only what we need to know as artists, to help us identify and render important forms and landmarks in the body. You will also be shown how to simplify the human figure and then slowly build the forms that make up this complex subject.

The role of light and shadow on the figure and how they reveal form will be explained in detail, and you will be shown how to achieve these light effects convincingly.