Copying The Masters
Why copy the Masters?
A lot of people ask me, “why do you copy other people's paintings?” and say it's not very original. One woman exploded in rage when she found me copying her nephew’s delightful oil painting, “Why are you doing that?” As if I was committing a crime!
Copying the Masters is a long accepted method of development of artistic and technical skills. It was taught in the great art schools of Italy and students were always encouraged to learn by copying.
“Copy then make it your own…” is frequently exhorted.
Of course, you learn by copying just as you learn handwriting or cooking or woodwork. But, unless you have next to no imagination, your own paintings will always convey your own message better, your own and totally unique style.
Here is some examples I have been copying:
A copy of a small Seurat painting i found at the Courtauld Gallery in 2022. Its a small piece, but very interesting as it was from the transitional period when he began to move style from impressionism to pointilism.
A city scene by Frank Auerbach copied. I learnt a lot about his gestural brush stroking technique. Very difficult to copy! Quite a free, energetic style.
Another Frank Auerbach, city scene with exciting morning sky. Again, hard to get his colours and the freshness of his work. I am working in acrylic for speed, but he worked in oils, which must have meant lots of waiting for layers to dry.
The Healing Tree - our chestnut tree as inspiration, using the styles from above. The chestntut is about fifty years old and a host to a wide range of insects and birds. Of course squirrels love the tree in autumn and spend hours climbing right to the top and consuming the very last chestnut.
