An Interesting Learning Exercise
I came across this interesting idea on the website for American Watercolor magazine for learning from the Masters and sharpening both our skills and our powers of observation. I thought I would share it with the members of the forum.
The learning exercise is to take a painting by a Master painter, such as someone like, John Singer Sargent, and make your own version of it, but there is a twist… you copy it in the opposite medium. If the painting is in oil, you copy it in watercolor, and if the painting is in watercolor, you do your version in oil or perhaps pastel or acrylic.
It is written by artist Stewart White. White explains the lessons he learns from each exercise he does. For example, from his watercolor copy of Sargent’s A Spanish Figure in oil:
"Lessons learned: By copying work like this I become attuned to Sargent’s decision making. I am aware of his attention to nuanced passages in the study and also where he merely indicates a texture or shape. I learned from my copy that I have a tendency to use more chroma than I actually see — not a bad thing, just something to keep in mind."
Things such as these are wonderful to learn about oneself as an artist that one might not ordinarily discover for oneself.
He says that he tries not to spend more than 30-40 minutes on each study.
The Article:
https://americanwatercolor.net/flip-the-script-on-sargent-and-sorolla/
White’s website:
https://www.stewartwhitestudios.com
What do you think about this way of improving your skills and insights as an artist?
Yes, Ricardo, I think the points that you enumerate are precisely the point about the article itself and of this time-honored method of learning, especially for beginners and intermediate painters. Those decisions and intimidating aspects for beginners are taken off the table and one is more free to concentrate on skill building and accumulating the brush miles.
Think of what can be learned when you actively observe the myriad of decisions the artist has made and then have a dialogue with the painting and with the artist and you follow along by copying the work. "Hmmmm.....Wonder why the artist did such and such with the elements of composition?" "Oh, so that's what is meant by placing the areas of greater contrast in the area of the focal point!" "I wonder if I can make my values work as effectively." "I wonder if I can achieve the wonderful aerial perspective I see in this painting." And many more valuable interactions ...
So many things that the beginner, working from his or her own limited knowledge base and understanding, over the course of time would have had to struggle to discover. Things that perhaps never would have been discovered if working without the example, but these concerns have been set aside for the moment, and one is free to learn by emulating the skills of the creator of the painting under study.
I think your study of the Monet is a wonderful illustration of what can be learned in this way.
And it seems to be illustrative of a happy learning experience on your part! 😊