19th century painting and photography
Added 2022-10-30 23:07:31 +0000 UTCI've been thinking a lot about new work that I would like to do in the near future, and this Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret keeps coming back as a source of inspiration. The use of B&W imagery in this piece brings to mind the project we are currently filming, A Natural Approach.
What I want you to notice about his technique here is not just the similarities of pose; though they are striking, and what he did or didn't render from the photographic reference. Rather, examine each image and see how successful Bouveret is at conceiving of space three-dimensionally within the canvas.
I've seen this painting in-person at an exhibit years ago in NYC and it left another major impression on me during my studies.
The difference between the two color replication images of the painting are fascinating to look at side by side. For a long time I forgot how subtle the value relationships are in the original.
With time, I will try to push my current painting of Emerson's photograph Poling The Marsh Hay to a high degree of finish.
While at the Getty out in Los Angeles, I was impressed again by the piece by Alma Tadema; Spring. There are many differences in style and execution between him and Bouveret, yet they both have phenomenal drawing skills, amazing color harmony, unmatched brushwork etc. They also have a really high degree of form resolved throughout the work.... Going back to the first thought, this is where I feel the need to return to in my own painting moving forward.
You'll find that as you paint for a really long time like I have, you continue to learn all the time, so we should embrace our daily experiences as they are and have fun with it wherever we are on the spectrum.
