Aaron Hollands Art Blog
Going Fishing
My daughter, fishing in front of a new painting.
For:
Englebert Larsen Plumbing
Sturgeon Bay
Quo Vadis
Venetian Method:
I learned this method from Peter Bougie and Brian Lewis
while studying at The Bougie Studio.
Materials:
Toned canvas, Alkyd Flake White, Green Umber, Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS)
Underpainting –
Paint in simple flat planes- all OPAQUE.
thin with OMS if needed, minimize brush strokes.
Concentrate on covering the canvas.
Keep the surface smooth and opaque.
Paint from background to foreground, and edge to edge.
Keep all the colors lighter than you want them to be in the finished painting.
Fully render the underpainting completely.
Allow the monochrome underpainting to dry as long as possible before glazing (minimum 1 month if using Alkyds, and up to 6 mos.) .
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Materials:
Full-color palette, Glazing Medium (Liquin), soft bristle brushes
Glazing –
Begin glazing transparently.
Thin colors (using glazing medium) to watercolor consistency.
Apply glazes in thin veils of color and in as large an area as possible in one sitting.
Allow to dry overnight.
Surface should be dry to the touch before glazing again.
keep transparent warmth in the shadows, and opaque and white in the lights.
Thin veils of color.
Lights should be reaffirmed throughout.
Repeat process until satisfied. Varnishing not necessary.
The Year in Plein Air 2009
60 sketches of Wisconsin:
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PPAP- click here
The Great Painters- series intro.
The library was set on a bluff above a small creek, surrounded by trees that camouflaged the nearby roads and buildings. The setting was peaceful, and well-lit inside. A wall of glass faced the bluff overlooking the winding stream. Lake Michigan was a half mile to the East, and its proximity created interesting atmospheric conditions that I would often find myself pondering.
All of this was the backdrop to my life at that time…
Dozens of wooden bookshelves divided the large library, and spacious tables were arranged geometrically throughout. The school did not have computers in our library while I was there (I am glad for that, or who knows where I would have ended up!). We actually had books, and lots of them.
There was no talking allowed; It was a very meditative environment. Most people chose to work on homework, it was therefore pointless to sit with anyone else. The majority of us would spread out and work quietly for 50 minutes each day on the huge wooden desks. I chose to spend the time absorbed in the thoughts and actions of great men and women. This was not a grand, intentional effort, but one that was likely a happy result of the surroundings.
I tried to position myself at a table that was near the art-book section in the back of the library, which just so happened to be directly next to the bright windows. I was rarely late for class, knowing that others wanted to sit there also. My habit was to grab a large stack of art books at the beginning of the study hall and work my way through them- one at a time – sometimes stopping to read a highlight or two, other times just looking at the pictures. It was then and there that I learned to appreciate the fine arts in a way that inspired me for life.
‘The Great Painters’ is a reflection on days spent pondering the work of great painters throughout history. I have chosen artists that are deceased for the simple reason that I do not have to concern myself as much with copyright infringement.
Needless to say, this is still evolving and incomplete…
I hope you enjoy ‘The Great Painters’ series as much as I have enjoyed putting it together!
Aaron Holland
2009
The Great Painters #1
Rembrandt van Rijn
1606 – 1669
Dutch
Rembrandt van Rijn was brought forth out of humble beginnings. He was the eighth of nine children. His father produced malt, a key ingredient in making beer. His mother was a baker’s daughter. Surprisingly, he was not expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, as was custom. Somehow, his parents afforded him the opportunity for a higher education.
When Rembrandt was 14 he was sent to grammar school at the University of Leiden. However, he showed no interest in his studies. At the age of 15 his father agreed that Rembrandt should study art, and he became apprenticed to a local painter for the next four years. Afterwards, he continued his training under a nationally recognized painter in Amsterdam. This training lasted a short six months, in which time he mastered his instruction, returned to Leiden, and immediately opened his own school.
Rembrandt was born and lived during a period of time known as the Dutch Golden Age which lasted most of the 17th century. This was an age of prosperity for much of the Netherlands, due in part to the prominent commercial seaport of Amsterdam, one of the most important in the world, and a newly won independence from Spanish tyranny. While not everyone benefited from this time of prosperity, most Dutch people enjoyed a higher standard of living.
During the Golden Age, social status was often determined by income. Fine art was one way that people displayed their affluence. In the newly wealthy Dutch colonies, merchants and other successful businessmen became patrons of art, and not just the Catholic Church, and Kings and Queens as in former times.
It became not only fashionable, but it became a consideration for members of any trade to have one‘s portrait or their family’s portrait painted. Rembrandt’s work was uniquely insightful, and skillfully handled. He was able to adapt his technique to suit the lavish tastes of his contemporaries in such a way as to became the leading portraitist in all of Holland. He became so well regarded for capturing the sitter’s character, and doing so with great sympathy, that he is considered one of the greatest portrait painters of all time.
Although protestant, Rembrandt also painted a huge number of religious paintings. In fact, religious work comprises almost one third of Rembrandts complete body of work. This is interesting because in that particular political climate ‘still life’, ‘landscape’ and ‘genre painting’ did very well, while paintings of ‘religious scenes’ had virtually no patrons and were therefore rarely painted.
Rembrandt painted self portraits as well, in fact, more than any other artist in history. Although it is impossible to say for sure, it is believed that he painted over 90 self-portraits during his career ranging from 1620 until his death in 1669.
“… he created an autobiography in art that is the equal of the finest ever produced in literature even of the intimately analytical Confessions of St. Augustine.” -quote unknown
Tragedy and success seemed to mar Rembrandt’s life, and follow each other in succession. By 1640 Rembrandt was the most successful painter in Amsterdam. He married Saskia (daughter of a wealthy magistrate and an art dealers niece).
Saskia gave birth to three children who died in infancy. In 1641 she gave birth to a son, Titus, shortly before she died in 1642 of Tuberculosis. A deep quietness marks Rembrandt’s work from this point on.
By the mid 1650s a severe downturn in the Dutch economy had a damaging affect on the art market. Popular tastes in Holland also shifted away from Rembrandt’s dark, somber paintings. Preferences turned instead towards a lighter palette and brighter tones.
Rembrandt took a second wife ( a common law marriage due to binding inheritance contracts after his first wife). She was taken by the plague in 1663. A short time later his last remaining son Titus died, leaving a daughter, Cornelia, from his second marriage. He himself passed the following year.
Rembrandt created more than 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 2000 drawings during his lifetime.
The Great Painters #2
Claude Monet
1840 – 1926
French
Art critic Louis Leroy coined the phrase ‘Impressionism’ when he wrote about Monet’s painting ‘Impression, Sunrise’:
‘when I beheld the work I thought that my glasses were dirty, what did this canvas mean?… The picture had neither up nor down… Impression! Of course, it makes an impression… Colored paper in his embrionary state is more complete than this sea-scene’.
Impressionism, like many movements, was a reaction against the movement of the day. It was also the result of the newly burgeoning plein-air scene (or painting outdoors on location).
The plein-air scene came about, at least in part, because of the advent of the lead tube which made artists’ oil paints portable.
Advancements in pigments and color, in addition to the invention of the lead tube, encouraged many artists to leave the somber hues of the studio and embrace the vivid colors of the outdoors in full sun. This had not been done before on any great scale, calling for a reassessment of painting.
Monet trained under the classical academic painter, Gleyre. Monet also learned from his friends, and from the landscape itself. It was around this time that he met other artists: Pisarro, Renoir, Sisley, Bazille, Cezanne and Manet, many of whom would later form the nucleus of the Impressionists.
These like-minded artists wanted to capture immediate and transitory effects that occurred in nature. To do so, they determined to paint direct from nature.
It is said that when Monet went to the Louvre to copy the masterworks, a traditional practice for young artists, he set up in front of a window and painted the landscape instead. This is an apt illustration of the disparity between the old school and the new school. This ‘departure’ from the tried-and-true forms of the establishment, was not a rebellion without cause.
Monet’s representation of light was based on his knowledge of the laws of optics as well as direct observations. He conveyed color by breaking it down into different components, much like a prism does. Up close the colors on a painting would look like a series of random strokes of different hues, but seen from a distance the colors would blend ‘optically’ thus creating the desired effect.
The resultant method of seeing and painting came to be recognized for a certain ‘broken color’ application and an optical mixing of the colors (rather than a blended color approach used by more traditional painters).
Modern colors enabled the artists to capture color combinations that were previously not possible. Monet further rejected the current approach to landscape painting by eliminating black and grey from his palette.
Audiences at first considered this new style to be ‘unfinished’ and an insult to public tastes.
Monet’s objective remained constant: portray the variations of light and atmosphere brought on by changes of hour and season. And, capture the immediate spontaneous impression to what was before him.
Monet’s early paintings were darker, and more simply painted. Eventually, he moved away from obvious dark/light contrasts and relied less on the heavy browns and blacks to support his paintings.
As he progressed, his colors brightened dramatically, to reflect a primary palette.
His maturity as an artist showed more and more refinement of color and sensitivity of handling, and subtlety of lighting and atmospheric effects. In later works Monet allowed his vision of light to dissolve the subjects in his pictures, enveloping them in light, atmosphere and reflected light.
Monet created several paintings of the same subjects in order to more closely study the effects of changing seasons upon the objects. He created multiple studies of the same object at different times of day or year: The Parliament House, Rouen Cathedral, The Seine, and Water Lilies are examples.
Gradually Monet painted smaller scenes on huge canvases, and moved away from painting huge scenes on smaller canvases.
Water-lilies was Monet’s last major series of paintings, made up of nearly 250 works. A lifetime of color mixing behind him made him prepared to paint what some call his masterpieces.
As the viewer, I feel like I was able to experience just a little bit, what it might have been like for Monet to discover the beauty of a world of color… and then to watch it slip away as he slowly lost his eyesight to cataracts.
I did not include them here, but several paintings near the end of the artist’s life show a definite change in color perception, with several colors being completely absent from his vision; It is a fascinating study in color and perception, as Monet himself reluctantly admitted.
Claude Monet’s entire life is a fascinating study of color and perception!
The Great Painters #3
Adolphe-William Bouguereau
1825-1905
French
William Adolphe Bouguereau was an artist that lived around the turn of the last century, 1900. If you have been following my blog, you may remember that it is my favorite period in art history. That was a time that had major shifts happening in the art world between two differing factions. Strongly supporting the academic standard of the day was William Bouguereau.
Bouguereau ranks three in my list of favorites, not simply for his technical expertise, which is something to be marveled at, but for his aesthetic tastes. It might be worth mentioning here, this reason helped make him very popular in his day as well. The saying went something like: “ My tastes are the same as the tastes of Monsieur Bouguereau”; and was echoed by a large percentage of the Parisian upper-class. Another interesting quote about Bouguereau (said as a backhanded compliment no doubt) was that he would be the most famous realist by the year 2000. Not quite true, but there is certainly a renewed interest in his work!
Bouguereau’s collection of works is vast and impressive. One might expect him to have been a child prodigy! However, when Bouguereau was young and about to enter his training, his outlook was not as optimistic as one might suppose. In fact, he barely made the cut to study at the Ecole des Beaux Art- the premiere art institution in Europe. The Ecole accepted 100 new students each year; Bouguereau placed at number 99.
Though it was an inauspicious beginning, his work ethic and developing talent began to show itself. By the age of 25 he had won the Prix de Rome. This coveted award did three things for the young artist: It increased his credibility and visibility to new audiences; It allowed him to concentrates on his studies (in Rome) for four years; And it made a few enemies.
While Bouguereau grew as an artist he became increasingly more conservative in his artistic outlook. This took expression in what is known as a classical (or academic) approach to painting. The artist took great pains to conceal his brushwork while at the same time conveying form and “roundness” in the figure in an almost photographic realism. This is sometimes referred to as “plasticity” in oil painting- a technique greatly enhanced during the Renaissance.
Bouguereau became a powerful member in the Royal Academy of Art and took a stance against the Avante Garde movement of art, denying them access to many exhibitions. When the Avante Guard movement finally came into vogue in Paris, Bouguereau’s popularity fell out of favor quickly. Just as his work exemplified canons of beauty in his day, so it became a model for everything the Avante Garde movement stood against. His paintings were sold, or put into storage as generations passed one to another.
Today his work is gaining favor again with contemporary audiences. As the cycles turn, tastes are once again turning to realism. It is exciting that people are starting to see and appreciate, perhaps for the first time, the artwork of William Bouguereau.
Bouguereau ‘s work falls roughly into three categories: Religious, Figurative, and Portraiture. His figurative work is beautiful, as are his portraits, but the reason I admire Monsieur Bouguereau most, is for his religious paintings. It was said that he painted one religious painting for the Salon each year, and entered another painting which was meant to be sold, such as his famous “peasant girl“ paintings. He painted the religious works on his own time, as they had a small audience and were less likely to sell. In my opinion, his religious paintings stand alone in depth of feeling and technical precision, as well as a strength of storytelling and design.
Photos courtesy of the Art Renewal Center
The Great Painters #5
Winslow Homer
1836-1910
American
I have found that the more I study the paintings of Winslow Homer, and try to see the personality behind the pictures, the more I come to appreciate his work and his life. I see Winslow Homer as an artist of the highest caliber. Almost 150 years after he painted, his pictures still find their way into popular books, calenders, posters, and current retrospectives.
Winslow Homer lived near the ocean most of his life. He grew up in Boston, moved several times, and eventually settled in Maine. He traveled frequently, sketched incessantly, and hunted and fished as often. Homer started his career in a Lithographer’s studio, and eventually became a freelance illustrator. He served in the front lines as a War Artist during the Civil War, before seeking the solitude of Prout’s Neck- a small fishing village on the Atlantic.
Because he was rather solitary and intensely private in his personal life, there has been speculation and curiosity as to the nature of his character. Pre-conceived notions are usually a hindrance to the viewer when trying to understand great art. One needs only to look at paintings with an unbiased eye to see the artist’s personality.
When the artist communicates with the viewer it is to express what is important to them. Although it is usually in abstract concepts that they are able to communicate best, it must not be forgetten that this should be seen in the context of a whole body of work, and not based solely on one or two pictures. In an artist’s oeuvre over-arching themes begin to emerge, and patterns of personal preferences start to become visible. By what they paint, as well as what they choose NOT to paint, something of the artist is seen throughout.
In today’s day and age where the “norm” could sometimes be called obscene, Homer reminds me of simpler things.
I cannot be sure, but Winslow Homer appears to have been a “gentle-man” as well as a “man’s man”, based upon how he chose to portray people involved in everyday activities.
The men are strong and brave. Rugged and handsome, he shows men at home in the outdoors. He portrays men as hunters, fishers, and sailors in harmony with their environment. They are natural comrades and brothers-at-arms, as well as the the hero to the heroine. Winslow Homer is considered to have been one of the first “Sporting Artists”.
The women are respectable, fruitful and faithful counter-parts.
Winslow Homer painted women who were intelligent, affectionate, and attractive.
He painted them simply and becomingly.
There is also an insightful and charming way in which he portrays children. Homer painted children in play and in repose, focusing often on the lighter and more innocent side of life.
Winslow Homer was extremely prolific in his output, and produced hundreds of paintings. He came to watercolor late in his maturity as an artist, but stated publicly that it would be his defining medium. He was correct. This seemed to fit Homer’s approach to painting. Watercolor is a portable medium for those who like to travel and yields great results fairly quickly. He once mused that this was a medium being touted as a “beginner’s medium”, but was difficult even for the expert. He was drawn to the luminosity that can be achieved with watercolor, and liked the challenge of creating a pure light effect without muddying the colors.
Homer continued to exhibit regularly all of his life. He received a number of awards, notably a Gold medal at the Chicago World’s Fair, and a Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition of 1900.
Winsow Homer died quietly at his home in Maine at the age of 74. His legacy remains a testament to the spirit of the American people, and a continuing contribution to the art of painting.
Great looking painting, cute daughter, congratulations on both.