In my last post I shared Auerbach’s study of ‘Bacchus and Ariadne’. This is another post about artists studying other artists. Did you know that Picasso did a series of studies in Velasquez’s Las Meninas?
When we did modern studies of masterwork compositions in class, many students did one little study of a painting and figured they were about done, but they were only getting started. These creative iterations grow with time, and multiple of opportunities. Even if you don’t have any amazing ideas, think of each replication as a DNA copy. Eventually you’re going to get a variant by accident, and that could lead to an evolution.
Picasso, for example, made a series of 45 interpretations of Velasquez’s painting. You can watch as his first sketch is a stylized copy, then his ideas emerge, turning and shifting with each iteration.
It’s a common misconception that an artist needs lots of ideas. Really, I think we just need one or two per season, per year, or per even lifetime that we can work and rework into layers of discovery.
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” load_in_animation=”none[image_with_animation image_url=”14957″ alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] So – what’s a work of art you’d like to play with?
Frohsin is another painter on the list of Carlos San Millan’s favorites. He had talked about wanting to develop his work into more flat color fields, a move towards the abstract. These paintings by Frohsin and others are his inspirations. I liked these abstracted figures so much I did some research and found more of …
Patterns in indigo textiles are made by tightly binding fabric so white patterns form where the deep blue dye did not reach. Traditional work is done with stitching, sticks, and leaves, but you can see rubber bands and clothespins used in the examples below. Notice that loops and lids have also been employed. Jodi Waltier …
This was the final challenge – the 30th Challenge for 30 Challenges in January! The final prompt was to create an asymmetrical portrait. This suggestion was designed to push a portrait drawing – something that can frequently cause us to tense up trying to get things perfect – into something more bold, individual, compositionally dynamic, …
Today is memory and imagination day in our 30 day creative challenge. This one’s great to do with kids! New Scientific Discovery Did you hear? Scientists discovered a new __________ . The scientific name for it is __________ . It looks like a __________ , it acts like a __________ , and it lives in …
Picasso’s studies of Las Meninas
In my last post I shared Auerbach’s study of ‘Bacchus and Ariadne’. This is another post about artists studying other artists. Did you know that Picasso did a series of studies in Velasquez’s Las Meninas?
When we did modern studies of masterwork compositions in class, many students did one little study of a painting and figured they were about done, but they were only getting started. These creative iterations grow with time, and multiple of opportunities. Even if you don’t have any amazing ideas, think of each replication as a DNA copy. Eventually you’re going to get a variant by accident, and that could lead to an evolution.
Picasso, for example, made a series of 45 interpretations of Velasquez’s painting. You can watch as his first sketch is a stylized copy, then his ideas emerge, turning and shifting with each iteration.
It’s a common misconception that an artist needs lots of ideas. Really, I think we just need one or two per season, per year, or per even lifetime that we can work and rework into layers of discovery.
Related Posts
Kim Frohsin
Frohsin is another painter on the list of Carlos San Millan’s favorites. He had talked about wanting to develop his work into more flat color fields, a move towards the abstract. These paintings by Frohsin and others are his inspirations. I liked these abstracted figures so much I did some research and found more of …
Indigo and Rust
Patterns in indigo textiles are made by tightly binding fabric so white patterns form where the deep blue dye did not reach. Traditional work is done with stitching, sticks, and leaves, but you can see rubber bands and clothespins used in the examples below. Notice that loops and lids have also been employed. Jodi Waltier …
LAST DAY of 30SAL Faves: Asymmetrical Portrait
This was the final challenge – the 30th Challenge for 30 Challenges in January! The final prompt was to create an asymmetrical portrait. This suggestion was designed to push a portrait drawing – something that can frequently cause us to tense up trying to get things perfect – into something more bold, individual, compositionally dynamic, …
30SAL Challenge: Scientists have discovered a new ____
Today is memory and imagination day in our 30 day creative challenge. This one’s great to do with kids! New Scientific Discovery Did you hear? Scientists discovered a new __________ . The scientific name for it is __________ . It looks like a __________ , it acts like a __________ , and it lives in …