Painting from life: Rosa Bonheur

I feel, for me, that painting the human figure from life is the best way I can express myself. Is it better than working from a photograph, I will let others judge.

The direct experience in painting from life is almost inexpressable. You are not painting an interpretation of a thin sheet of paper or a digital image but from an interaction with a real live human being. It is difficult, expensive and frustrating. The reward is something that may be light years beyond the original concept, something that takes flight in our imagination that is not shackeled so often to re-imaging the photographic source.

It is a difficult thing to do, it requires many years of dedicated training and work to be able to paint or draw the human figure with any degree of ability. Our culture does not allow this today but celebrates the shortcuts and calls it 'personal expression', no matter what kind of garbage or personal neuroses is displayed upon the canvas. We have lost the quest for exquisiteness in our work.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Rosa Bonheur

Clinging to photographic reference. Excuse number four.

So many artists feel that they would be stymied in their career without the use of photography. Their ideas are so phenomenal they cannot escape the lure and ease of the unmovable print.

MY GOD! I cannot paint animals! Rosa Bonheur did and in spades. She had a deep love for animals and went to great lengths to learn how to represent them with passion and skill. She always painted them from life and they are far from static images.

http://www.caroun.com/Research/art/rosabonheur.html

http://scriptorsenex.blogspot.com/2010/07/rosa-bonheur.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Bonheur

http://www.lilithgallery.com/arthistory/realism/Rosa-Bonheur.html

http://www.google.com/search?q=Rosa+Bonheur&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7IRFA_en&prmd=ivnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Ab4ATvzQEsXa0QHTjJ2lDg&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=1259&bih=848

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