Hi gang I have been hard at work updating things. For starters I did a big upgrade to our forum. It now has its own blog to go along with the forum. And as part of that I made a brand new theme for the entire site. You can see it all here http://www.artphotofilm.com . I have also updated the art course page http://www.artphotofilm.com/patricks-free-art-course/ . And of tons of other things small things.  Any way take a look when you get a chance. And of course I will still be updating this blog as well.

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I have been looking for a free online video series on art history so every one could get quick an over view of art. And I finally found one. The videos are well made. The only drawback is they have the rather standard and propaganda like views pushed by the modern art establishment.  If you notice the videos do not even have a section on “Academic Art”  Its just in there to show what the Fathers of modern art rebelled against. Not really a full even handed view. But any way over all this will be the fastest way to get your overview of Western Art. And will be a good starting point.

Also remember to come to the forum to talk about what you learned. http://www.artphotofilm.com

Here is the link to get started. Learner.Org UPDATE – These videos seem to not work in some countries. I am trying to find another source.

“A video instructional series on art history for college and high school classrooms and adult learners; 9 one-hour video programs and coordinated books

Magnificent masterpieces of the Western world are presented in their cultural and historical settings. From the restrained classical tradition to energetic and spontaneous modern art, each artistic movement is interpreted through its major paintings, sculptures, and works of architecture. Comments from internationally known art experts and critics assist in understanding and appreciation of the works. This series is also valuable for teachers seeking to review the subject matter.

Produced by WNET/New York (major producer). 1989.”

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As mentioned in the introduction to this humble class I am going to be telling the story of art using studies of selected artists. And besides telling the larger story of art you will learn about the struggles of the artists. And some times their ways of working. And the real lives behind the history.

Now to start things off the first person I have chosen is Ernest Meissonier. The most famous and highly paid artist of the 19th century. And to get things started I think we will start with the part of the book Modern French Masters that talks about Meissonier. (1896)

JEAN-LOUIS-ERNEST MEISSONIER

BY
HARRY W. WATROUS

JEAN-LOUIS-ERNEST MEISSONIER
(1815-1891)

IN Paris, a few years ago, twenty or more well-known artists were dining at the house of a prominent art-dealer. During the evening the question came up: ” Who, at the end of the 20th century, will be thought the greatest painter of our period?” Here was a question not at all novel, but nevertheless interesting. The Salon, Tonquin, and Louise Michel were forgotten, and over our coffee and cigars a jury was formed, not to convict, but to immortalize one of our contemporaries. The discussion that followed was most spirited, as each great name brought to trial had its advocate who was sure the crucial test of tune would emblazon that name, like Abou-ben-Adhem’s in the Angel’s Book of Gold.

But there were many things to be taken into account — the rapid change in popular taste and fashion whereby one idol is shattered and another raised and worshiped in a day, the probable change in tone and color, and the so-called ” quality ” gained by age and old varnish, such as one now sees in many pictures of the early English school, some of which were undoubtedly very crude when they were painted. The present standing of a painter’s work under discussion was ignored, but the question, “What will it be in one hundred years’?” was very fairly and ably argued; the verdict of the jury was nearly unanimous that the paintings most sought after toward the close of the twentieth century would be by Bouguereau and Meissonier. Why so? The former, because Bouguereau’s work is nearly perfect in its draftsmanship, the nude will always occupy a high place in art, and time will mellow it entered the collection of Sir Richard Wallace, where I suppose it still remains. Meissonier attracted little attention, however, until 1839 or 1840. The French amateur then had his eyes opened to the fact that a star had arisen, and from that time began his artistic career — that triumphal march that made him the central figure in the Parisian world of art. England, Holland, Russia, and his own country soon acknowledged his greatness,— great in the little if you choose,— and orders, decorations, and medals showered upon him. He was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1846; an Officer in 1856; member of the Institute in 1861; a Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1867, and a Grand Officer in 1878. In the Salon of 1864 he exhibited two pictures (the “Defeat of the Austrians at Lodi,” and the ” 1814 “) which all Paris expected would gain for him the grand medal. But the jury refused to award it, greatly to the disgust of M. Edmond About, who thus voiced the opinion of the multitude in his article in the “Salon de 1864″: ” Two admiring groups, incessantly renewed from the time of opening the doors until the closing, indicate the places where Meissonier’s two pictures are hung. And it is to these two pictures that the jury has refused the grand medaille. It was awarded to M. Yvon some years ago, and Meissonier has not had it! Oh, Frenchmen of Paris ! Athenians of La Villette suburbs! you do not deserve great painters, for you do not know how to reward them.”

Meissonier made many friends, but he also made many enemies, and it is only truth to say that he was a constant source of surprise to both. For the range of his brush seemed boundless and his versatility inexhaustible. The little interiors he painted are filled with quiet color and subdued light; the “Portrait of a Sergeant” is a revel in air and daylight; ” The Vedette ” has the chill of cold December. We are amazed that the hand that gave us the thoughtful ” Chess-Players,” lost to the world, so intent are they on the next move in the game, also painted “La Rixe” (now the property of the Queen of England), which is violence itself. We turn with surprise from the carefully studied series of works which M. Claretie calls The Napoleonic Cycle to the roystering, devil-may-care cavalier of Louis XIII.

But perhaps Meissonier’s boldest departure was when he undertook —what his critics predicted would be his Waterloo — his largest canvas, the “Friedland—1807,” now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. These critics had agreed to admire his little figures,” miniatures on a sou,” as they christened them, but declared that anything larger than these ” infinimentpetite” was beyond his powers. Imagine their chagrin when they gazed on this superb example of the master’s art. This picture does not represent a battle, for the specter of death is absent, yet it shows to us the grand movement of a cavalry charge. We hear the shrill voice of the trumpet, the thunder of hoofbeats, the shouts of men, and we join in their enthusiasm and excitement, as, sweeping by, they salute their Emperor, their idol and almost their God. His the will to direct, theirs the force to obey, and he, the molder of Europe’s destiny, calmly sits his horse, and, inscrutable as the Sphinx, proudly surveys the force he has called into existence, and with which he hopes to change the map of a continent. What a superb illustration of the power of mind and hand is this canvas ! Each figure, man or horse, is a study, and each, while a perfect picture in itself, does not detract from the grandeur of the whole. The eye can rove from detail to detail, but the completed picture, as Meissonier designed it, is ever before us. A close examination of it reveals beauties not at first observed, but it loses nothing when viewed from a distance. No directions to stand at a certain number of feet from it are needed. It is great from every point and any distance. It shows no unmeaning dabs of paint, for which painters of the pretentious touch invoke the spectator’s credulous sympathy in anticipation of his unveiled contempt. Meissonier never put brush to canvas or panel unless to depict something exact, something that is a fact, and not a suggestion for the beholder to speculate about, and upon which he might not inaptly place the motto, Omne ignotum pro magnifico.

It has been stated by some lovers of the vague that Meissonier was a mere technical machine, portraying facts with wonderful skill and fidelity, but with an utter lack of poetical f eeling. I am willing to grant this, when any sane person will explain to me the meaning of that ambiguous term, “poetic feeling,” as applied to art. For what would be the soul of music to one might be banality to another. If it means that indefinable something, or lack of something, left for the imagination to supply, we will find much of this so-called poetry in works void of some of the elementary principles of art. When art, as in a Meissonier, is expressed obediently to all the canons of painting, there is a poetry in the very means of expression if one has but the eye to see it and the soul to feel it. The poetry of the literary and the sentimental is one thing; the poetry of the artistic is quite another. Of the latter Meissonier’s works show enough and to spare.

On January 31,1891, Meissonier’s work was done; fame has judged it well done, and history will continue to echo the cry, “Well done.” Personally Meissonier will always be remembered as we see him portrayed in the word-picture of his friend Jules Claretie, written some years before the great painter’s death: ” That which is most pleasing with Meissonier is the frank cordiality with which he explains his plans, and looks you in the face the while with his deep, clear eyes (de son ceil profond et franc) for the truth of your meaning in reply. This man, who lives in a palace, is as moderate as a soldier on the march. This artist whose canvases are valued by the half million is as generous as a nabob. He will give to a charity sale a picture worth the price of a house. Hospitably friendly (accueittant) to all, and praised as he is by everybody, he has less conceit in his nature than a wholesale painter (que des barbouilleurs & la toise). With his hair growing thickly above his broad and open forehead, his beard flowing down over his breast like a river, his robust activity, de bon cavalier, he is at the age of sixty-eight as solid and as active as at forty. You see him to be ‘well seasoned,’ sympathetic, and safe, a man who loves his friends as he loves the truth, with all the passion of twenty.”

In looking back over the lif e of a great painter, we are apt to see more or less of his influence on contemporary art. We note the uprooting of inherited ideas—the liberation of timid genius held slave by the ” what is,” but willing to throw off the shackles and follow the lead of a courageous and aggressive master to found a school that shall be equally intolerant of the ” what was.” But Meissonier stood alone. He had plenty of admirers but few followers, for while all could admire, who could follow I A clever student can, by the close study of the

mannerisms of most of our celebrated painters, give us a suggestion of them, to a greater or less degree, in the measure that he is willing to sink his own individuality. We see enough and to spare of this in the products of the art schools, wherein the pupils almost always suggest the master who has taught them. But he who can suggest a Meissonier has passed the student period. Even Meissonier’s pupils, the best known of whom is probably Detaille, might as well have studied with another so far as reproducing their master’s touch is concerned. For the touch of the master could not be taught; it was born in him and died with him. It may possibly have been a gift from the shade of one of the old Dutch painters, who, perhaps in a spirit of mockeiy at the tendency of modern art, wished to show the world what he would do if reincarnated. But the men of Meissonier’s time were searching other fields than his, fields until then unexplored; and they found treasures equally great, if not equally exact, for the wonder of artist and amateur.

For the student of the so-called modern school, Meissonier’s methods are too serious. Their results are not soon enough apparent, so the student dabbles in a life class, or haunts the antique long enough to learn a few stock phrases, such as “plein air,” “suggestiveness,” “vibration,” “values,” and too often “rot.” Then with this little knowledge of drawing, he dashes into color, and promptly holds up to the admiring gaze of his similarly incompetent circle his impression of something as somebody else has seen it. As Cabanel once said of that class of artists,” They are like boarding-school misses who write flowing hands to hide bad spelling.”

In writing this article I have endeavored to speak in a general way of Meissonier, and have purposely avoided mention of his methods of work, but have accepted the grand result by which the world will know him as long as the history of art exists — the grand result, not of his latest period, when old age dimmed his eye, and shook his hand, and led him to produce works which the recorder of his fame will kindly and silently ignore, but of his mature years, when he was in the fullness of his powers. I have also spoken in this article from a partizan point of view, but from honest convictions, and if I have said harsh things of a modern school with which I am not in sympathy, it is only to contrast the master with some of the artists of his closing generation. I began by saying that Meissonier was ” one of the greatest genre painters of this or any age “; I end after a careful comparison of his art with that of other masters, by amending that sentence so that it shall read, ” He was the greatest genre painter of any age.”

Harry W. Watrous.

We can read more about him in the many now public domain art books on google books. Below are just a few….

THE ART OF PAINTING IN THE NINETEETH CENTURY  By EDMUND VON MACH

Fifty years of modern painting, Corot to Sargent
By John Ernest Phythian

Meissonier Masterpieces In Colour
By M. Henry Roujon

Great painters of the XIXth century and their paintings
By Léonce Bénédite

Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier: exposition avril 1893
By Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (France)

Meissonier
By Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier

Meissonier
By John William Mollett

Meissonier

Some modern artists and their work
edited by Wilfrid Meynell

Representative painters of the XIXth century
By N. D’Anvers

Modern french masters: a series of biographical and critical reviews by …
edited by John Charles Van Dyke

I would also suggest buying The Judgment Of Paris. I fun read that talk a lot about Meissonier.

Also here is the post from this blog where he was a featured artist.  Featured Artist Ernest Meissonier

Now read over the introduction this post and start looking some art Meissonier and we will discuss him in the Art History thread over at the forum.

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After working with students in the free art course it has become clear that we need a section on art history. And even more importantly it is clear the students want to have it. And since I love history I am happy to be able to do this section. But of course after the first blush of enthusiasm wares off then you can see what a large job you have undertaken. But undertaken it I have and I will do my best.

Now let me talk a little about how I decided to do the course. First of all I have decided to crux of  modern painting. That is the 19th century. This is the time that knowledge and skill in painting hit a high point. And also where the ideas about what is art changed the course of art. And so I have decided to start here and then work both backwards and forwards from this pivotal point.

Next I had to think about the best method for doing this. And I have decided to do it by trying to focus on selected artists and their lives and work. And to build the broader understanding from that. I think one reason history is tends to be boring to people in school is because they do not get to know the real people behind it. I hope this approach makes it more interesting and in many ways more informative.

The first sections will be added shortly.

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For the next exercise we will be doing the a sphere. You should have plenty of practice doing them from the shading part of the course. Now to get started get your palette out. Then mix small amounts of each value just like the last exercise.

Next choose darker middle value and cover the the center section of the canvas/panel. Next choose a little light midtone  and add a little walnut oil and rough in your circle.  Then from there start shading your circle. Oil paint drys slow so you should have plenty of time to work. Also try and use the largest brush possible and do not move down to a smaller brush until you have to. And do not worry to much about this one you are just getting the hang of blending paint. Just have fun. And you are welcome to do as many of these as you like. And to do other shapes. Just play with it and start to get used to how the oils feel and work.

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For this first exercise we are going to do the same value scale as from lesson A of the shading course.  And we are going to it on your palette so you can a palette of grayscale. Now keep in mind you will not be painting yet so we only want a tiny tiny bit on each space. Just enough so you can see the value of it. And of course put them on in order from black to white across the edge of your pelette. this will give you a little practice in mixing your paints. When you are done clean your palette and your brushes.

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Well it is now the time in the art work to introduce you to painting. By now you will have seen the limitations of pencil, charcoal, pastels and other related media probably. And you will be wanted something where you can do more. And the logical next step is painting. So get ready to learn the joys of painting:)

Now like the other chapters this introduction will first guide you to the wealth of books/DVDs both free and ones you can buy to help you get started. I will also list the basic art painting supplies you need.  Then the next lesson will get you started with basic painting exercises.

Free Painting books etc.

The Painter in Oil by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst

The Famous Artists Course (sections on painting)

Landscape painting; with twenty-four reproductions of representative pictures (1910)

The practice of oil painting and of drawing as associated with it (1911)

And you can find more books on painting here art the main site for my art course.  www.ArtPhotoFilm.com

Not so free books and DVDs.

Alla Prima: Everything I know about Painting Richard Schmid – If you are going to buy a book on painting I recommend this one. And the DVDs by the same Artist are nice to have. You can get them on the same site.  And you can also rend them from SmartFlix.com.

For more painting videos you can rent them from SmartFlix.

The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting: With Notes on the Techniques of the Old Masters This is an important book to have. If you are going to be a painter you really need to understand the materials you are using. And at only $7 for a used one on Amazon there is no excuse not to get it.  Also of note there are a few things in this book where thought on them has now changed. But it is still a very good book to have.

I will probably add to the above list but its more than enough to get you going:)

Art supplies.

You can see a list of supplies I suggest on the main art course site.

Brushes:  Brushes depend somewhat on personal taste and style. I tend to use 4, 6 and 8 filberts of a good quality most of the time. But a have a very large selection of other brushes. I always try and pick them up when they are on sale or when I find used ones on Craigslist and ebay etc.  But you will need at least a hand full of good quality brushes to start this lesson correctly. I normally buy synthetic brushes now. And I you want brushes that are firm enough for oils (they are normally marked for oils) and with a nice spring to them. And you want something that will retain its shape. Also get the brushes with the long handles.  You can read more about what brushes you need here.

Canvas’s, Panels and Paper etc: Next you will need something to paint on. I personally like painting on panel like high quality plywood or masonite that I prime with gesso myself.  Many people love to work on canvas. And some people paint on other things like paper. So you will have to do some experimenting and reading to see what you like. But you will need something to paint on.  If you would like to paint on panels you can go to Home Depot Or Lowes and by masonite it does not cost much. And you can have them cut it for you smaller sizes if you like also. Oh and they sell it  precute already in 3 or 4 sizes.  Then take it home and gesso it. When you gesso it you can alternate the direction you apply the layers to give it a nice texture. Or you can thin the gesso a little more when applying it and then sand  it down in between layers to get a nice smooth surface.

Gesso. Gesso is the primer you put on canvas or panel etc so that you have a surface to take the paint. Most people today use an acrylic gesso.You can get it here.

Paint: For this lesson we are going to be painting in oils. Oils are the gold standard of painting and I suggest using them over acrylics. But of course you can make good paitnings in either one:) Any way for this lesson all you need is black and white since we are going to be only working in grayscale at first. Now first lets talk about the black. There is more than one black and they are not all the same. First you can make your own black by mixing  Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. Or you can by one of the blacks like Ivory, Lamp or Mars black. They all have slightly different hues, tinting strength and mixing properties. But to get started I think Ivory Black would be best.

For white there are also several kinds but I think Zinc works best. You can read more about them here.  Or in the book on materials I recommend above.

Other items: You will also need something to thin your oil to make it easier to paint with. I suggest you use pure walnut oil. Walnut Oil has been used interchangeably with linseed oil for over a thousand years. It flows more freely, and has less tendency to crack or yellow. It also does not need have turpentine added to it so you can use it in doors safely without lots of ventilation. You can buy it at health food stores. (just make sure it does not have any additives to make last longer etc). Or you can order it from DickBlick.com.

Now if you use Walnut oil the brushes are not to hard to clean.  Normally get them as clean as possible with a little walnut oil and some soap and water. Then outside you can get the final bit off with a little Turpentine (You can get it here.). And if you wash them one more time with soap and water you will have no terpentine smell at all when you bring them back in. And remember Turpentine is both flammable and toxic including the fumes. That is why I now use only a little in cleaning and out doors.

Rags: You will always need rags for cleaning your things etc.

Rag safety! Did you know rags soaked in oil can catch on fire by themselves? Well they can. So you need to take proper safety measures when using rags and oil.  I would suggest you do your own research on this as I am not expert. Any way be safe  and here is what one website says…
“One rare but potentially severe hazard with oil painting is spontaneous combustion. Drying oils, under rare circumstances, can generate enough heat when drying (oxidizing) to catch on fire. That’s not a concern on the surface of a painting or in a closed container, but in a closed space that allows oxygen to enter, such as a trash bin, a pile of rags or paper towels soaked in oil or oil paint can combust. It is best to either have a fire retardant trash can, or throw rags into a container half full of water. I sometimes allow painting rags to collect in in the open on a counter. When it’s time to throw them away I put them into a plastic grocery bag, soak them in water, and put them into the trash for pickup the next day.” more.

Easel: Next you will need an easel. For most students I suggest starting out with a french easel. That way you can store it in a small place and you can use it to paint out side or to move to what ever location you need without to much trouble. You can get them here.

Palette:You will also need a palette to mix your paint on. You can choose a traditional palette.  And you can make this yourself by cutting it out of say masonite or you can order one cheaply online. You can also use a surface on a small table with a palette on top. For example glass where you can clean all of the paint off when done each time without a problem, or plastic etc.

Palette Knife: You will also need a Palette knife to mix your paint etc.

Oil-Cup: You will also need some kind of oil cup.

Mahl Stick: You will also need a Mahl Stick.

So now you can get started on your grand adventure of painting.

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Well a lot of you were asking about how to make a cheap easel so I decided to make some instructions  instructions and a video.  This easel was designed to be very little work and to take very few tools and of course to be very very cheap.  Below you can see the instructions just click on the image to see a larger version.

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Well I have most of the bugs worked out and I have finally made the introduction / welcome video for the art course. You can see it below. The next step will be to start doing video related to each lesson and topic so look for those soon.

And yes I know I need to get back in shape and get better lighting for the videos:)

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For this next lesson we will finally do painting. And congratulations every one for putting in all the hard work to get to this point. And do not worry I am going to do digital painting also but it will be coming up in future lessons.

To start with let me first give you an overview of painting and clear up some myths etc. First of all there is not one valid way of painting there is a huge numbers of valid ways to paint. And always be careful of teachers that tell you their way is the ONLY way. Also remember that all the different ways of painting have good and bad points. And part of your job as an artist is to explore these different ways of painting evaluate the pros and cons of each and decide on the best method for you.

Now let me explain how I am going to approach teaching you painting. First let me mention like in the chapter on anatomy that you will never be able to learn all there is to know about painting in a few exercises. That is one reason there are thousands of books on the subject and teachers and schools all over the world. But what I can do is give you the resources you need to learn, a logical step by step plan and exercises that will give you skills that will translate into many methods of painting. And let me also bring up again that it will be a lot of work and study:)

So now lets start with resources. And as normal I will give you both free resources and ones you will have to buy.

Free Resources.

For getting started with free resources start with the  20+ free painting books I have in the free book section of the forum. http://www.artphotofilm.com This is a huge amount of free knowledge on painting that will take you a long time to finish.

Not so free resources.

First the books I suggest to get started.

Oil Painting Techniques and Materials – Harold Speed

Alla Prima – Richard Schmid

The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting – Max Doerner

The Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques – Ralph Mayer

I would also start ordering painting DVD’s and watching them.  They have a large number you can order at SmartFlix.

I would suggest getting the videos of Richard Schmid . And if it was me I would just start ordering all of the best rated painting videos 1 or 2 at a time until I have seen them all. smartflix.com

The next thing I would suggest you do is study art history.  You need to learn about the history of art and how we have gotten to this point.  And I dare say if you have a studied art history at most universities then you need to study art history even more to get a balanced view. Because it is very true that the winner of the war writes the history and the winner of the war of ideas in the art world for the last 150 years or so has been modern art.  And many of the painters that were considered the best in the world in 1850 like Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier are not even in most art history books at schools.  And in many many ways I think the great illustrators of the last 150 years like Howard Pyle, N. C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell are the true heirs of the art knowledge.  Not the modern art world.  If you would like to read more about art history then please check out our very large free book section on the forum.

I would also highly highly encourage you to look at the art of all the masters of art over the last several hundred years.  You can see some in the small archive I am working on here.  And you can see many many many more at the ARC Museum website.

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