Celeste, if you think that refering to me is a "genius" will get you brownie points, you're sooooo right. Actually, I think idiot savant gets much more to the heart of the matter.
As I stated above:
Quote:
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The true artist reveals himself in the interpretation of and the selection within her subject matter. Nature creates and the artist perfects.
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Merely copying anything is
never the point. The idea is to go beyond the inspiration of your subject, be it from life, photo or inner vision.
However one's energy can be easily drained from this lofty task when there is doubt or lack of conviction regarding the structure of either some or all aspects of the subject matter. And in my experience, that with which I have had uncertainty regarding, will wind up being overworked and less than satisfying.
It is my contention that the best realist painters throughout history were not just better at drawing or painting but also excelled in their ability to gather the pertinent information to make their efforts as convincing as possible.
I recently had the privilege of seeing Paul DeLaroche's painting the Execution of Lady Jane Grey, a monumental painting of great emotional power and technical virtuosity. I had just read an article about how DeLaroche constructed models of the room as well as the figures for perspective and lighting info. This is of course in addition to the painting of the figures from life.