New articles at the Art Renewal Center

[Mari DeRuntz]

Two great new articles online at the Art Renewal Center:

http://www.artrenewal.com/articles/2...parkhurst1.asp is a general technique piece written by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst, a student of William Bouguereau.

http://www.artrenewal.com/articles/2...nary/form1.asp is a life-drawing study guide written by Ted Seth Jacobs.

[Alicia Kornick]

Thanks, Mari.

I downloaded the article by Parkhurst the other night and will read the other today. In the Parkhurst article, he doesn't go into Bougereau's palette or say anything about paint. I have thought of buying the complete book at the Atelier Bootleg Store.

Alicia

Administrators Note: The Atelier Bootleg Store book list can be found at www.street-level.net/booklist/titles.html

[Mari DeRuntz]

Try this link:

http://www.artrenewal.com/articles/2...parkhurst2.asp

If you print the article from the Art Renewal Center, you have to go to each of the four pages of the article and print each one (each page totals 9-15 pages from your printer...it's a little confusing).

Anyway, at the above link, which is page 2 of the book, Parkhurst lists several palettes (presumedly used by B). As a general overview, he lists "permanent colors," then subdivides them into several categories:

cheap palette
all-round palette
rich, low-keyed portrait palette
landscape palette
flower palette

Hope this helps.

[Alicia Kornick]

Mari,

Thanks, I didn't do that, I just hit my printer button and didn't get the whole book. I will go back and hit on each page number to print the whole book. I wondered why it was so small ...guess it is confusing.

Thanks again for sharing this info, not that knowing the big B's palette will help me to paint better, but hey, ya never know!

Alicia

[Marvin Mattelson]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Parkhurst was not, in fact, a student of Bouguereau, but a student of Bouguereau

[Alicia Kornick]

Thanks, Marvin.

Being rather new to portrait painting, it helps to know the great masters' color choices. I am well aware that just knowing their palette doesn't make the magic happen when you dip your brush into it.

Bouguereau was absolutely gifted and I never fail to marvel at his skin tones. His skin tones, even in art book reproductions, are so warm and luminous. We have one of his paintings at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and to stand there up close and gaze upon it is a wonderful thing indeed.

Thanks for the information on Parkhurst.

[Mari DeRuntz]

The most useful information I took from the Parkhurst article is that it is helpful to have standard size canvases ready to paint, already stretched and ready to go in the studio. Many times the most obvious advice really helps me. Instead of spending time preparing materials, you're ready to paint every day. I think that's very important.

[Alicia Kornick]

Hi Mari,

That is a good tip about keeping the canvases ready. My husband helps me stretch my canvas (linen) and he suggested the other day that we do a few at a time.

I also liked what he had to say about black and brown. I very rarely use black and when I do, I use ivory black. But I do use the tubed browns. I will try to mix my browns and my greens rather than going for the tubes and see if I like it, especially for backgrounds and landscapes.

[Virgil Elliott]

Marvin,

What is your source of information on Parkhurst not having studied with Bouguereau? I have an original copy of his 1898 book, and it states there on the title page, "Pupil of William Sartain, of Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury, and of Aimee Morot.." etc., etc. I doubt it would have been printed at that time with that information on it if it were not true. Bouguereau was still alive in 1898.

Tony Robert-Fleury was also an excellent painter, highly regarded in his day, and shared the teaching duties at the Academie Julian with Bouguereau. His magnificent painting, "The Last Day of Corinth," can be seen at the Musee D'Orsay, in Paris.

I consider Parkhurst's book the absolute best book on oil painting I have ever read, and I have surely read them all by now. It influenced me profoundly when I first read it, long ago, and I continue to refer to it and recommend it.

Virgil Elliott

[Mari DeRuntz]

Art Renewal Center (http://www.artrenewal.com/articles/2...parkhurst1.asp) continues to update their thread with new chapters. I highly recommend checking it out for anyone who looked at the article when I first posted this. Much more has been added, and it's an excellent read (and it's free).