Painting Techniques Of The Masters

A revised and enlarged edition of Painting lessons from the great masters.

Offers instruction in oil painting, including such topics as mood and atmosphere, light and form, and brushwork.

The art of portraiture approached its apex during the sixteenth century in Europe with the discovery of oil painting when the old masters developed and refined techniques that remain unsurpassed to this day. The ascendance of nonrepresentational art in the middle of the twentieth century displaced these venerable skills, especially in academic art circles. Fortunately for aspiring artists today who wish to learn the methods that allowed the Old Masters to achieve the luminous color and subtle tonalities so characteristic of their work, this knowledge has been preserved in hundreds of small traditional painting ateliers that persevered in the old ways in this country and throughout the world. Coming out of this dedicated movement, Portrait Painting Atelier is an essential resource for an art community still recovering from a time when solid instruction in art technique was unavailable in our schools. Of particular value here is a demonstration of the Old Masters’ technique of layering paint over a toned-ground surface, a process that builds from the transparent dark areas to the more densely painted lights. This method unifies the entire painting, creating a beautiful glow that illuminates skin tones and softly blends all the color tones. Readers will also find valuable instruction in paint mediums from classic oil-based to alkyd-based, the interactive principles of composition and photograph-based composition, and the anatomy of the human face and the key relationships among its features. Richly illustrated with the work of preeminent masters such as Millet, Géricault, and van Gogh, as well as some of today’s leading portrait artists—and featuring seven detailed step-by-step portrait demonstrations—Portrait Painting Atelier is the first book in many years to so comprehensively cover the concepts and techniques of traditional portraiture.

Greek and Roman art methods, medieval techniques, tempera painting, van Eyck's revolutionary use of oil paints, Flemish methods of preparing colors, methods of 18th-century British artists, technical secrets of Italian schools, including such masters as Leonardo, Raphael, Correggio, Andrea del Sarto, and more.

From Van Gogh's famous flowers to Dali's timeless melting clocks, this book offers budding artists an exciting selection of masterpieces to re-create. You Can Paint Like the Masters touches on 7 great art movements and several famous artists throughout history to jumpstart curiosity about artistic style and technique. Easy step-by-step instructions and templates ensure success as kids experiment and develop their painting skills. For extra inspiration, kids will discover fun facts about the Masters and the art movements along the way!

"This exhaustive study uncovers the trade secrets of the great masters through in-depth examination of 14 of the world's most famous paintings"--P. [4] of cover.