30 Artists Magazine June 2020
Build LESSON
is much different than painting a scene
or a person from a photo. The master
artist has already solved the visual
problems; all you’re trying to do is to
understand the process. You’re copying
a simplified version of a scene to inves-
tigate the master’s selection process.
You’re not trying to make your own
selection and simplification from the
(imperfect) information in a photo.
You don’t need to limit yourself
to copying old masters, though.
Throughout history, certain locales
and time periods have been marked
by the rapid spread of ideas and
techniques among peers. New styles
occur when a concentrated group of
artists influence and “borrow” from
one another. With this in mind, I
sometimes copy the works of contem-
porary greats like Carolyn Anderson
and my friend Dan Gerhartz. Are
there artists whose work you admire?
Consider studying their work and
learning from those artist friends
and contemporary masters.BE A COPYCAT
Students who take written notes
remember the material better than
those who merely read it. Why? The
physical act of writing helps to cement
the information. The same is true for
the artist who copies from the masters.
I find that if I analyze and think about
an artwork, I’ll forget much of the
information over time. But if I copy
a painting, it’s as if the information
travels up my arm to be deposited
in my brain for future recall.
Implementing the age-old practice
of copying masterworks may be just
the exercise needed to drive your
artistic knowledge and development.William A. Schneider studied at the
American Academy of Art’s Saturday
Program, in Chicago, and through
workshops with noted artists such as
Harley Brown and Richard Schmid,
among others. His work in portraiture
has received numerous awards in
national and international exhibitions,
including those with the Portrait Society
of America and the Pastel Society of
America. Visit his website at
schneiderart.com.DEMO: After Zorn, Coquelin Cadet
In this demo, my goal was to learn from the work of Anders Zorn (Swedish,
1860–1920)—specifically his painting, Coquelin Cadet (below). I was interested
in exploring Zorn’s limited palette—ivory black, yellow ochre, vermilion and
white—and his use of energetic brushstrokes and loose edges, as well as
his sublime depiction of light.Coquelin Cadet
by Anders Zorn
ca 1889; oil on canvas, 45¾x32
DONATED BY BO LINDH THROUGH
NATIONALMUSEI VÄNNER/
NATIONALMUSEUM, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN