LEARNING FROM the Masters

Painting copies of the old masters helps the artists of today to learn new techniques

- Vanessa Rothe

Inside my studio, I use my iPad with an image of the painting by John Singer Sargent of Mr. Pulitzer. Here I work direct on canvas referencing the masterwork with the ability to zoom in to see the colors. Below the easel is a flesh tone trial palette I created to check values before they’re added to the actual painting.

Did you know? Learning from the masters is an important step in an artist’s career, both early on in their studies and later as a master themselves to learn or review new techniques in painting. Master copies play an important role in artists’ lives and are seldom seen outside the studio. The idea is to do a fairly exact copy of a masterwork that you admire in hopes of learning the way they achieved and completed it. Master copies can teach the artist a lot about techniques that an Old Master discovered and used during their work, and they often become a showcase for the skill of the contemporary artist. If you see a well-done master copy by a living artist, you are looking at the skills they have acquired to be able to copy a master work.