Classical Painting Atelier

It's true, there is no easy method of becoming a good painter and it is explained why this is so, even with dedicated atelier training, in this book.

Book review

If you're interested in classical art training and want an insight into how its taught in an atelier, look no further - this is the book for you. The author, Juliette Aristides, is a classically trained artist having studied at several ateliers in the USA and worked at the National Gallery in New York. The book is well written and contains loads of full colour images of old master and contemporary paintings.

Part One : The Artist's Studio

The book starts off with an overview of atelier training and the artists studio, with some details on the typical atelier progression from drawing, through monochromatic painting including cast painting, warm and cool studies and finally painting with a full colour palette. The reasoning behind subject matter progression from casts, then still life, landscapes and finally portrait and figurative work is explained. The importance and benefits of the practice of master copying is also explained and how the skills acquired during these studies can benefit the artist's future work.

Part Two : Timeless Principles

The focus here is on the long-established atelier principles with chapters on composition, value and colour. The chapter on composition is not to be missed and the author provides not one, but two design systems; the first, the armature of the rectangle and the second, root rectangles. She explains clearly how these are based on the harmonic proportions, first discovered by Pythagoras, found in music and why they are naturally pleasing to the observer.

This chapter is followed by two monochromatic lessons, both very worthwhile exercises.
With respect to painting, it is said that value does all the hard work and colour takes all the credit and the chapter on value explains why value is so important as the author provides examples of the strength of the value pattern, how it can set the mood and tone of a composition and provides the illusion of volume. Lesson three is a value-based still-life painting exercise.

The chapter on colour is excellent- it’s not so much about how to mix colours, although that is covered but it’s more about how to use colour effectively in picture making. She explains about colour systems and about open and closed palettes and the advantages and disadvantages of each. About colour composition and the principles of a colour hierarchy and how it can be employed to elevate the effect of a painting. It filled in a lot of gaps in my appreciation of colour. Lessons four and five follow on from this chapter; the first is a warm and cool cast painting and the second is a colour master copy.

Part Three : Timeless Practices

Chapter 5 deals with The Painter's Process. A methodical approach to planning is a necessary first step of the process and ensures that many problems can be eliminated before paint touches canvas. A five step process for classical painting is provided:

• Step 1: Compositional Studies - discusses the benefits of thumbnail sketches and how the artist must consider how the viewer will be directed by the use of linear vectors or enclosures, through the composition.
• Step 2: Drawings - more detailed drawings of parts or the whole composition allow the artist to explore certain aspects more fully and elaborate the composition. The drawing can be transferred to the canvas using one of the scale-up methods.
• Step 3: Painted sketches - typically, these are quickly executed with broad strokes and elimination of detail, focussing on value and/or colour. If the mood and tone of the work doesn't seem right, then it won't be solved with a larger version.
• Step 4: Underpainting - the range of underpainting methods is vast and several approaches are described, including those favoured by the old masters. Although the Flemish and Venetian indirect painting methods have been replaced by more direct painting practices (alla prima), it is said that many artists today still use some form of underpainting.
• Step 5: Overpainting - the techniques described in this section includes the final layer of indirect painting as well as those of direct painting. 

There's a good notes section on Archival Practices - something any painter concerned with the longevity of their work, either for themselves or for their patrons, should be following.

Chapter 6 is an in-depth look at Painting from Life and the author explains the myriad of facets which collectively help to make a figurative work-of-art and there are many images of such examples from artists such as Jacob Collins, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Jacques-Louis David, John Singer-Sargent, William Bouguereau and many more. The challenges of atelier training and the struggle to get to grips with realist figurative art underpins this chapter, but in the end the author says:

There is nothing magical about the process; there is simply a direct correlation between practice and skill.

Lessons Six and Seven are exercises in colour still-life painting and a colour figure painting respectively.

Part Four : Masterworks

Chapter 7 has an introduction on still-life painting; its history, development and how we can self-express about life, through a creative still-life composition. A range of historical and contemporary artists' still-life works are presented in detail, including, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, Antonio Lopez Garcia and Daniel Sprick.

Chapter 8: Portrait Painting - An Intimate Likeness, provides a discussion on the importance of portraiture as an art form and its historical significance - it is not only concerned with capturing a likeness but can also promote a person's status. The work of portrait artists such as Anthony Van Dyck, Rembrandt van Rijn, William McGregor Paxton and Yuqi Wang are analysed with an examination of their choices of composition, value and colour.

Learning to see and design as an artist, to transcribe life - is an essential part of the student's education.

The book concludes with Chapter 9 entitled 'Figure Painting - The Body Divine' and its introduction informs us why the human figure is the most powerful subject in art. It has been used to record legends, make political statements and evoke a call to arms. The sub-genres include historical, religious, mythological and allegorical and they usually contain a narrative. The technical analyses which follow include examining works by Titian, Caravaggio, Jean-Francois Millet, William Bouguereau and Bo Bartlett

(Images taken from the book 'Classical Painting Atelier' by Juliette Aristides)