Ilya Repin (1844 – 1930) was one of the most renowned Russian artists of the 19th Century and was known for his beautiful and often dramatic realist/impressionist paintings. Few Russian artists were able to garner such fame and notoriety during their lifetime. He was never satisfied with his paintings and was always experimenting with different … Read more
You can tell a lot about an artist from watching them work in the studio. In this post I will feature 37 photos of famous artists hard at work in the studio. These photos are not glamorous and they show the artists in a very natural and raw state. This is the behind the scenes … Read more
Robert Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922) was an American impressionist landscape painter. He does not appear to be that widely recognized, especially compared to the more famous impressionists like Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. However, his landscape paintings are unique and have a certain vibrancy to them. A frequent subject of Onderdonk’s paintings is fields bluebonnet … Read more
This post follows on from How Claude Monet Used Haystacks To Demonstrate Light And Color. Here is another example of how Claude Monet painted the same subject in varying environments to demonstrate how changes in light can affect color. He used the Rouen Cathedral as the subject in 28 paintings which I could find, all of … Read more
I stumbled across the stunning artworks of Claire Basler the other day on Pinterest. She is French floral painter who works just outside of Paris in a former schoolhouse which she converted into a beautiful studio. Throughout her enchanting art studio are stunning floral arrangements from which she draws inspiration for her artworks. You can find … Read more
Vincent van Gogh was a fascinating painter and person. He lived a life of drama, captured through his many paintings. An interesting way to view van Gogh’s life is through his self-portraits, where you can see him evolve as a person and as an artist. Each portrait is unique and seems to depict his emotion at … Read more
Still life scenes are perfect for learning how light works and how to design an interesting composition. The controlled environment means you do not need to worry about the changing environment, the wind blowing your canvas or your subject moving. You can have as much control as you need with a still life scene so you … Read more
One of the best ways of learning how light and color work is to paint the same subject in different environments. Claude Monet did this all throughout his career, most notably demonstrated through his many haystack paintings. Claude Monet did so many paintings of haystacks you would think he had some kind of obsession with … Read more
Joaquín Sorolla (1863 – 1923) was a brilliant Spanish painter who was known for his dexterous brushwork and vibrant portrayal of light in his landscapes and portraits. He painted with amazing haste yet beautiful harmony. He quoted: “I could not paint at all if I had to paint slowly. Every effect is so transient, it must … Read more
I find it fascinating going back through the sketches of historical masters of art. It tells you so much about their craft, passion, mindset and how they learned. It also humanizes them, as you get to see that they experimented, learned and made mistakes just like every other artist. The useful thing about sketching is … Read more