Painting Masterclass

Book excerpt: Like having 100 of the world’s greatest painters at your side, giving you their own personal tips and advice – Painting Masterclass examines 100 paintings from art history: the way they were made, what they do well, and how and what we can learn from them. Throughout the history of painting, one of the best ways in which many great painters have developed their own personal approaches has been by copying other artists’ work. Learning from great artists helps to encourage a discerning eye, as well as an understanding of colour, materials and perspective, and can inspire further innovation. With the detailed analyses and instructive creative tips sections in this book, you can learn how to convey movement like Degas, apply acrylic like Twombly, and command colour like Matisse. With paintings comprising a broad variety of styles, approaches and materials, the book studies the techniques of many of the greatest painters who have worked across the globe from the 15th to the 21st centuries, using watercolour, gouache, tempera, fresco, oils, encaustic and mixed media, including: Titian, Francisco Goya, Gustave Courbet, Georges Seurat, Edvard Munch, Paul Gauguin, Gustav Klimt, Amedeo Modigliani, Jenny Saville, Caravaggio, Egon Schiele, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Paul Klee, Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Leonardo da Vinci, Marlene Dumas, Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, Marc Chagall, Sandro Botticelli and Jackson Pollock. Perfect for students as well as professional painters, and with a broad historical and global reach, this book is an indispensable introduction to the rich history and practice of painting. Organized by genre: nudes, figures, landscapes, still lifes, heads, fantasy, and abstraction. Includes practical tips and advice, allowing you to weave some of the great artists’ magic into your own work. Selected masterpieces serve as perfect examples of a particular quality in painting: light and shade, rhythm, form, space, contour, and composition are all covered in detail. Explores each artist’s creative vision, describing how they made the artwork. Use it as a guide, a confidence-booster, a workbook, a companion – or simply admire the paintings!