Something Different
Portrait of a Woman - unfinished demo study egg tempera Not for sale
It was egg tempera class today and I brought in an old master
copy to demonstrate the strokes following form.
The original was painted in 1430 by the flemish master, Robert Campin.
He has been credited as one of the founders (along with van Eyck)
of the realist style of oil painting in the Netherlands.
The original is in the National Gallery, London, and I was really
mesmerized by how alive her eyes were - almost with a sense of fun.
I thought she was a nun at first, but reading more I found it was a headdress.
The companion piece, Portrait of a Man, was done the year before
and he is wearing a marvelous red headdress
so I think Robert was into painting fabric folds.
Egg tempera is a linear technique and you build up with many layers to
create the marvelous colors and shading. I have done a close-up here for you to see.
They are not this obvious in the actual piece.
As you can tell from the top view, I have drawn in the painting first with a
watered down India ink applied with a brush, establishing the dark areas.
There is quite a revival going on with egg tempera and I am thrilled
to have a group of talented artists here in Las Cruces who are
enjoying exploring this fascinating medium.
to have a group of talented artists here in Las Cruces who are
enjoying exploring this fascinating medium.
Julie, is this your work? It is fabulous! What talent you have! I too thought she was a nun. I hadn't ever seen this piece on line before so I wasn't aware of the original work. But I sure do love the old masters.
ReplyDeleteYes - it is my work but I cannot take credit as it is a copy. As a realist/impressionist I know that all art is learning how to really "see" so copying from the masters re-enforces that.
DeleteThe original piece is easy to find under Roberts name or title.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Absolutely gorgeous, Julie. I love the delicate feel of this. You are the most talented woman!
ReplyDeleteWish I could take credit for being this good but it is a copy and I cannot take personal satisfaction from it except from the ability to copy well...but we all can do that!. I agree with your comments if we were looking at the original in oil. As I said - her eyes are amazing and look like she has a sense of humour.
DeleteThis is incredibly beautiful, Julie. An amazing job as always. I truly believe copying a Master is such good practice. I've done it and probably will do it again...I've learned a lot from doing this!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Hilda, We are in complete agreement...as usual!
DeleteBeautiful technique! It glows with subtle light and color. I wish there was someone in the Montreal area who was teaching this!
ReplyDeleteYou would really love egg tempera - I can tell from your work.
DeleteYou nailed it when you mentioned the subtle light and color. There is a difference to the color and finish using the powdered pigments than when you use the ET in tubes. The tubes have oil in them so have a different finish.
It is a shame no one is teaching it there because at first you really do need someone to show you the process. Once you have learned the basics then it is just like any other media...a matter of practice making perfect.
It's so weird and wonderful to see you going in such a different direction, and it shows that you have so much skill to learn out and that you master it all.
ReplyDeleteNo Roger - not going in a different direction - it is that I teach Egg Tempera every two weeks so I have to be able to show how to use it. I fell in completely in love with egg tempera but cannot do it all the time so I am thrilled to have artists to pass the techniques on to.
DeleteThis just shows that master painters such as yourself are able to go from more impressionistic to extremely refined. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat is a wonderful complement coming from a master like you.
DeleteThanks for the visit.
Amazing work Julie. You really can do anything. I love to copy the masters...I did it all the time when I first started painting. It helps so much. I love the way egg tempera looks. Seems like such a hard medium to use though. I love the rippled look of her face...like a gentle breeze on the water. Gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteEgg tempera is not so hard it just takes having a love of the process and that what I have. It can take many forms and I enjoy having an abstract painter in the class but it is perfect for people who love to draw.
DeleteI like the gentle breeze on the water, Lisa.
Glad you stopped by!
Wow this is beautiful Julie. Her eyes and mouth are so perfect. You're amazingly versatile! I'm surprised to hear that there's a revival of tempera going on. I vaguely remember using it in high school. Does it smell? I'm enjoying catching up on your other posts. I always learn something or sometimes relearn something when I stop by here. Thank you!
ReplyDelete