Caillebotte Copy

Caillebotte Copy

6x6in  oil on canvas board   $85.

Detail: Fruit Displayed on Stand.  1882


Gustave Caillebotte ( ky-yuh-BOHT)  was mocked when he exhibited this painting. Why? It was the viewpoint - the birds eye view. He was the first to publicly use it and the critics were NOT very complementary. It is hard to comprehend because in this day and age it is used by so many great artists. I find this painting and the handling of the paint very up to date and it boggles the mind to think this is the guy who painted the amazing ' The Floor Scrapers,' 1875. Completely different.
This painting is in the Boston Museum of Fine Art and because of the story behind it I spent quite a bit of time in front of it.
He must have been a truly good person because he helped and paid for Monet's rent many times and purchased many of the Impressionists work when they needed sales to be able to keep painting.
For those of you who are familiar with Renoir's, Luncheon of the Boating Party, Caillebotte is the guy in the straw hat on the lower right.

Manet Copy

Manet Copy

6x6in  oil on canvas board   $85.

Detail: Still Life with Salmon  1866

Doing this Copying Master Artists series started because I wanted to see if I could learn how they all handled painting fruit. When I got to Manet I wished I had chosen flowers as my subject matter because I love the flower paintings he did.
I picked this painting to do a detail from because I have seen the original. It is in the Shelburne Museum, Vermont.

 I have always admired Manet's work, mostly because his painting, Olympia, made a huge impression on me when I was an art student. I responded to his bold brushwork, use of contrast and there was a sophisticated modernity of subject and attitude.
Manet was crushed by the rejection of Olympia by the public, not knowing that a hundred years later it would be declared a masterpiece and the start of modern art.
Gauguin reportedly said, 'Painting begins with Manet.'