Henry Matisse

This is a copy and interpretation of one of the sketches of the great Henri Matisse. He made a lot of line sketches that show of the female form as been very flowing and lose. .

Another page taken from my sketch book

For those that know the work of H.Matisse, this will be a familiar image. He did this with much more flare than I will ever do, but he did it in pen and I did it with a brush and Indian ink, with a touch of colour - hope you like it.

Sketch Book

Another copy and interpretation of one of Henri Matisse' drawings. The man knew how to draw a fluid line that emulated the female form.

Taken From Sketch Book

Good Afternoon, this is a copy done with a brush and Indian ink of one of the works of Matisse.

A randy old man?

After looking at so many of Henri Matisse's drawing, I could not help wonder - was he a randy old man?

Some copies of Matisse's work.

I did this with brush and ink.

The great Matisse

A copy of one of the line drawings from Matisse

Paul Peter Rubens

Now this is one of my most favourite artists - Paul Peter Rubens, the great Flemish artist. His painting of people are extremely luminous, and display extreme skill in the use of light and shadow. In my ignorant unprofessional states, I think his painting far exceed that of Leonardo de Vinci or even Michelangelo. In my opinion, Rubens draughtsmanship is not as stylized as the other great artists. But as I mention earlier: "what do I know?" This is just a graphite drawing of a painting he did, a portrait of a woman at Saint Agnes.

Saturday's sketch

This is the sketch that was done for Saturday. In a short time the drawing for today(Sunday) will also have to be done.

Friday's drawing

I know that I have done this drawing before, but I think it is one of Michelangelo's work pieces that shows his skill in terms of knowing where the different muscles will be and what form they will take, depending on the movement they are involved in. I can not help but wonder if he drew this from imagination or from a model.

Sketch

Today's attempt at copying the master. I'm not happy with it, but I promised one drawing per day, so here it is.

Another attempt at copying Michelangelo

This is another attempt at capturing the spirit of Michelangelo. He is without a doubt one of the greatest artists ever, in the western world. I can not offer an opinion about Asian art as I do not have enough knowledge of their styles and what makes a good image in their culture. Because of this lack of knowledge I do feel very much at a disadvantage. One day I will have to start learning about that type of culture. There are some prints of Mountain Fuji that are really mind blowing, and that iconic painting of the wave - all I can say is "Wow!". I have bee toying with the idea of doing a mural of that on our garden wall. I lack the courage to start something like that at the moment. But it burning within me, so I suppose that one day I will have a go at it.

Artists are imitators

Some will love what I'm about to say: "There is nothing new under the sun". I do not think that these words can be taken flippantly, and with just a small amount of thought, it can be derived, that these words are accurate. But this type of sentiment is not limited to the traditional bible, there are some philosophers that subscribe to these ideas, long before the bible was put together. Socrates in the book "The Republic" states that the artist is just the imitator of the creator, an not matter show great his skill, be it in the visual arts, musical or even literature, he can only paint, compose or expound on what there is. When an artist paints a landscape even if it is from his imagination, the elements therein, and the composition of them are not new. Yes, tress have existed for a long time, yes even the type that was painted, and they all had the roots planted in the soil or water, next to a luscious field of poppies. None of this, even if he/she thinks it is the imagination has not been created out of thin air, - it is the sum of experiences that have made the painting. The same principle will be taken for the other arts. Socrates loved the works of Homer, but intensely disliked the concept that he (Homer) was a mere imitator. Then you get the imitators of the imitators, those that copy the work of recognized artists, like I have done this drawing done by Michelangelo.

Thoughts about the value of art by Socrates and Plato.

For those that like philosophy, what do you think about Socrates's comments about art: "... that painting or drawing, and imitation in general, when doing their own proper work, are far removed from the truth, and the companions, friends and associates of a principle within us which is equally removed from reason, and that they have no truth or healthy aim." This was taken from "The Republic" written by Plato. So does this mean that art is of no value. I know that Socrates was referring to the fact that all artists (Painters, draughtsmen, musician and even poets) are imitators and that they do not actually create anything anew, but merely copy what we find interesting about us. Agree that we copy what we see and feel, but I do not by any means agree with him that art has no value. It is a fundamental tool of the human race, to use art as a communication tool. Religion is a good example of this, all major religions used art to convey their beliefs and doctrine.

A Very quick sketch

Michelangelo

This is a copy from only a small section of one of the works of Michelangelo's. He did this in red chalk and the majority of art historians believe it to be his work. However, as always there are some, only a handful that believe that this is not one of his sketches, but rather a copy of one of his. The original of which no longer exists. But who an I to contradict - I'm by no means a expert on his works. The original also has a lot more figures in it, mostly men holding bows that are not always visible. The is one woman in the sketch. Title being - "Archers Shooting At Helm"

Catching up

I have not been doing a drawing day for about a week, so I have some catching up to do. These 2 drawing are copies of Michelangelo's studies in 1524/5. It is truly amazing that we are copying and studying his work 500 years on, and I'm it will be done for many years to come. And what is even more amazing is the manner in which his fame is now spreading - Digitally.