Night Scene 5x7
Hello, and welcome to Tonalist painting by M Francis McCarthy.
Today's study is 'Night Scene' 5x7.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early drawing stages on up through my final glazes and scumbling. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please enjoy it.
I recently received a book on George Inness called George Inness. This book was created to go along with a large retrospective exhibition back in 1985. Here is a link to this book on Amazon. I highly recommend it. While not a perfect art book, this book is absolutely worthwhile to check out. It has some great writing about George Inness and I feel that many of the reproductions are nice as well, so ignore any negative comments you read about this book on Amazon and purchase it used. You won't regret it.
In the back portion of this book there is an article reprinted from Harper's New Monthly Magazine February 1878 titled a 'Painter on painting.' This was a very famous interview with George Inness at the beginning of his general recognition of being a genius. Unfortunately for painters like myself that are hungry for technical information about George's painting style there is little information of that type. What there is, is quite a lot of philosophical discussion about art and painting that is illuminating. I'm going to share a few of George's statements here today in this blog:
When asked about art education George Inness replied.
"Pupils can't be taught much by an artist. I have found that explanations usually hinder them, or else make their work stereotyped. If I had a pupil in my studio, I should say to him sit down and paint."
When asked "what is it that the painter tries to do?"
"Simply to reproduce in other minds the impression which a scene is made upon him. A work of art does not appeal to the intellect. It does not appeal to the moral sense. Its aim is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion. This emotion may be one of love, of pity, of irritation, of hate, a pleasure, or of pain; but it must be a single emotion, if the work has unity as every such work should have, then the true beauty of the work consists in the beauty of the sentiment of emotion which it inspires.
Details in the picture must be elaborated only enough fully to reproduce the impression that the artist wishes to reproduce. When more than this is done, the impression is weakened or lost, and we see simply an array of external things which may be very cleverly painted, and may look very real, but does not make an artistic painting."
When asked "what is the tendency of modern art buyers?"
"Our country is flooded with the mercantile imbecility's of hundreds of artists whose very names are a detestation to any lover of truth. The true artist loves only that work in which the evident intention has been to attain the truth, and such work is not easily brought to a fine polish. What he hates is that which has evidently been painted for a market. That sleekness of which we see so much in pictures is a result of spiritual inertia, and is a detestation. It is simply a mercantile finish.
No great artist ever finished a picture or a statue. It is mercantile work that is finished, and finish is what the picture dealers cry for. The art buyer instead of covering the walls of his mansion with works of character, or, what is better, with those works of inspiration which alerted his mind to the regions of the unknown, is apt to cover them with the sleek polish of lackadaisical sentiment, or the pure realities of impossible conditions.
Consequently, the picture dealer although he may have, or may have had, something of the artistic instinct, is overwhelmed by commercial necessity. Let every endeavor be honest, and although the results of our labors may often seem abortive, there will here and there flash out of them a spark of truth which shall gayness the sympathy of a noble spirit."
When asked "what is the true use of art?"
"The true use of art is, first to cultivate the artists own spiritual nature, and secondly, to enter as a factor in general civilization. And the increase of these effects depends on the purity of the artist motive in the pursuit of art. Every artist who, without reference to external circumstances, aims truly to represent the ideas and emotions which come to him when he is in the presence of nature, is in the process of his own spiritual development, and is a benefactor of his race.
Of course no man's motive can be absolutely pure and single. His environment affects him. But the true artistic impulse is divine. The reality of every artistic vision lies in the thought animating the artist's mind. This is proven by the fact that every artist who attempts only to imitate what he sees fails to represent that something which comes home to him as satisfaction - fails to make a representation corresponding to the satisfaction which it produced to the satisfaction felt in his first perception.
Everything in nature has something to say to us. No artist need fear that his work will not find sympathy if he only works earnestly and lovingly."
These are just a few quotations from this excellent interview of what is most likely the greatest landscape painter who ever lived. The sentiments of his that I presented to you today are just as relevant to us in the modern age as they were over hundred years ago and I could not agree more with George Inness.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Night Scene' 5x7; this is one of my recent attempts at a nocturne. I'm quite happy with this study and also the larger painting that we will be discussing in a few days. Check out the video narration for a bit more insight into my thoughts and feelings about nocturnes and my approach to this painting in particular.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| Night Scene by M Francis McCarthy, 5x7 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early drawing stages on up through my final glazes and scumbling. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please enjoy it.
I recently received a book on George Inness called George Inness. This book was created to go along with a large retrospective exhibition back in 1985. Here is a link to this book on Amazon. I highly recommend it. While not a perfect art book, this book is absolutely worthwhile to check out. It has some great writing about George Inness and I feel that many of the reproductions are nice as well, so ignore any negative comments you read about this book on Amazon and purchase it used. You won't regret it.
In the back portion of this book there is an article reprinted from Harper's New Monthly Magazine February 1878 titled a 'Painter on painting.' This was a very famous interview with George Inness at the beginning of his general recognition of being a genius. Unfortunately for painters like myself that are hungry for technical information about George's painting style there is little information of that type. What there is, is quite a lot of philosophical discussion about art and painting that is illuminating. I'm going to share a few of George's statements here today in this blog:
When asked about art education George Inness replied.
"Pupils can't be taught much by an artist. I have found that explanations usually hinder them, or else make their work stereotyped. If I had a pupil in my studio, I should say to him sit down and paint."
When asked "what is it that the painter tries to do?"
"Simply to reproduce in other minds the impression which a scene is made upon him. A work of art does not appeal to the intellect. It does not appeal to the moral sense. Its aim is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion. This emotion may be one of love, of pity, of irritation, of hate, a pleasure, or of pain; but it must be a single emotion, if the work has unity as every such work should have, then the true beauty of the work consists in the beauty of the sentiment of emotion which it inspires.
Details in the picture must be elaborated only enough fully to reproduce the impression that the artist wishes to reproduce. When more than this is done, the impression is weakened or lost, and we see simply an array of external things which may be very cleverly painted, and may look very real, but does not make an artistic painting."
When asked "what is the tendency of modern art buyers?"
"Our country is flooded with the mercantile imbecility's of hundreds of artists whose very names are a detestation to any lover of truth. The true artist loves only that work in which the evident intention has been to attain the truth, and such work is not easily brought to a fine polish. What he hates is that which has evidently been painted for a market. That sleekness of which we see so much in pictures is a result of spiritual inertia, and is a detestation. It is simply a mercantile finish.
No great artist ever finished a picture or a statue. It is mercantile work that is finished, and finish is what the picture dealers cry for. The art buyer instead of covering the walls of his mansion with works of character, or, what is better, with those works of inspiration which alerted his mind to the regions of the unknown, is apt to cover them with the sleek polish of lackadaisical sentiment, or the pure realities of impossible conditions.
Consequently, the picture dealer although he may have, or may have had, something of the artistic instinct, is overwhelmed by commercial necessity. Let every endeavor be honest, and although the results of our labors may often seem abortive, there will here and there flash out of them a spark of truth which shall gayness the sympathy of a noble spirit."
When asked "what is the true use of art?"
"The true use of art is, first to cultivate the artists own spiritual nature, and secondly, to enter as a factor in general civilization. And the increase of these effects depends on the purity of the artist motive in the pursuit of art. Every artist who, without reference to external circumstances, aims truly to represent the ideas and emotions which come to him when he is in the presence of nature, is in the process of his own spiritual development, and is a benefactor of his race.
Of course no man's motive can be absolutely pure and single. His environment affects him. But the true artistic impulse is divine. The reality of every artistic vision lies in the thought animating the artist's mind. This is proven by the fact that every artist who attempts only to imitate what he sees fails to represent that something which comes home to him as satisfaction - fails to make a representation corresponding to the satisfaction which it produced to the satisfaction felt in his first perception.
Everything in nature has something to say to us. No artist need fear that his work will not find sympathy if he only works earnestly and lovingly."
These are just a few quotations from this excellent interview of what is most likely the greatest landscape painter who ever lived. The sentiments of his that I presented to you today are just as relevant to us in the modern age as they were over hundred years ago and I could not agree more with George Inness.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Night Scene' 5x7; this is one of my recent attempts at a nocturne. I'm quite happy with this study and also the larger painting that we will be discussing in a few days. Check out the video narration for a bit more insight into my thoughts and feelings about nocturnes and my approach to this painting in particular.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| Night Scene 5x7 (Detail) |