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#16 Gilbert Munger 'Landscape' - 25 Days of Tonalism

Hello and welcome to Tonalist painting with M Francis McCarthy.

Painted after - ' 'Barbizon Landscape' by Gilbert Munger, Study by M Francis McCarthy - Size 5x7, Oil on wood panel

Today's painting is a study after Gilbert Munger - Barbizon Landscape.

Our video features the progression of this study from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.



Today, I like to talk about a concept that applies to painting big time and that is, if it looks good it is good. This concept also applies to music and food. It sounds good, it is good, if it tastes good, it is good.

This might seem like an obvious concept but I'm always amazed to find out how many amateur artists overthink their work. Many times they will continue to work past the point where they should've stopped because they are not aware of this concept, believing that there are some esoteric aspects they are missing other than making the painting look good

There are many things you can try to create where this concept might not apply, for example, you could have a house built that looks sturdy and like it was going to last, only to find out later that it was constructed poorly and is going to fall down at any time. The same thing might apply to organizational structures or anything that is constructed or created like philosophical theories.

If it looks good it is good because the function of a painting is to look good. How you get there is another matter entirely and as I discussed on this blog in the past, there are more ways to fail than there are to succeed.

I have noticed that the universe often gives artists starting out some good pieces early on. I know this was the case with me when I was young and trying to learn how to draw. Every now and again I would do something that was way beyond my usual capabilities and I would take this as encouragement by the universe that I was headed in the right direction.

Artists tend to be cerebral, we can tend to over think things. To create good artwork there needs to be a balance between the intellect and the intuition. I have discussed all the myriad different working approaches that you can bring to bear on a painting previously on this blog. One thing that I like to do is keep my painting looking attractive at each stage of the process.

This means, that I don't have to overcome ugliness at any point in time. If it's looking good it's going to be good. Unless I screw it up.

M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz


A bit about my study after Gilbert Munger - Barbizon Landscape; Gilbert was not an artist that I was very familiar with but I like this piece quite a lot. I have done some research and am providing you with some links here and here.

To see more of my work, visit my site here

Original painting' 'Landscape' by Gilbert Munger
Painted after - ' 'Barbizon Landscape' by Gilbert Munger (Detail)
Painted after - ' 'Barbizon Landscape' by Gilbert Munger (Detail 2)

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