Thursday, June 30, 2011

Old European Masters

Occasionally when I travel  back to Europe, I revisit the great museums over there
and sketch the work of old masters. Particularly the periods of the late Renaissance
and Baroque are interesting, because figures in sculpture and painting show movement.
I find it useful to study classic art and to absorb the sense of anatomy, composition
and general aesthetics.

The funny thing is that when I was living in Germany as an art student, I took all this art for granted. I had always been there and it was always close by.
After moving to LA and spending years away from  "Old World Culture",
I now look at Bernini, Barye and Michaelangelo with American eyes.
With a bigger sense of Awe, I suppose. And that's a good thing.

The following sketches were made in places like the Musee d'Orsay and the Vatican Museum.
I often use a brush pen, which somehow helps to avoid stiffness in your sketch,
yet bad drawings on the whole are entirely possible.