New York Report 2

In addition to studying at the Art Students League in March, I spent time sketching in the Metropolitan Museum. For some time I have been fascinated by the figure of the Virgin in this stunning Annunciation by Memling (1465 - 75). Her face has a subtle expression of someone listening with utmost calm, unusual in an Annunciation.

After several unsuccessful attempts to draw her face, I sat on the bench in front of the painting and analyzed it geometrically.

 This is the result (still not quite perfect, but close!)

Most faces would not line up this way, but as I looked at other Madonnas, from the earliest icons to the Renaissance, I kept finding these proportions: long oval, long nose, small mouth, delicate chin. This face carries layers of meaning, century after century. Other depictions by other artist gradually became more naturalistic, but, even in this Picasso etching, the woman in the window with the white bird seems a distant echo of the ancient face.

Finally, another famous face. Here is a drawing of Alexander the Great from a Greek bronze bust in the Metropolitan Museum. As I stood drawing this I heard a lot of stories about Alexander. Parents, pastors, docents, teachers, they all had a version. Some were quite fanciful! I love the Greek bronzes, so much more lively than the most of the Roman marble statuary, many of which are copies of Greek bronze originals.

Report on Graydon Parrish color workshop Part 2

This is the second installment of my report on the Graydon Parrish color workshop at Grand Central Academy.

Just to revisit some goals of the workshop, here is one more photo of student work. Most of us did the gray scale exercise in 10 steps. Artist Ruza Bagaric got so fascinated by the gray scale she tried to find as many value steps as time allowed. I think I see 36 steps here. Such thoroughness pays off in increased visual sensitivity and accuracy.


Many of us accompanied instructor Graydon Parrish to the Metropolitan Museum to look at paintings, with special attention to the 19th century. Here Graydon and students view Rosa Bonheur's terrific painting of the Paris Horse Market. We are taking in the excitement and energy of this work, and also appreciating Bonheur's masterly use of value, hue, and chroma.


We all admired this large painting of St Joan by Bastien LePage. He has created an other-worldly, magical space by keeping value and chroma almost constant. The mood is set by the subtle changes of hue, while the very few high value notes draw our eyes to her transfixed face.

We took a close look at this stunning small piece by Jean Leon Gerome, for his daring use of high chroma blue in the sky. Most of us learn to downplay the sky color in our landscapes. Gerome's color harmonies, tight composition, and dramatic variations of value result in a completely believable scene of heat, action and sunlight.

If you are interested in the craft and theory of classical painting, you might enjoy the video of a lecture entitled, "Technique as Influence: The Painter's Odyssey of Craft and Communication" by Graydon Parrish at this link.

To view a lecture by Graydon Parrish on his recent monumental painting commemorating the 9/11 tragedy, go to this link.

And now, friends, you will not hear from me for another few weeks. I am about to go on my yearly artist trip to Denali National Park. This time I plan to spend some time doing drawings and making some color notes (using the Munsell system), though I also plan to complete a few paintings while I am there. Here's hoping for fine weather!