Classical Painting Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice

Juliette Aristides has done it again. She has followed her first book titled Classical Drawing Atelier, with another book on painting. As in the case of the first book, she and the editors/publishers (Watson & Guptill) have created a beautiful book that not only provides helpful instruction, but it's simply beautiful as a work of art itself. It's hard to keep this review short because there's a lot to discuss, but to start I'll admit that I'm biased. I'm thankful that Juliette has taken the time to write it and I hope it goes into its tenth printing in the next two years. The near death of classical painting and drawing at the hands of "modern" art would have been an incalculable loss for western society, but somehow, reason and knowledge remained in the minds of a few, and classical art survived. Many of us recognized all along that it has value and have rejected the alternative, but the pressure to conform to creating the ephemeral and inferior art that society desired was too strong for many. This stunning volume confirms that classical art is coming back and Juliette has helped that process. The book comprises four parts and nine chapters: Part 1) The Artists Studio - describes both historic and contemporary atelier practices; Part 2) Timeless Principals - covers composition, value, and color; Part 3) Timeless Practices - discusses the process, inspiration, and the muse; and finally section Part 4) Masterworks - beautiful images from some of the most important realist painters through out history and some contemporary masters. The author covers processes or "choices" if you will, and most importantly, she conveys "thinking" about those processes. The book will aid those that want or need to understand why things are done in a particular way and by extension, in some cases the reasons you may not want to use a particular method or continue doing what you are now. Illustrative examples primarily include figurative and still life work while landscape is only lightly represented, however, the same principals and processes are applied to all types of painting, not a specific genre. Artists represented include the usual masters such as Rembrandt and Hals, but we also get to see contemporary paintings from Daniel Sprick, Nelson Shanks, Scott Frasier, Jacob Collins, et. al. Each painting shown includes a short description and discussion about the work, talking about the methods employed and the effects achieved. The value in this book is not simply the information provided (it's well written) or the amazing images - a stunning and beautiful selection including one of my all time favorites entitled Roses by A.H. Thayer - but in the larger meaning the book conveys as a revival of intelligent painting. Very few, if any, art schools today can even imagine what artistic training should include. Students attending these schools often learn that it's not about the final product, but simply about the process of making art, and any art is good art. The result is thousands of unskilled, abstract painters and artists "graduating" and thinking everything they do is worthwhile. In their defense, the students have few opportunities to learn real skills because their instructors are products of the same system. The cycle can be broken, and with the help of this book showing what's possible and how it's done, many students can demand more from their schools or simply extricate themselves from the morass and seek an atelier. My hope, and I'm sure it's shared by the author, is that this book will be an inspiration to those seeking more from their instructors or school, and even from their own art. Well done Juliette and thank you for creating another important book. Highly recommended. 10 Stars!!!!

Well it is better than possibly expected and so much better than the drawing previous volume, although that is an excellent book as well. It is well laid out and covers a big subject with elegance and great comphrension. The images from the artist Daniel Sprick are worth the books price and shows an exceptional contemporary realist artists work that is breathtakingly stunning. These plates are amazingly faithful to the originals. It is a worthy and well written book, tons of beautiful illustrations. Everyone should buy a copy of this book to encourage the author to produce more. I would encourage everyone to buy now as this volume will certainly sell out very very soon. Simply wonderful! Helpful more than instructive but a seminal and much needed book to read, absorb, learn and have as a good reference. There is much to keep you inspired. As I mentioned earlier, buy it if only for the paintings shown by the artist Daniel Sprick. This is one artist worth watching....closely. Lovely, lovely book. Thanks.

The two things I got the most from the book were compositional theories, theories I didn't know existed but have proven to be very helpful, and direction for practice and study. With the exception of graphics training and a couple workshops, I'm self taught. Though I have had much success in both ability and sales I have always wondered what the old masters did to learn their craft and I think this book has shown me. As this book implies it is very sad that thousands of years of accumulated artistic knowledge and beauty was completely tossed out the window a hundred years ago in the name of so called liberation. I feel artists and our culture in general have been greatly deprived as a result. This book will hopefully help resurrect what we have lost and what was stolen from us. In my opinion I still think the best book on the concepts of painting is Alla Prima by Richard Schmid, however Alla Prima does not have much focus on composition; this book does. Alla Prima focuses more on direct painting where this book teaches more of the steps on slowly developing the skills to become a great artist. I don't think it gives as many of the straight forward artistic concepts as Alla Prima does but unlike Alla Prima it gives great exercises to work on. Like anything else I think the person who purchases this book has to put these exercises to creative practice and hard work. You cannot become a better artist just by reading it; you have to set up your own atelier program and get to work on it. Though a lot of the book is about art philosophy and history but I think if a person seriously puts the ideas and exercises into practice it will be of great help in growing as an artist.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who needs to brush up on the fundamentals of painting. I can also see how this would be a good starting point for beginning art students - since it contains suggested painting studies. I really like how the author uses both science and art history to explain basic concepts involved in designing a great piece of art. Lastly, I appreciate how the author stresses the importance of composition in art making.

It is beautifully done. A person has to read and really think about the paintings, it's not a fast, quick glance sort of book, but, a slow thinking, searching studying sort of book, it's an education in between the covers, a lifetime of information for serious artists. Buy this Book and keep it handy while working. You need this book.

It's a great book, and paper quality is super.

These books are so exceptionally special, well written and quite beautiful. Notwithstanding helpful! Deeply grateful and totally worth every penny!

sehr viel information fuer die, die sich fuer traditionelle maltechniken interessieren (nicht nur oel), mit bildern und erklaerungen, bin mir nicht sicher ob es fuer anfaenger geeignet ist

本が全体的に汚く、のどの所が破れていて残念でした。返品はスムーズに出来たから良かったです。次に来る本は綺麗なことを願います。

Comprei com base nas avaliações e me arrependi, as obras escolhidas pela autora são terríveis, só retrataram nudez (inclusive de crianças) e morte, uma tristeza. Terminei de folhear o livro me sentindo mal, queria desver. Ainda decidindo se tento ler para ver se aprendo algo útil ou se me desfaço dele para não ter que passar essa experiência desagradável novamente.