Introduction
| The young painter, who regardless of present
popularity would leave a name behind him, must become the patient
pupil of nature. What are the most sublime productions of the
(brush) but selections of some of the forms of nature, and copies
of a few of her evanescent effects: and this is the result,
not of inspiration, but of long and patient study, under the
direction of much good sense. —John Constable1 |
 his
series of articles is a summary of the fundamental ideas used by
artists to help them paint the look of nature and the effects of
light and shadow. I have listed them in order of importance with
the essential ideas in bold type to help the working painter logically
solve problems. I have written these concepts in a concise manner
so that they can be memorized. Learning to paint involves learning
to see and guidance from a master craftsman is necessary. This series
should be used as a supplement to studio instruction.
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The Seamstress
By Robert Hale Ives Gammell,
1893-1981 |
This overview was inspired by the teachings of R. H. Ives Gammell
who studied with some of the most skillful painters at the turn
of the century. The ideas presented here are therefore not mine,
nor even his, but rather have been passed down from master to student
for many generations. While studying with Mr. Gammell I wrote down
much that he told me about these principles. I later organized my
notes and added to them from extensive reading to produce this summary.
The first articles on composition and drawing list many concepts
and helpful hints that can be used by artists of all stylistic persuasions.
The main portion of the series emphasizes the impressionistic approach
to painting. I do not mean to imply that this is the only way, or
the best way to paint. Nothing in this series is meant to be taken
as absolute law since some advances in the field of painting have
come from breaking the rules after training is completed. My hope
is that these articles will be a useful reference you can use in
finding your way when you feel lost.
These ideas are most useful in helping artists paint the visual
world. The impressionist paints what he sees, not what he knows.
He looks at the whole subject at once and paints this visual impression
in a broad manner with only a suggestion of detail. I list the ways
in which the impressionist uses light and shadow, values, color
vibration, edges and paint texture to achieve an atmospheric appearance.
I also discuss methods of training the visual memory so that artists
can successfully capture the fleeting effects of nature.
I have included a section on helpful advice to students followed
by a listing of some of the artists of the past that I recommend
for study. I have decided not to include living painters for fear
of unintentionally offending those that I might omit. I have instead
decided to illustrate this booklet with some examples of my work
to show how these ideas have influenced one contemporary painter.
I have also included an extensive reading list for further research.
It has been the dream of Mr. Gammell and others who have survived
the onslaught of Modernism that future generations will restore
the craft of painting. I hope my articles will contribute to this
end.
Richard Whitney
Stoddard, New Hampshire
2006
The complete book, Painting the Visual Impression, by
Richard Whitney, is available from The Studios at Crescent Pond,
100 Chalet Road, Stoddard, NH 03464. $22 postage paid. Make check
payable to Richard Whitney. Internet: www.crescentpond.com.
Richard Whitney is internationally known for his realistic
portraits. Town and Country magazine recently named him one
of the top dozen portrait painters in America. Whitney has won over
40 regional and national awards as well as three grants from the
Greenshields' Foundation of Montreal. His paintings hang in over
650 public and private collections throughout the United States
and abroad. They include the Anchorage Museum of Art and History;
the Anderson House Museum; the Newark Museum; the Pentagon; Harvard,
Yale, and Stanford Universities; and the Catholic University of
Portugal.
Born in 1946, Whitney graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University
of New Hampshire in 1968. He studied with Sidney F. Willis and with
the eminent Boston painter, R. H. Ives Gammell, for five years.
Memberships have included the Society of Illustrators, the National
Arts Club, Allied Artists of America, the American Artists Professional
League, the American Society of Classical Realism, the Guild of
Boston Artists and the Copley Society. Whitney is a board member
of the American Renaissance of the Twenty-first Century and the
Art Renewal Center. He is also Chairman Emeritus of the American
Society of Portrait Artists Foundation.
Whitney's paintings have been seen on national cable television
and have been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles.
Whitney is the author of Painting the Visual Impression and
a co-author of the book Realism in Revolution: The Art of the
Boston School. His paintings have also been reproduced in the
book Edmund C. Tarbell and the Boston School of Painting.
Whitney has traveled and painted in Europe, Japan, Alaska and the
Caribbean and has lectured and conducted workshops throughout the
United States. He is listed in a dozen reference books including
Who's Who in American Art, Who's Who in America, and
Who's Who in the 21st Century.
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