Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant), Claude Monet, (1872/1873). Public domain image courtesy of Wikipedia.
I took the day off on Sunday and went to the High Museum of Art to view their Inspiring Impressionism exhibit. It did not disappoint. Displayed were multiple works by Impressionist greats Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassett, and the works that inspired them. I listened to the audio tour as I went along and learned how much the Impressionists copied the old masters to learn their craft, eventually building their own styles.
As artists, we often view copying as plagarism, but it can be the highest form of flattery. You are bettering your own talents by copying the greats who do it better than anyone else. Even Leonardo da Vinci copied other painters to learn his craft.
Years ago I attended a writing workshop by Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog, and he started out as a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He said he learned his craft by copying, word for word, the columns of great sportswriter Furman Bisher. Eventually, he was able to take what he learned from a master and create his own style of writing.
This week, identify the great masters you can learn from. I have my own personal list, and I’ll share the artists and what I personally learn from them this week. What a great artist date opportunity. Don’t miss it and do the work to learn more about your personal style of artistry and quilting.
