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Classical training
I asked Mai Ly to post this under techniques. She asked me a very good question, just what exactly is a classical training? I would like artists who have had access to this training to post their knowledge and experience.
Classical realism as it is practiced today came from such schools as L'Ecole des Beaux Arts (Degas, Sargent) and the Julian Academy (Mary Cassatt). The student first worked from casts of Greek and Roman sculpture. This would help them learn how to design and simplify the complex surfaces of the human body. They would also copy masterpieces in the museums. They would work sometimes just on drapery. All the work in the beginning would be monochromatic, no color until the teacher felt the student had grasped the basics of form. Then they would proceed to life drawing and painting.
Then there is a divergence of technique. Sargent, under the direction of Carolus Duran, taught to concentrate on the shapes and the play of light on the form. There was no pre-drawing, just the direct translation of what was perceived. Paint was directly applied in full color.
This was contra to true classical realism, (Poussin, Ingres) where a completely finished study, designed and perfected, was then transfered to the canvas. It was done in green, sepia, etc. undertones until the image was perfect, then it was glazed with color.
This is a basic explanation. I hope it sheds some light on the subject.
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