Copying Museum Masterpieces



 When it's snowy and cold outside, the Ohio Plein Air Society used to organize "paint outs" in local museums like the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Dayton Art Institute and we'd meet there to copy some of our favorite artists' works. This is my acrylic copy of Herman Wessel's oil painting of Mt. Adams from Eden Park.

 There are rules associated with doing this but it's a long-accepted practice and a great learning experience for the copier. I remember being so thrilled to see Renoir's name in the registry of the Louvre in Paris from when he copied paintings there and I enjoyed seeing so many artists in Europe copying in the museums there. You don't see that as often in the US but you'll probably see me there this week, because I want to copy Edward Hopper's "yellow houses."

When I copy, I am not allowed to paint the same size as the original painting. And based on this photo I took when copying the Wessel, I think I was standing a little too close to it!!

This is what Herman's original painting looks like. I learned a lot, especially from trying to copy the colors in his sky. Since 2006, I think I've copied at least half a dozen masterpieces, so I'll log the photos and stories of each one here before posting the copy of the Hopper I hope to paint in the next few weeks.