Day One, New Copy, "Pierre Louis Alexandre" by Karin Bergöö Larsson

Pierre Louis Alexandre by Karin Bergöö Larsson

I was really looking forward to starting this copy! I got my canvas stretched, 30" x 24", which was as close as I could get to the proportions of the original painting. I didn't draw a grid on it as I sometimes do, because I was planning on approaching this copy as if I were painting from a model - the subject of this painting actually was a model posing for an art class! So I started on a blank surface. I mixed up a neutral gray color, like the charcoal I would draw with in a figure session, and I started with a loose gesture drawing, trying to capture the gesture of the model's pose. Here is the gesture drawing:

I then started measuring, because I do care about making an accurate portrait. Where I discovered mistakes, I wiped out my lines with a paper towel dipped in Gamsol. After a lot of careful measuring, comparing angles, lining things up with verticals and horizontals (an invisible grid), this is what I had:

After lunch, a copyist friend pointed out that my drawing was a little off in the back and shoulder area, so I made some corrections, which helped, and then I started mixing color. I wasn't expecting to cover the whole surface today, but I managed to do it! I can see that my color blue in the background isn't right, but I'll deal with that next time. This is the first pass, and was painted with thin paint. As I go forward, I'll use more paint and correct the colors as I go. I also see that I'll need to correct the shape of his forehead, but I'm pretty happy with the head and body. The clasped hands are especially interesting to do!

Here is the painting at the end of today:

As I'd hoped, this really did feel like painting from a model! And the great thing about this model is, he doesn't need breaks, never moves, and will be able to get back into the exact pose again the next time I paint him! Fantastic!

Thanks for reading! Click on the images for a larger view.

My next copy, "Pierre Louis Alexandre" by Karin Bergöö Larsson

I just got permission for the next painting I'm going to copy at the National Gallery of Art. It's titled, "Pierre Louis Alexandre", and it was painted by Karin Bergöö Larsson. Here is the text from the painting's label:

"Having escaped a French colony in Latin America, Pierre Alexandre fled to Sweden. He worked in the harbors and, when the docks froze over in the winter, modeled at the art academy. Alexandre may have been the only Black person many of the art students knew. They often used costumes and props to cast him in exotic poses.
But in this portrait, young Karin Bergöö, one of the few women students at the academy, captures Alexandre’s individuality. Because he is close to the picture plane, he feels physically present, even if his far-off gaze suggests his mind is elsewhere."

I'm a little scared to tackle this, because I don't practice portraiture very much, but the figure has long been one of my concentrations. I don't get to work from a model very often, so I'm going to treat this copy as if I was working directly from the model. It will be interesting to see if I can maintain the spirit of working from a live model and still be accurate in copying this painting.

"Pierre Louis Alexandre" by Karin Bergöö Larsson

See the painting on the National Gallery's website