Neoclassical Painting Technique
Neoclassical Painting Technique – an example
My neoclassical painting, Pan, was commissioned by a couple who collect art and live in Seattle. The painting was a custom size and the content design specifically to their tastes. When I was painting this work, I kept them in the loop by taking photos and sending them updates as I was in process. I have put this together in the below video so you can see an example of what neoclassical painting technique actually is.
Neoclassical Painting
Classical painting technique is when the artist paints from the back forward. This gives depth and the illusion of being 3D. This along with highlights and shadow painting techniques, the artist is bringing the old way of doing things into the neoclassical.
I work in the classical style. You can see this classical training in my paintings. This is especially evident in my portrait and fantasy collections. My other works are painted in the same manner, but the classical influence is easier to see in the paintings that contain people. You can see the highlight and shadow. if you look closely you can tell that I painted from the background forward. This is the way all artists painted until the Impressionists.
The impressionists were considered “Avant Gard” (in advance of the Gard which was the art establishment of the day) because they paint the background last. This change in technique threw the art world on its ear. If you look closely at Monet’s landscapes, you can see that the sky was added after the foreground of the painting. Using a neoclassical painting technique makes drapery come alive and gives a depth and lushness to the subject matter that I love. This is one of the reasons I continue to paint in the classical technique. I feel that it makes the painting easier for the eye to understand what is going on in the image.
The painting of Pan shown in this video doesn’t contain any drapery, but the neoclassical placement of the elements and the way I handled highlight and shadow creates a rich and complex image.
Neoclassical Painting Technique Video
This video and others are on my Facebook page. Please check them out!
