I was interested today to come across an article about the great French romantic painter Jacques-Louis David.* It described in some detail the manner in which he worked, and I couldn’t help but contrast this with the assumptions which often seem to pervade the work of contemporary artists. The meticulous nature of his preparation for his finished paintings was quite staggering. Figures intended for a place in a composition would be sketched, individually and often in groups. Sometimes these sketches would be nude before a clothed image was attempted in the final version. The assembled sketches were then moved about in relation to each other in order to establish the composition. The research process might involve studies also of key objects to be included in the final version. All of this took place before he began work on the canvas. I was not altogether surprised to read that it might take him as long as a year to finish a picture.
I know that there are artists at work among us today who are known for the meticulous and careful attention they bring to their work. What a contrast there is, however, between the approach asked by David and the assumptions which seem to pervade the advice given to artists in the popular art magazines, which typically take a “how to do it” line. The ruling assumption in so much of this stuff seems to be that we need above all to learn how to create a quick impression of our subject, and how to realise a set of “effects”. Facing up to the task of starting a new composition, I wonder if I ought to try to move a little closer to David’s way of working.
*”Opening acts”, Michael Prodger, Apollo, Vol. CXCV, No. 705, February 2022.