Hi Subscriber,
Looking at quick sketches and studies is by far the best way to get
inside an artist's thoughts and decision-making process, so it was a
pleasure to stumble across an online archive of sketches by Catalan
artist Ramon Casas
.
Enjoy,
BoldBrush Studio Team
_____
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook III, page 119: Self-portrait with umbrella
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook III, page 119: Self-portrait with umbrella
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook III, page 122: Portrait of Roger Deering(?)
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook III, page 122: Portrait of Roger Deering(?)
I was recently studying the highly accomplished work of Casas, whose
painting skills easily stand up to those of his better-known
contemporaries John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, and Joaquin Sorolla,
who all worked in a similar vein. Having just had an overview of his
finished work, it was surprising and delightful to see the looseness
and boldness of these sketches, often bordering on caricature, that
differ from his sophisticated rendered work. What remains the same in
both is the strong sense of shape design, a concept often discussed in
animation and concept art but not so often in fine art. Casas's use of
shape design was likely developed and strengthened by his interest in
graphic design, and particularly in his involvement in the developing
art nouveau style sweeping Europe in the 1890s. In fact, he is
considered one of the key developers of this style in Spain, called
'Modernisme' there. The bold shapes and fluid lines of this style can
be seen in the lithographs and posters he designed, and although he
remained very much a representational realist in his paintings and
portrait drawings, in his later work you can see the influence
Modernisme in his sweeping circular compositional choices and in his
strong unified color shapes.
Ramon Casas, A Decadent Girl, oil on canvas, 1899
Ramon Casas, A Decadent Girl, oil on canvas, 1899
The sketches, with their swift bold shapes, really show how Casas
parsed his design choices. I highly recommend taking a dive into them
and comparing them with Casas's final paintings. Northwestern
University did a beautiful job with digitizing these books - each image
is a high-resolution scan, dated and labeled with subject, medium, and
any history behind the sketch. You'll find watercolor, ink, and pencil
scribbles as well as sketches on napkins and random postcards. Great
fun and a glimpse into the mind of a brilliant artist!
The Sketchbooks of Ramon Casas online
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook IV, page 6: Drawings cut out from letters
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook IV, page 6: Drawings cut out from letters
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook II, page 9: Self-portrait
Ramon Casas, Sketchbook II, page 9: Self-portrait
Ramon Casas, Self-portrait, charcoal on paper, 1908
Ramon Casas, Self-portrait, charcoal on paper, 1908
_____
Eager to Learn More?
The BoldBrush Studio Blog is a great way to learn more about art and
art history. If you'd like to read other interviews and posts showing
great artists and their stories, please click the button below.
Read More Posts Like This One
_____
BoldBrush Videos are available for unlimited streaming. This is a
DIGITAL CONTENT ONLY product. You will not receive a DVD.
Browse Our Video Library
Image 4255412
{{FASO_DOMAIN_VISIBLE}}
{{AM_COMPANY_NAME}}
{{AM_COMPANY_ADDRESS}}
{{AM_CSZ}}
{{AM_COUNTRY}}
Unsubscribe
Sent with ArtfulMail