Author: bluthin

Hey, my name is Brad Luthin. Let me tell you a little about myself. I currently live in South Florida and hold BA in Art from SDSU. My two passions in life are painting and woodworking. On Painting: My biggest influence as an artist is Édouard Manet. He once quoted: "A painter can say all he wants to with fruits or flowers, or even clouds. You know, I would like to be the Saint Francis of still life." I too believe you can express everything in your life through objects we see everyday. My hope is that people who see my paintings will begin to look and appreciate the little things in life. The works are painted with a thick application of paint along with a balance of expressive and controlled brush strokes. Along with Manet, I have also learned a great deal from the old dutch masters, such as Vermeer and Rembrandt. I take their techniques and mix with my own. I add a lighter palette of colors that reflect my life here in South Florida.
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Study for the “Raft of the Medusa” After Théodore Géricault

Graphite Pencil Drawing After Gericault

The drawing above is a copy. Are you starting to catch on that there are a lot of posts of old master copies? That’s because during the covid pandemic, I started to copy all the drawings out of a book of old master drawings in hopes of improving my drawing skills as well as kill a lot of time.

Let’s get back to the drawing at hand. It is a graphite sketch after the great French Romantic painter Théodore Géricault. The original is a study for one of the figures of Géricault’s masterpiece “Raft of the Medusa” which hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The drawing itself is in the Musée des Beaux Arts in Besançon, France.

Let’s talk about the painting “Raft of the Medusa.” It was not a commissioned piece which was unusual for a 19 century work this large (16′ 1″ x 23′ 6″). The painting can be categorized as a history painting but instead of honoring a triumph it captures a tragedy. The subjects of his work are not heroic solders or mythological gods but the victims and survivors of a shipwreck. After their ship ran aground. The survivors cobbled together a raft and in their 2 weeks at sea, eventually had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. Out of the 147 passengers only 15 survived. The captain was blamed for the shipwreck since he had not even sailed for 20 years prior and was apparently only given the position based on his connection to those in power. Anyone who has worked for a family run company understands the situation. Not of the shipwreck but of nepotism.

“Anyone who has worked for a family run company understands the situation.”

Géricault did a lot of research and made many sketches in order to create his monumental painting. He even consulted with 2 of the survivors, made a scale model of the raft and in order to better capture the look of the dead and dying, he would visit morgues and hospitals.

After a year and a half of work, the painting was shown at the 1819 Paris Salon. It received both praise and criticism. It is now considered a masterpiece of French Romantic art and has influenced many great artists.

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Graphite Drawing of the Three Graces After Raphael

Copy of The Three Graces by Raphael

The image in this blog post is a copy in graphite pencil of a Raphael drawing originally done in red chalk. The subject is “The Three Graces”. In Raphael’s drawing there are three nude figures representing, you guessed it, The Three Graces. I only drew two. Why did I only draw two? Because Raphael is Raphael and I am me. Raphael was a great artist and I am, like I said before, myself, that of which I am. At this point I would say something self deprecating like; I ain’t no Raphael but today I need to conserve as much self confidence as possible. So let us talk about The Three Graces. I must warn you up front that whenever I try to learn about Greek Mythology my brain shuts down. I mean like I have to lie down and take a nap in the fetal position type of breakdown. So in the interest of both of us I will basically just cut and paste whatever information I come across.

“She glows like a EcoSmart Light Bulb.”

The Three Graces, also called Charites, come from Greek mythology. In his work “Theogony” Hesiod describes three Graces. So let me introduce to you, the reader, the Three Graces.

First off we have Aglaea. She represents Radiance. She glows like a EcoSmart Light Bulb. I am neither endorsed or have any professional or personal relationship with the EcoSmart brand. I was just trying to be clever.

Next up we have Euphrosyne. She represents “Joy”. She is basically the Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor (antidepressant) of the ancient world. Her side effects might include:
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
• Headache
• Drowsiness
• Dry mouth
• Insomnia
• Nervousness, agitation or restlessness
• Dizziness

The last but not certainly least grace, even though that is probably the one I left out in the drawing, is Thalia. She is a Mexican singer, businesswoman, and former actress. Born in Mexico City, she first achieved recognition as a member of the successful pop group Timbiriche from 1986 through 1989. Wait that’s the wrong Thalia. Anyway, she represents Flowering. Her parents were Zeus and Eurynome. I’m starting to get sleepy. That’s all for now.

Click here to see the drawing of the Three Graces by Raphael Sanzio.

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Graphite Drawing After Jacopo Bertoia

Drawing after Bertoia / Bertora of 2 females

Here we have “studies of two female nudes seen from the back”. It is a copy of a drawing done by Jacopo Bertoia, who was also known as Jacopo Zanguidi or Giacomo Zanguidi or Bertoja. The original was completed sometime around 1565 – 1570 in red chalk and can be found at the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. If you go to Wikipedia to research Bertoia, you will be sadly disappointed. There is not a whole lot of information on him. In fact, half the page just lists all the names he was called. Bertoia was born in Parma, Italy and studied under Sabatini. The artist Sabatini, not Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini who was professional tennis player from Argentina and not Rafael Sabatini who was an Italian-English writer but the artist Lorenzo Sabbatini, who was also went by the name of Lorenzino da Bologna or Sabatini, Sabattini or Sabadini. All these different names are getting to be a little much. So let’s just move on. Jacopo Bertoia was greatly influenced by another Italian painter by the name of Parmigianino. He worked in the Mannerist style, which differed from the High Renaissance style by having more expressive and exaggerating proportions thereby making the work seem less balanced and harmonious. Parmigianino, whose full name was, wait for it… are you ready… Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola.

“But wait, there’s more.”

But wait, there’s more. He was also known as Francesco Mazzola but mostly is known by the name, Parmigianino. He could have shortened the name to ‘Parm’, like waiters shorten “Eggplant Parmesan” to “Eggplant Parm”. There could be reason for all these name mix ups. The artist might have originally wanted others to call them by their full name, however, people ignored such requests and came up with their own variation of the artists name. This is all really just a theory. In other instances, such as in the case of Lorenzo Sabbatini, since was from Bologna was called Lorenzino da Bologna. Which either made him proud to be from Bologna or permanently branded him as an outsider wherever he went. I guess I could go by Bradley Georgio de Orlando, which I must admit sounds pretty cool.

To see Jacopo Bertoia’s drawing “Studies of Two Female Nudes, seen from the Back” click here.

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Prismacolor® Pencil Drawing After Tiepolo

Copy of a Tiepolo Drawing

My next offering is a drawing done with black and white Prismacolor brand pencils and sticks on gray toned paper. It is a copy of a drawing done in chalk on blue tinted paper by the Venice master, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. That drawing, completed in 1751, is in the Staatsgallerie in Stuttgart, Germany. Tiepolo’s drawing is titled “Nude Study: The Back of a Seated Man with a Crown of Reed”. I originally thought the reed crown was his hair. I was planning to make several jokes about the model having a bad hair day or maybe make a dig at Supercuts. So without that material to work from, I’ll have to get somewhat serious, as serious as I can be, about the great Tiepolo. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, or Giambattista as he was often called was born on March 5, 1696, in Venice, Italy. Not Venice, California.

“I originally thought the reed crown was his hair.”

Speaking of Venice, California, when I was going to college at San Diego State University, I took a road trip to Venice Beach. I wanted to check out a art gallery that was showing the work of perhaps the greatest living British artist, David Hockney. When I entered the gallery Mr. Hockney was standing there looking sophisticated and worldly wearing a tweed jacket. He looked at me and asked me if I had any questions about his work. It was an incredible opportunity. I could have asked him anything. Unfortunately, I froze and said that I just got there and was going to look around. He turned to a gallery employee and sarcastically joked that he was hoping I would buy his work. He was indeed being sarcastic. I was in my early 20s and was dressed like someone in their early 20s. I had on cut off jeans, and a t-shirt. I didn’t exactly look like someone that could afford to buy his work or proper leisure attire. I know I should have dressed nicer. However, in my defense, it was during the day and I didn’t think he would be there.

Now lets get back to Tiepolo, who is considered the greatest Italian Rococo painter. Unfortunately he passed away on March 27, 1770. So I was never able to meet him. If I was alive back then, I would have asked him… well I can’t think of a good question. I’ll have to get back to you.

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Copy of Titian’s “Study for St. Sebastian”

"Study for St. Sebastian" after Titian

Above is a copy of a drawing by Titian titled “Study for St. Sebastian in the high altar of SS. Nazarro e Celso, Brescia”, created around 1519 to 1520, and drawn with brown ink, brown washes, heightened with white on grey-blue laid paper. Titian’s work was done with thick ink lines so I substituted my usual pencils with a gel ink pen along with an of assortment black and gray markers.

Tiziano Vecellio, simply known as Titian, was considered by many to be the greatest painter in Venice, Italy during the 1500s. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, a small town near the Alps, and then moved to Venice at the age of 10. He started his artistic training at the Sebastiano Zuccato workshop. Then went to work with Giovanni Bellini, who at the time was already a well known artist. Titian also worked alongside with Giorgione, who would greatly influence his style. Around 1511, Titian began an independent career in Venice. He went on to create the frescoes in the Scuola del Santo in Padua in what is known as his mature style. He became famous for his religious works as well as his portrait paintings. Titian continued to paint and his work was in high demand all across Europe. Around 1545, Titian traveled to Rome and met Michelangelo who greatly influenced his work. Throughout the rest of Titian’s life, his brushwork became looser and more expressive. Artists ranging from Sir Joshua Reynolds to Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres as well as the French Impressionists were all influenced by the work of Titian.

My former painting instructor, Bob Gross, also an excellent artist, was a big fan of Titian. Bob taught the painting techniques used by Titian and the other old masters. He would often talk about the glazes or thin layers of color that Titian layered on top of each other to create unique color combinations. Bob was an amazing teacher. Unfortunately he passed away earlier this year. Myself along with his other students will always remember his teachings and of course his fondness for Titian.

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Prismacolor® Pencil Drawing After Arnout Vinckenborch

Copy of a Vinckenborch Sketch

The drawing above was done in black and white prismacolor pencils on textured gray paper. The original work was done in white and black chalk on buff paper. According my large book of old master drawings that I’m working from, the work is by Rubens. However, it turns out to be by another artist by the name of Arnout Vinckenborch. The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, which houses the drawing, has re-attributed the work to be by Vinckenborch. Interestingly, the word draftsman is in parenthesis next to his name instead of referring him as an artist. The value and significance of an artwork is diminished when it is attributed to a lesser known artist. This begs the question of what is more important, the work itself or the person who created it. Websites that sell reproductions of the drawing are still attributing the original work to Peter Paul Rubens. Most likely they don’t know that the attribution has changed or perhaps there is something more sinister going on.

“Let’s learn a little about Arnout Vinckenborch.”

Let’s learn a little about Arnout Vinckenborch. It will have to be a little because there is not much information about him. He was born in Alkmaar, around 1590. Alkmaar is small town in Northern Holland known for it’s cheese market. I only mention this because I like cheese. Don’t forget, this is my blog so I can make it about myself at anytime I choose to do so. Getting back to Vinckenborch, he grew up in Amsterdam before moving to Antwerp. Vinckenborch worked in the studio of Rubens. His development as an artist and painting technique was of course greatly influenced by the great master. So a lot of his output is mixed in with Rubens and other fellow artists in work that came out of the studio. He did however produce some works of his own before his untimely death at the age of 30.

Click this link to see and/or buy a copy of the drawing of a man’s back by Vinckenborch.

Click here if you would like to purchase the book: Anatomy Lessons of The Great Masters by Robert Hale.

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Drawing Copied from Bronzino, Who Copied it from Bandinelli

Female Nude Pencil Drawing

The above drawing is a copy of a work by the Italian artist Agnolo Bronzino. He is usually known by just Bronzino. Because, how many well known artists have the last name of Bronzino? Maybe 12 or 20. So it is not too confusing just to call him Bronzino. According to my research, the original was done in the 16th century. Which is seems rather vague. Bronzino lived between 1503 – 1572 so saying the drawing was done in the 16th century is a safe bet. Like many Italian Renaissance works, it was done in black chalk. I do not care for the scratchy-ness of chalk, so I did mine in pencil. A regular number 2 pencil and a darker one. Maybe a 4B or 6B. The number is for the darkness of the graphite and the letter “B” means soft. An “H” would signify a hard graphite. So to help you remember: H for Hard and B for… never mind. Bronzino’s drawing is actually a copy of a sculpture done by another 16th century Renaissance artist, Bartolommeo Bandinelli. The sculpture is of Cleopatra.

“I do not care for the scratchy-ness of chalk.”

So let’s sum up what we have covered so far. I copied a Bronzino drawing that was copied from a Bandinelli sculpture. Bartolommeo Bandinelli was a “Florentine Mannerist” and was greatly influenced by Donatello. Bandelli became a much celebrated sculptor until he was overshadowed by Michelangelo. Agnolo Bronzino was influenced by Jacopo da Pontormo, whom I talked about in previous posts. Bronzino and Pontormo also worked together on the decorations for two churches in Florence, Italy. As opposed to the city Florence in Kentucky or the ten other cities in America named Florence. Bronzino borrowed Pontormo’s expressive mannerist style and then created a his own clean linear style. His art was also influenced somewhat by Michelangelo as well as the later works of Raphael.

The drawing I copied of Cleopatra from Bronzino can be found in the Fogg Museum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Graphite Drawing of Risen Christ After Michelangelo

Copy of Michelangelo Drawing

Here is a graphite pencil drawing after Michelangelo titled “The Risen Christ”. The original was drawn in black chalk around 1532. It is part of the Royal Collection Trust in the United Kingdom. There are over one million articles in the collection which includes 150,000 works on paper. Apparently, it is all owned by Queen Elizabeth II. Most of the old master drawings where acquired by King George III. The original drawing might have been done as a finished work of art rather than a preparatory sketch. I would assume it is not to hard to find this drawing by Michelangelo in the Royal Collection. Because of it’s importance it must be on display in a conspicuous place. I would hate to think that is hidden in a large pile of 150,000 pieces of paper. But then again if the Queen owns so many items then she just might be a hoarder. In that case there might be several large cardboard boxes of drawings jammed into the Royal garage or perhaps stored up in the Buckingham Palace attic.

“I would hate to think that is hidden in a large pile of 150,000 pieces of paper.”

Moving on, I came across an interesting quote by Michelangelo regarding drawing. “The science of design, or of line-drawing, is the source and very essence of painting, sculpture, architecture. Sometimes it seems that all the works of the human brain and hand are either design itself or a branch of that art.” He also said “Draw, Antonio; draw, Antonio; draw and don’t waste time.” So as you can see, drawing is very important. I would assume that it is important for many people and not just Antonio. But the fact that he singled out Antonio means that drawing is even more important for Antonio. Unfortunately Michelangelo destroyed a lot of his drawings so others wouldn’t see how he developed his work. Here are a couple of more quotes to ponder “If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn’t call it genius.” And “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”

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Graphite Drawing After Benvenuto Cellini

Benvenuto Cellini Copy

Here we go again with another copy of another Italian Renaissance master. This time it is Benvenuto Cellini. The drawing I copied is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. The good news is that it free to visit. The bad news is that this particular drawing is not on view. It was made black chalk with brown ink and wash on laid paper. I drew mine with graphite pencils on Strathmore paper. It is titled “A Satyr”. In the book I’m copying it from, it is titled “Drawing of a Satyr for the Portal of Fontainebleau.” I searched for the “Portal of Fontainebleau” and I got very lost. I was hoping to find something I could write about.

I shall write about Benvenuto Cellini. Mr. Cellini was born on November 3, 1500 and died on February 13, 1571. Besides writing his famous autobiography, he was also a goldsmith, draftsman, sculptor and painter. Cellini was an important artist in the style of Mannerism. This style of art separated itself from the calm and orderly art of the High Renaissance by distorting its subjects to add tension and drama. He also wrote poetry, as well as treatises on goldsmithing and casting in bronze. It would be great if he wrote about drawing then I could just copy and paste it into this blog.

“I was hoping to find something I could write about.”

Anyway, reading Cellini’s autobiography is a good way to learn about him. I listened to it on audiobook a long time ago so I don’t really remember it, which is unfortunate because then I could write about that. I think I’ll write about some of the reviews for his autobiography I found on Amazon. “An intriguing look into an artist’s life in Renaissance Italy” said Jack. David says he read this book over 50 years ago in college. I like that review because it makes me feel young. Reviewer MickJazz says the book was recommended to him by a designer from Ohio. I listened to it on audiobook. I can’t remember if someone recommended it or not.

Here is a garden variety link to see Benvenuto Cellini’s Drawing of a Satyr for the Portal of Fontainebleau.